Ray, you missed a few things on your carb install. The first thing was the high idle was due to the choke being on at first. When the choke is on, on the passenger side of the carb there is a fast idle adjustment when the engine is cold. That high idle cold is normal when the choke is on. Secondly this carb has adjustable float levels that need to be adjusted after the engine is running and warmed up. On both float bowls there is a flat screw and a nut on the top of the float bowl used to adjust the levels as well as a brass screw on the side of the float bowl that is removed to check the proper level of fuel in the bowl. Proper level is just below the opening in the side of the float bowl. Once that is done, then you need to adjust the idle air fuel screws to peak rpm at idle then do a lean roll buy adjusting them back in slightly. Also the throttle cable need to be attached to the outside lever on the linkage so it is a straight shot back and forth. It can easily bind up and stick in the location where you have it attached. I am one of those dinosaurs who rebuilt these thing for 40 years while I was in business. Carburetors were one of my specialties. It will function the the way you have it, but not at peak efficiency. Keep the great videos coming. They are great.
Oh back in the day. All my friends replaced their carbs with Holley, Gabriel high jackers for the shocks, even replaced their headers. Everyone worked on their cars. I love watching you Ray but this is a treat and in my time zone.
My 2004 boat (I/O) had a Holley Marine carburetor on a 3.0 liter GM block. Always had issues and it has odd components inside. Rebuilt it twice over the years, solved all my problems when I sold the boat.
That top cable is for the transmission "kick-down". And there should be TWO throttle return springs, one inside the other. One thing about Holley Carbs is ONE good backfire can kill the Power Valve (there are kits to prevent that). That carb has the fixed secondary plate, but it's easy to convert that to one where the secondary jets can be changed. And that design where the tube runs from the front bowls to the back needs to be changed to fuel inlets on them independently. And one thing I always do with carb gaskets (external and internal) is spray them with silicone before installing them. I've rebuilt and modified more Holley carbs than I can remember! I actually was working on one (an oddball "top loader" 600cfm) for my '76 Monza with a 350 and had to call Holley and they connected me to the guy that designed it and told him what I was trying to do. He said: "We never considered that, but I'll send you a couple of undrilled Venturis you can try. Let me know how it works out!" My trick worked!
@@kevinsmith9420 Not sure but everything automotive is now & puzzles me when it all went metric why did it not go all the way & measure in mm /cm/m all a lot easier to divide up as well as litres in liquids it would drive me crazy having to convert everything from empirical to metric all the time.
Couple of things the throttle cable is angling towards the carburetor I believe it should be connected to the outer most ball mount so it pulls straight. Have someone press the throttle pedal to floor and make sure carburetor plates are opening all the way engine not running of course. 😉
I’m feeling my age with this video. First thing I would do would be remove the Holley carb WITH A STANDARD SIZE SOCKET 🤣then take it apart and soak it in carb cleaner or sonic cleaner then put a rebuild kit in it. Man points -10😜. I mis carbs and don’t at the Same time. Knowing how to work on them was something that made you a better mech but my God you can have better reliability than with the new fuel injections. Great video.
Every Holley Carburetor I have ever had was problematic, to the point that I finally gave up on them. A lot of guys talk trash about Quadrajet carbs but I have had great luck with them.
@@animalcorvair Yes, but they are time consuming. You take it apart, you measure all the wear components, your order new needles bushes, shafts, diaphragms, floats, jets and gaskets. That is already a couple of hours . Carb re-builders have it all in stock. And any special tools that make it easy and quick.
I rebuilt a Rochester for my boat without any previous experience. Had a shop manual to reference and found some examples on UA-cam to assist. Long story short it was a success, but tedious and time consuming. One of those things you don’t mind doing on your own stuff, but without proper experience I would only do that with my own stuff.
@@leosmith848 having 15 cars , 6 corvairs an a 79 caprice i am used to it lol ,,now my 56 chev has holly injection ,,,but i grew up with carbs ,,...my 69 mach 1 still has a carb .. an sometimes its best to go with a new carb
I had to smile when the “tight quarteres” and difficult part was the vacuum line hose clamp. Compared to today’s duel injected systems you could almost do that clamp with mittens on. Everything is relative. It is NOT 8 direct injectors, 8 port injectors, a fuel rail, a second high psi fuel pump, 16 wires and connectors, a throttle position sensor talking to a computer that talks to 40 other sensors. Instead you have the accelerator pedal mechanically linked to the carb. It opens the throttle plate, sprays some fuel which falls into the manifold, mixes with air and burns. God, I love it! Thanks for this video. Brings me back to my old cars and enjoyable repairs in the driveway. These days my mechanical work is limited to my small engine stuff and my cars and truck go to the shop where I am fortunate to have a Ray-like guy named Gary to deal with it.
Yeah I laughed at that too, miles of room to fit that clamp. Just needed to spin it around to face the passenger valve cover and you can get all kinds of tools on it 😂 I was a bit surprised that Ray fitted a carb straight out of the box and it ran that well, I was waiting for the stumbling idle because they usually just set all the adjustments "near enough"!
Mate and I have done so many carbs over many cars, after the 2nd rebuild failure, we gave up! We found the best carby place in our city, took our dodgy one in, and either swapped out or rebuilt. Easier, less stressful, and strangely enough, cheaper in the long run! Get the people who live and breathe the parts to do the work. Win win in my world...
To me, It's a balancing game I loved to learn. Especially on 2 strokes. Really gets your knuckles white and bottom puckered when it's life or death for the engine if you get it to lean. :P Learned it on mopeds in my teens with clearances like highway tunnels. Lean it till it runs hot and turn back half a turn. Now that idiot kid had to replace 3 cylinders and pistons before learning the lesson but good thing was a full kit was like 40-50 bucks and I had summerjobs, haha.
The thing about a Quadrajunk was the smaller primary and the gigantic secondaries. Good response at lower speeds and when you dropped the hammer the engine could pull the secondaries wide open. Lots of flow.
At the age of 11/12, my father put a 4 barrel Rochester carburetor on the garage bench. He had a “Jiffy rebuild kit”. He told me, “start rebuilding it!” I learned a lot and obviously disappointed him. I learned a lot about the adjustments, jets, needles, seats. That was a long time ago….😮
Chevy used to use Carter and Rochester carburetors. They also used to put a electrically heated plate under the carb to help vaporize the fule to increase the burn (pollution thing).
And the choke had a bi-metallic electric heater on the side of the carb that you would adjust by loosening three small screws and turning a plastic cover plate. Backfires were exciting 😂
Hi Ray Love the content. I’m old school and worked I’m many carbs. A little tip when working on a carb that is a bit flippity floppity on the intake is to hold the throttle wide open while tightening the carb down to the intake. It centers the carb in the bores and prevents interference with the throttle blades and the walls around it. Otherwise the carb can stick partially open instead of dropping to idle. Have a great day..
@@DannebergAcresI noticed that it was wrong when he took it off with hopes Ray would notice that. He admitted he doesn't work on carbs and doesn't read directions but he does read the comments so hopefully he now knows that there are several things that need to be corrected to make that carb work the way it is supposed to because it definitely needs to have several issues addressed besides the cable.
Very nice truck, I wish I could find one like that for myself. Replacing the carb was a good choice. I have rebuilt and replaced many carbs in my old school days and I now understand why my father (who was a Chevy dealer mechanic at one time) told me that carburetor is a French word that means 'Don't touch'.
I was 14 when I rebuilt my first carburetor, took it all apart cleaned everything and had the new gaskets and needed parts took one look and got my neighbor to help me put it back together. It was off a ‘65 impala
Reminds me of when I was about 24 and swapped out the stock 4bbl carb on my chevy 350 with a holley 650 double pumper. Sure did increase the power of that 350. Holley for the win! 🙂🙂🙂🙂
Tools required to rebuild a holly . 1/2 wrench - screwdriver 10:03 toothbrush- 3 cans of Gumout . Have faith in yourself. Anyone that can figure out wiring & computer crap. Is a master craftsman.
Those old Holleys were notorious for blowing power valves. Use to drive me nuts 😮. Finally started replacing them with an Edelbrock. 😅😂 They were good carbs to. ❤🎉😊
WOW, small world Ray, back in the mists of time early 1980’s I spent many happy trips riding my Kawasaki Z750LTD, the best bike I ever had, you mentioning it brought back so many happy memories for me, thank you
many moons ago I had a 1980 Datsun long bed with an L20 B engine that wouldn't smog in the late 90's, I actually rebuilt the carburetor from a kit even replaced and adjusted float, replaced random metal balls and springs etc and it passed smog perfectly, although was much easier than that carburetor you have there of course and not sure how many hours it took me , good ole days.
I remember back in the1980's I was nervous about removing all the "lines" to the carb. It seemed like so many things went to it. Now the crazy amount of hoses and wires is completely insane this reminded me how wild it was to be nervous about the carb connections
I spent years adjusting and rebuilding carbs. Since the float and fast idle has already been posted. I shall say thank you for the old school video. It brings back many memories.
Ray, I like the fact that you admitted that you do not know how to rebuild a carburetor. Me, being in my 70's, have rebuilt carb's from all sorts of things. I suppose there are "professional" rebuilders but carb's are not that sophisticated. The amount of precision of a carb amounts to gas soaked rags or a sponge. Yes, you can change the amount of air/fuel ratio by fiddling with the jets and you can get sophisticated about it, but all in all, they are a very crude piece of engineering. Probably gonna catch some hate over that! Anyway, over the years, Chevy's mainly came with either 2 barrel or 4 barrel carbs. Rochester built the 2 barrels and I also "think" they built the 4 barrels affectionately known as the "Quadra Jet" carbs. People complain that the Quadra Jets were a terrible carb. No, they worked great in the straight line, which is what they were intended for. Drag racing those carbs were fantastic! My stock Chevelle 396 SS, slightly modified with an L88 cam and a massaged Quadra Jet ran 11:02's through the quarter mile. That was OK for a back yard mechanic. The one benefit a carb has over fuel injection is that if you break down on the side of the road, you can pull a carb apart and fix it. Try that with fuel injection! Stay safe!
Another lifetime ago, I was first introduced to carburettors during training by removing and servicing SU carbs. I’m told they are very difficult to tune but perseverance and experience taught me how, and the design and simplicity of these became almost second nature to get right. That thing? I’d be replacing it. No question.
I learned not to trust rebuilt carbs. I was charged $200 for my carb to be rebuilt. I even supplied the kit. I get it back after 3 months and my car wouldn’t start. Dude told me the floats might be bent so open it and bend them back. I ended up tearing the gasket when I noticed the sludge in the bowls. I ended up buying a new Edelbrock and besides needing to be tuned, my 65 Mustang runs great now.
Back in the day we would have just bought a carburetor rebuild kit and done it. A new carb wasn't as expensive as they are today, but we still wanted to save a buck or two. Now that I've typed this you're addressing the issue. But Ray I've seen you tackle a lot more complicated problems that you claimed to have no experience with. Rebuilding a carb is pretty straightforward. Heck I did my first one at the age of twelve.
Try and get a Rochester, Carter, Edelbrock & Holley Carby together. Pull each Carby apart and you will see that the Holly is so simple in design and has less than half of the jets compared to the other brands. Simple to overhaul and recondition. It is good that you were honest Ray, as they say, 'honesty is the best policy'. Don't forget to check and set the mixture screws as well, not just the idle speed. Make sure that the choke flap is fully open & engine at normal temperature. Check & adjust fast idle speed, if needed, plus it's also good to check the float level by removing the inspection (level hole) screw. Just because it is new, doesn't mean that you go complacent in the basic adjustments.
Rebuilt a many Holley carbs in my day. I understand not wanting to learn to do the rebuild with the cheaper replacements these days. Makes since. I remember getting a 1973 Ford thunderbird with a 460 cubic inch. Sporting a Holley 850 double pumper. That car was so much fun to drive. They don't make them like that anymore. Miss the cars of old. Great video. Keep them coming.
This is one fine video. I enjoyed watching “ teck” Ray feel out of place with an old school carb. I do not know how many Holley or Rochester carbs I have rebuilt in my life but it was a fun chore for me, love doing it. You have to watch how you torque a carb down on the manifold , you can warp the base causing a vacuumed leak . Two return springs on the carb was normal . Stay safe , have fun Ray .
Ray, great video. I let the dog out in the morning grab a cup of coffee and hope that your video is on. Im old (my sons and grand sons say I'm ripe). Anyway thanks Ray you help me get my day going.
How many other people jumped back when he pulled the fuel line off and gas sprayed out towards us? I hope Ray reads all of the comments and either figures out how to do all of the correct measures to tune the carb, get all the cables and springs installed properly or brings in someone who does know to get this thing running at peak performance.
This was so old-school that no battery operated tools (other than lighting) were used. Love it. I used to have an '83 Silverado. Same as this truck except it was white and had the factory grille.
I can't believe you do not know how to rebuild carburettors. It's so easy! I am an expert carburettor rebuilder. I have never actually rebuilt a carburettor myself, but I have watched over one hundred UA-cam videos showing how to do it. 🤣😂🤣 Now for a top tip passed down to me from a top "Indecar Mechanic" regarding the squealy belt. If you put some oil or grease on the belt it will stop all of that horrible squealing noise, (also works on noisy brake shoes/pads 😂🤣😂 By the way. I did notice your Wedding ring. (you naughty boy).
{My profile photo} of my '74 Chevy C10 stepside. Dad bought new in '74 and gave to me in high school in '85. I still have it. Started with the OEM Rochester 4BBL on the 350, moved to Holley 650, then Carter 500, and now an Edelbrock 600 on an Edelbrock Street Master intake manifold. The motor in now I built in '89 is a Crate 305. Also went from points/dwell to an HEI ignition with the new engine. Had to play with step up springs and jet combos to get it to run right. I've rebuilt them before, but cost/time now it's just worth it to get a new one in the box! Agree with others here about the return spring needing a 2nd spring for the trans kick-down. Mine has a Saginaw 3-on-the-tree, so it doesn't have the 2nd spring. And that squealing belt needs a dry bar of soap held against it while running (Old dad trick to stop a noisy belt). Needs a quick timing check too if it was backfiring through the carb ;-)
I remember rebuiling a big double pumper on a Corvette engine one time back in late 74 at the Skelly station I worked at in West Dundee, Illinois. The much older mechanic said boy I hope you remember where all that stuff goes !! I said sure, but it's going to take 2 days with no interrupting me. It just requires patience. 🙏🙏🇺🇸🇺🇸👍 Thank you Ray 👍 Y'all are awesome 😎
I grew up in the 60s and 70s You do not need to know anything about carbrators, bask in your fuel injection, knowing the float will never stick, your jets dont get gummed up and your idle is wrong no mater how many times you adjust it. Consider its a blessing you have most motors with injection, even though its still not as efficient as it could be with vapor.
Had a "69" Gran Prix and blew the exhaust off with the 4 BBL Quadrajet I never leaned how to rebuild carbs but after replacing 2 timing chains I knew I didn't want to keep that car although it was my favorite car I had owned. This chevy is a clean vehicle, the owner took good care of it
My dad used to work on our cars, and when he was turning the carb he run the screws at the bottom of the plate all the way in and then back them out 2 1/2 turns was perfect. I learned all about working on cars from him
When it comes to Carbs, I'm with you on this one. Either send them out for rebuild or buy a new one. I used to try and kit them with mixed results, but time is money and I've had much better results letting somebody who has the expertise fix them properly. I'll still do minor things, like fix external leaks or replace a sunken float, but beyond that, it's out the door!
I had a 1965 Cadillac Calais back in the early 70s that had a 429 V8 in it. When my brother blew up his 396 camaro, he gave me the Holley 650 dual feed off of it . The caddy turned 15 second quarter miles at Palm Beach International raceway.
Our instructor at our trade school told our class that the best thing you could do to a carburetor is adjust it! And then he went on to say if you cannot get it adjusted properly, rebuild it. And what it is found to be worn out when you pull it apart, then replace it.
Look into a Holley Sniper 2 plug and play fuel injected carb. They work really well. Hook up a vacuum gauge and set the carb mixture, reset idle. Don't forget to remove the vacuum line to the distributor before performing your carb adjustments. Check all your chock settings.
Strongly recommend that you replace all of the flexible fuel lines with E85 rated lines. High risk of the ethanol in today's gas eating the stock lines and creating a fire risk from ruptured lines.
We have 93 ethanol free gas in my area. That’s what all the guys with old trucks and hot rods use. Even if he changes all of the fuel line, the Holley Carb will corrode.
My personal opinion. Edelbrock works way better on Chevy products than the "what the holley hell" carbs. With the Edelbrock ones, no intake adapter needed.
To adjust idle mixture on these old carbs, I used a vacuum gauge straight to manifold vacuum, adjust the mixture screws for max vacuum inches on the gauge. After the engine is fully warmed up of course.
I thought about this. A carb's system functions similar to the float assembly in my toilet. The instruction leaflet says every measurement needed and rebuild kits usually come with an easy to use measuring paper tool. Like a toilet tank, you basically clean the carb up, install new jets and check side to side play and drop! If you're getting paid for this, you're a professional!
Fixing parts is a thing of the past when it was cheaper and worth the time to fix. Now the parts are just as much as the repair kits or only slightly less.
From experience, it is way easier and faster to diagnosed a carb fuel problem than an EFI problem, even though since the 2000 I always have a laptop with me. Carburetor rebuilding it has to be the first course on any mechanics tech school, even in todays age generation. Carb rebuilding was my first course when I when to mechanic tech school though i already knew how to rebuild them since my grandpa show us how to du to it was imperative to maintain every vehicle in the farm in optimal working condition. that included engines. One day I told him there is no need for carburetors due to EFI. He response was... Are you goin to drive around with a PC on your truck in order to diagnose a electric problem? When the problem could be a short wire, a sensor or ECM Itself. once you learn how to rebuild a carburetor you also learn how it works and just listening to it will let you know what is wrong with it. A carb rebuild kit with a jets kit is very small, you always carry tools on your truck therefor it will take less time to deal with the problem in hand. 😂😂🤣yep, grandpa told it like it has to told!
What a coincidence, I put a new carb on my 79 Monte yesterday! It is from National Carburetor in Jacksonville. This is my first experience with them, and so far so good. I have rebuilt Holleys in the past, but that one seems pretty far gone.
GM used the Rochester Quadra-Jet 4-bbl carburetor. For what they were, they were impressive. My dad had a 78 square body c-series with a 454 in it. That truck was scary fast!
Amazing the difference between old and new- school tool collections. They sell a flexible shafted hose clamp driver that makes all those worm-gear clamps easy-peasy, but of course now-a-day you only need pliers for the tension hose clamps.
Regarding the rebuild vs replace issue. Rebuilding yourself vs paying for the time for someone to rebuild is significant. I rebuilt my own carbs back in the day (with the advantage of having a grandfather that was a master mechanic) Today, if one can't do that, you have to pay someone else to do it. A stock holley carb is about $300 - 400.
@@michaelpressman7203 yep. Even in those situations, my grandpa had a stock of brass tubing he used to make sleeves, took a lot of time, he did everything to save a customer money. He taught me to rebuild/repair starters and alternators as opposed to just replacing them. (this was in the 60's & 70's not practical these days)
In the late 70's a few friends and I ( High School) did exactly the same exact carb swap on many vehicles. Yes I know not the same but period correct. 😊
WOW I really miss my 85 now. My 85 only had a 305 but I didn't have the spare cash to upgrade lol. Great video and Great truck. Compliments to the owner 🙂
I think this proves that Ray is not actually Superman, although I have never seen both of them together. Nothing wrong with not knowing how to do something, and it is refreshing to see someone admit it, as too many people nowadays lie.
Fun fact, my cousin named his daughter Holly because both my cousin and his dad (my uncle) love classic cars. Oldsmobile, Roadrunner, Charger, Challenger, and so on. They actually import them sometimes to Sweden from the US to restore them :D
Boy, I miss working on those old trucks and that small block 350. There was a lot of room under the hood to work and not all of the garbage electrical and computer stuff to have to deal with.
Adding to Larry's comments,the accelerator pump has a few adjustments, there at the purple spring and the cam,(which there are different profiles available) that actuates the squirter,cam screws on to the back side of throttle linkage...so if there's flat spots/hiccups they can be dialed out. Don't forget those have power valves...a fart or two back thru the carb will rupture the diaphragm and it'll run like dooky. Power valves come in different vacuum ranges to also help drivability...if they pop it can let fuel dribble like the old was doin. Peace!!
FYI: Holly had a recall on its carbs several years ago. Corrosion in the bowl from the metal breaking down. They sent you a kit to repair it. Had this on my 68 Camaro it would not idle correctly and loss power.
Ohhhh Ya Dooo know how to rebuild a carburetor! It goes back together just like you took it apart. The hard part is getting it dialed in on the mixtures
I would check timing as it seems a little sluggish reving off idle, also drive it a bit and check plug color to verify jetting. Of course first fix would be that belt or tensioner issue, that noise!
Your right ray unless your into racing it'll probably be awhile before you get a project to rebuild a carburetor like that thanks for admitting you didn't know how righteous 🤙
The dirty dark varnish down inside the throttle bores of the carb show it is old and has been running super rich on fuel for some time. Holley is a premium carb brand (performance carb) but those tend to create tiny vacuum leaks around the throttle shaft bushings (primaries and secondaries) and can create bad vacuum leaks that causes a rough idle and the best way to fix that is to replace the carb. The Chevy 350 cu in often came stock with a Rochester "4MV" Quadra-Jet 4-barrel carburetor or the 2 barrel Rochester 2GC carburetor on the smaller 305 cu in V8.
For professional carb support, you might want top look up Mr Carburetor in Cedar Hill TX. Many, many moons ago I rebuilt a lot of Holley carbs. I even put a Holley 2 barrel on a Roots 1800CC engine in a 72 MGB. Damn fine running engine.
You're right, Ray. The first time I rebuilt a Holley the result was far from perfect. Like you, I decided to just purchase a new one. Of course, I still had to change the jets on the new one to achieve proper fuel flow.
Great to watch you work as always. I really appreciate that you are a thoughtful professional who makes great content that I can watch with my miniature human. Keep up the great work!
That belt chittering would drive me crazy😆😅🤣😂
Belt Chirp is bad.
My thoughts EXACTLY! LOL!
I think the birds are hungry!
And the power steering whine!!!!!!
Yes
Ray, you missed a few things on your carb install. The first thing was the high idle was due to the choke being on at first. When the choke is on, on the passenger side of the carb there is a fast idle adjustment when the engine is cold. That high idle cold is normal when the choke is on. Secondly this carb has adjustable float levels that need to be adjusted after the engine is running and warmed up. On both float bowls there is a flat screw and a nut on the top of the float bowl used to adjust the levels as well as a brass screw on the side of the float bowl that is removed to check the proper level of fuel in the bowl. Proper level is just below the opening in the side of the float bowl. Once that is done, then you need to adjust the idle air fuel screws to peak rpm at idle then do a lean roll buy adjusting them back in slightly. Also the throttle cable need to be attached to the outside lever on the linkage so it is a straight shot back and forth. It can easily bind up and stick in the location where you have it attached. I am one of those dinosaurs who rebuilt these thing for 40 years while I was in business. Carburetors were one of my specialties. It will function the the way you have it, but not at peak efficiency. Keep the great videos coming. They are great.
Nice to Hear from a Old Soul like me...
May also need to be rejetted.
He would know this if he read the instructions. He never does though.
Probably Ray is just changing parts and has a 'tuner' coming in for that last step -- maybe the OBD will say what needs to be tuned...
Knowledge is a blessing
I love this old school stuff. Takes me back when i could work on my own cars and trucks. Thanks Ray.
Made this Gen Xer nostalgic 😁
That screeching belt is giving me Forrest Whitaker eye.
OMG same here
Lmao that’s good
Valve cover upside down is killing me!
Oh back in the day. All my friends replaced their carbs with Holley, Gabriel high jackers for the shocks, even replaced their headers. Everyone worked on their cars. I love watching you Ray but this is a treat and in my time zone.
My 2004 boat (I/O) had a Holley Marine carburetor on a 3.0 liter GM block. Always had issues and it has odd components inside. Rebuilt it twice over the years, solved all my problems when I sold the boat.
My old 72 Nova with a 350 I put a Holly 650 dual inline with Spyder Manifold and hooker Headers. hot little car.
@@rickscott7350love them Novas😂
That top cable is for the transmission "kick-down". And there should be TWO throttle return springs, one inside the other. One thing about Holley Carbs is ONE good backfire can kill the Power Valve (there are kits to prevent that). That carb has the fixed secondary plate, but it's easy to convert that to one where the secondary jets can be changed. And that design where the tube runs from the front bowls to the back needs to be changed to fuel inlets on them independently. And one thing I always do with carb gaskets (external and internal) is spray them with silicone before installing them. I've rebuilt and modified more Holley carbs than I can remember! I actually was working on one (an oddball "top loader" 600cfm) for my '76 Monza with a 350 and had to call Holley and they connected me to the guy that designed it and told him what I was trying to do. He said: "We never considered that, but I'll send you a couple of undrilled Venturis you can try. Let me know how it works out!"
My trick worked!
top is for throttle.. bottom is for Trans TV cable...
From a 71 yr. old, finally something I can relate to!
Yelling "it's not Metric -its Half-inch!"
@@DannebergAcres Agreed. But overall didn't American automakers convert to metric in the late 1970s?
From a 70 year old: true dat. I have worked on so many of those old 350s in my teens, it's not funny.
@@DannebergAcres Me too!
@@kevinsmith9420 Not sure but everything automotive is now & puzzles me when it all went metric why did it not go all the way & measure in mm /cm/m all a lot easier to divide up as well as litres in liquids it would drive me crazy having to convert everything from empirical to metric all the time.
Couple of things the throttle cable is angling towards the carburetor I believe it should be connected to the outer most ball mount so it pulls straight.
Have someone press the throttle pedal to floor and make sure carburetor plates are opening all the way engine not running of course. 😉
you are correct.. its installed wrong and should have a straight pull
I’m feeling my age with this video. First thing I would do would be remove the Holley carb WITH A STANDARD SIZE SOCKET 🤣then take it apart and soak it in carb cleaner or sonic cleaner then put a rebuild kit in it. Man points -10😜. I mis carbs and don’t at the Same time. Knowing how to work on them was something that made you a better mech but my God you can have better reliability than with the new fuel injections. Great video.
Every Holley Carburetor I have ever had was problematic, to the point that I finally gave up on them. A lot of guys talk trash about Quadrajet carbs but I have had great luck with them.
I’d take a quadrajet any day over a Holley. Had an old school chevy dealer tech teach me the tricks of tuning the quadrajet.
Both work well if you know how to set them up.
Holley is very simple to setup and adjust with the carb installed.
At least you are honest about not knowing ho to rebuild a carburetor
The driving issue being the time you have to charge at today's fair rate.👍👍👍
they are easy .....
@@animalcorvair Yes, but they are time consuming. You take it apart, you measure all the wear components, your order new needles bushes, shafts, diaphragms, floats, jets and gaskets. That is already a couple of hours .
Carb re-builders have it all in stock. And any special tools that make it easy and quick.
I rebuilt a Rochester for my boat without any previous experience. Had a shop manual to reference and found some examples on UA-cam to assist. Long story short it was a success, but tedious and time consuming. One of those things you don’t mind doing on your own stuff, but without proper experience I would only do that with my own stuff.
@@leosmith848 having 15 cars , 6 corvairs an a 79 caprice i am used to it lol ,,now my 56 chev has holly injection ,,,but i grew up with carbs ,,...my 69 mach 1 still has a carb .. an sometimes its best to go with a new carb
You should invite Derek from Vice Grip Garage to come give you a crash course of carb rebuilding, he is very good on carbs
Yeh! Derek is a magician!
That carb is nowhere near tuned.
Make sure he brings his rustolem rebuild kit! Lol
I had to smile when the “tight quarteres” and difficult part was the vacuum line hose clamp. Compared to today’s duel injected systems you could almost do that clamp with mittens on. Everything is relative. It is NOT 8 direct injectors, 8 port injectors, a fuel rail, a second high psi fuel pump, 16 wires and connectors, a throttle position sensor talking to a computer that talks to 40 other sensors. Instead you have the accelerator pedal mechanically linked to the carb. It opens the throttle plate, sprays some fuel which falls into the manifold, mixes with air and burns. God, I love it! Thanks for this video. Brings me back to my old cars and enjoyable repairs in the driveway. These days my mechanical work is limited to my small engine stuff and my cars and truck go to the shop where I am fortunate to have a Ray-like guy named Gary to deal with it.
Yeah I laughed at that too, miles of room to fit that clamp. Just needed to spin it around to face the passenger valve cover and you can get all kinds of tools on it 😂
I was a bit surprised that Ray fitted a carb straight out of the box and it ran that well, I was waiting for the stumbling idle because they usually just set all the adjustments "near enough"!
Mate and I have done so many carbs over many cars, after the 2nd rebuild failure, we gave up! We found the best carby place in our city, took our dodgy one in, and either swapped out or rebuilt. Easier, less stressful, and strangely enough, cheaper in the long run! Get the people who live and breathe the parts to do the work. Win win in my world...
To me, It's a balancing game I loved to learn.
Especially on 2 strokes.
Really gets your knuckles white and bottom puckered when it's life or death for the engine if you get it to lean. :P
Learned it on mopeds in my teens with clearances like highway tunnels.
Lean it till it runs hot and turn back half a turn.
Now that idiot kid had to replace 3 cylinders and pistons before learning the lesson but good thing was a full kit was like 40-50 bucks and I had summerjobs, haha.
I’m a Ford guy, but I can appreciate an old Chevy truck in such well cared for condition. Love the front grille with the hidden headlights 👍
The Rochester Quadrajet OE was a good carb and easy to rebuild.
An oft misunderstood fuel make-it-happener.
The thing about a Quadrajunk was the smaller primary and the gigantic secondaries. Good response at lower speeds and when you dropped the hammer the engine could pull the secondaries wide open. Lots of flow.
At the age of 11/12, my father put a 4 barrel Rochester carburetor on the garage bench. He had a “Jiffy rebuild kit”. He told me, “start rebuilding it!” I learned a lot and obviously disappointed him. I learned a lot about the adjustments, jets, needles, seats. That was a long time ago….😮
Chevy used to use Carter and Rochester carburetors. They also used to put a electrically heated plate under the carb to help vaporize the fule to increase the burn (pollution thing).
Yeah, I prefer the old Carter AFB style easy to tune and they stay in tune
And the choke had a bi-metallic electric heater on the side of the carb that you would adjust by loosening three small screws and turning a plastic cover plate. Backfires were exciting 😂
Hi Ray Love the content. I’m old school and worked I’m many carbs. A little tip when working on a carb that is a bit flippity floppity on the intake is to hold the throttle wide open while tightening the carb down to the intake. It centers the carb in the bores and prevents interference with the throttle blades and the walls around it. Otherwise the carb can stick partially open instead of dropping to idle. Have a great day..
Perfect candidate for an EFI conversion the Sniper kit is very complete.
You put the throttle cable on the inside, it needs to be on the outside. It will wear out the plastic shield and possibly prevent full open throttle.
Looks straight and He took it off same way, so not sure about that.
@@DannebergAcresI noticed that it was wrong when he took it off with hopes Ray would notice that. He admitted he doesn't work on carbs and doesn't read directions but he does read the comments so hopefully he now knows that there are several things that need to be corrected to make that carb work the way it is supposed to because it definitely needs to have several issues addressed besides the cable.
Very nice truck, I wish I could find one like that for myself. Replacing the carb was a good choice. I have rebuilt and replaced many carbs in my old school days and I now understand why my father (who was a Chevy dealer mechanic at one time) told me that carburetor is a French word that means 'Don't touch'.
Takes me back to the good old days. I work on all my trucks, not now. Things have changed for the worst.
I was 14 when I rebuilt my first carburetor, took it all apart cleaned everything and had the new gaskets and needed parts took one look and got my neighbor to help me put it back together. It was off a ‘65 impala
Reminds me of when I was about 24 and swapped out the stock 4bbl carb on my chevy 350 with a holley 650 double pumper. Sure did increase the power of that 350. Holley for the win! 🙂🙂🙂🙂
Woo Carb video honestly, I was excited to watch this.
Thank you for doing this repair on camera for us!
Tools required to rebuild a holly . 1/2 wrench - screwdriver 10:03 toothbrush- 3 cans of Gumout . Have faith in yourself. Anyone that can figure out wiring & computer crap. Is a master craftsman.
Those old Holleys were notorious for blowing power valves. Use to drive me nuts 😮. Finally started replacing them with an Edelbrock. 😅😂 They were good carbs to. ❤🎉😊
WOW, small world Ray, back in the mists of time early 1980’s I spent many happy trips riding my Kawasaki Z750LTD, the best bike I ever had, you mentioning it brought back so many happy memories for me, thank you
Gotta love all the engine bay space to work on that Baby!.... Fantastic Video Ray
many moons ago I had a 1980 Datsun long bed with an L20 B engine that wouldn't smog in the late 90's, I actually rebuilt the carburetor from a kit even replaced and adjusted float, replaced random metal balls and springs etc and it passed smog perfectly, although was much easier than that carburetor you have there of course and not sure how many hours it took me , good ole days.
I remember back in the1980's I was nervous about removing all the "lines" to the carb. It seemed like so many things went to it. Now the crazy amount of hoses and wires is completely insane this reminded me how wild it was to be nervous about the carb connections
I spent years adjusting and rebuilding carbs. Since the float and fast idle has already been posted. I shall say thank you for the old school video. It brings back many memories.
Ray, I like the fact that you admitted that you do not know how to rebuild a carburetor. Me, being in my 70's, have rebuilt carb's from all sorts of things. I suppose there are "professional" rebuilders but carb's are not that sophisticated. The amount of precision of a carb amounts to gas soaked rags or a sponge. Yes, you can change the amount of air/fuel ratio by fiddling with the jets and you can get sophisticated about it, but all in all, they are a very crude piece of engineering. Probably gonna catch some hate over that! Anyway, over the years, Chevy's mainly came with either 2 barrel or 4 barrel carbs. Rochester built the 2 barrels and I also "think" they built the 4 barrels affectionately known as the "Quadra Jet" carbs. People complain that the Quadra Jets were a terrible carb. No, they worked great in the straight line, which is what they were intended for. Drag racing those carbs were fantastic! My stock Chevelle 396 SS, slightly modified with an L88 cam and a massaged Quadra Jet ran 11:02's through the quarter mile. That was OK for a back yard mechanic. The one benefit a carb has over fuel injection is that if you break down on the side of the road, you can pull a carb apart and fix it. Try that with fuel injection! Stay safe!
Another lifetime ago, I was first introduced to carburettors during training by removing and servicing SU carbs. I’m told they are very difficult to tune but perseverance and experience taught me how, and the design and simplicity of these became almost second nature to get right.
That thing? I’d be replacing it. No question.
Most carb kits I've ever used came with instructions. Shouldn 't be too difficult for you, Ray.
I learned not to trust rebuilt carbs. I was charged $200 for my carb to be rebuilt. I even supplied the kit. I get it back after 3 months and my car wouldn’t start. Dude told me the floats might be bent so open it and bend them back. I ended up tearing the gasket when I noticed the sludge in the bowls. I ended up buying a new Edelbrock and besides needing to be tuned, my 65 Mustang runs great now.
Back in the day we would have just bought a carburetor rebuild kit and done it. A new carb wasn't as expensive as they are today, but we still wanted to save a buck or two. Now that I've typed this you're addressing the issue. But Ray I've seen you tackle a lot more complicated problems that you claimed to have no experience with. Rebuilding a carb is pretty straightforward. Heck I did my first one at the age of twelve.
Try and get a Rochester, Carter, Edelbrock & Holley Carby together. Pull each Carby apart and you will see that the Holly is so simple in design and has less than half of the jets compared to the other brands. Simple to overhaul and recondition. It is good that you were honest Ray, as they say, 'honesty is the best policy'. Don't forget to check and set the mixture screws as well, not just the idle speed. Make sure that the choke flap is fully open & engine at normal temperature. Check & adjust fast idle speed, if needed, plus it's also good to check the float level by removing the inspection (level hole) screw. Just because it is new, doesn't mean that you go complacent in the basic adjustments.
Rebuilt a many Holley carbs in my day. I understand not wanting to learn to do the rebuild with the cheaper replacements these days. Makes since. I remember getting a 1973 Ford thunderbird with a 460 cubic inch. Sporting a Holley 850 double pumper. That car was so much fun to drive. They don't make them like that anymore. Miss the cars of old.
Great video. Keep them coming.
That new Holly carburetor “unit” fresh out of the box is the epitome of “nice and shiny”!
All the best Ray!
I really enjoy watching your program with no judgement. You helped me rebuild front-end on daughters car . THANK YOU.
All the way from Oregon
This is one fine video. I enjoyed watching “ teck” Ray feel out of place with an old school carb. I do not know how many Holley or Rochester carbs I have rebuilt in my life but it was a fun chore for me, love doing it. You have to watch how you torque a carb down on the manifold , you can warp the base causing a vacuumed leak . Two return springs on the carb was normal . Stay safe , have fun Ray .
Ray, great video. I let the dog out in the morning grab a cup of coffee and hope that your video is on. Im old (my sons and grand sons say I'm ripe). Anyway thanks Ray you help me get my day going.
With age comes wisdom to be passed on to children that know everything.
How many other people jumped back when he pulled the fuel line off and gas sprayed out towards us? I hope Ray reads all of the comments and either figures out how to do all of the correct measures to tune the carb, get all the cables and springs installed properly or brings in someone who does know to get this thing running at peak performance.
This was so old-school that no battery operated tools (other than lighting) were used. Love it. I used to have an '83 Silverado. Same as this truck except it was white and had the factory grille.
I can't believe you do not know how to rebuild carburettors. It's so easy!
I am an expert carburettor rebuilder. I have never actually rebuilt a carburettor myself, but I have watched over one hundred UA-cam videos showing how to do it. 🤣😂🤣
Now for a top tip passed down to me from a top "Indecar Mechanic" regarding the squealy belt. If you put some oil or grease on the belt it will stop all of that horrible squealing noise, (also works on noisy brake shoes/pads 😂🤣😂
By the way. I did notice your Wedding ring. (you naughty boy).
{My profile photo} of my '74 Chevy C10 stepside. Dad bought new in '74 and gave to me in high school in '85. I still have it. Started with the OEM Rochester 4BBL on the 350, moved to Holley 650, then Carter 500, and now an Edelbrock 600 on an Edelbrock Street Master intake manifold. The motor in now I built in '89 is a Crate 305. Also went from points/dwell to an HEI ignition with the new engine. Had to play with step up springs and jet combos to get it to run right. I've rebuilt them before, but cost/time now it's just worth it to get a new one in the box! Agree with others here about the return spring needing a 2nd spring for the trans kick-down. Mine has a Saginaw 3-on-the-tree, so it doesn't have the 2nd spring. And that squealing belt needs a dry bar of soap held against it while running (Old dad trick to stop a noisy belt). Needs a quick timing check too if it was backfiring through the carb ;-)
I remember rebuiling a big double pumper on a Corvette engine one time back in late 74 at the Skelly station I worked at in West Dundee, Illinois. The much older mechanic said boy I hope you remember where all that stuff goes !! I said sure, but it's going to take 2 days with no interrupting me. It just requires patience. 🙏🙏🇺🇸🇺🇸👍
Thank you Ray 👍 Y'all are awesome 😎
30 Minutes of pure Excitement. Thanks a lot from Germany !!!
I grew up in the 60s and 70s
You do not need to know anything about carbrators, bask in your fuel injection, knowing the float will never stick, your jets dont get gummed up and your idle is wrong no mater how many times you adjust it.
Consider its a blessing you have most motors with injection, even though its still not as efficient as it could be with vapor.
Love it. rebuilding carbs takes special talent and know how.
Had a "69" Gran Prix and blew the exhaust off with the 4 BBL Quadrajet I never leaned how to rebuild carbs but after replacing 2 timing chains I knew I didn't want to keep that car although it was my favorite car I had owned. This chevy is a clean vehicle, the owner took good care of it
Please fix that squealing belt while you are at it!
If it's not the belt, it's likely the tensioner who's bearing has gone, but yeah, it needs attending to.
It’s probably louder on video than in person. Certain frequencies overwhelm some miniature mic setups.
My dad used to work on our cars, and when he was turning the carb he run the screws at the bottom of the plate all the way in and then back them out 2 1/2 turns was perfect. I learned all about working on cars from him
When it comes to Carbs, I'm with you on this one. Either send them out for rebuild or buy a new one. I used to try and kit them with mixed results, but time is money and I've had much better results letting somebody who has the expertise fix them properly. I'll still do minor things, like fix external leaks or replace a sunken float, but beyond that, it's out the door!
Hey Ray, thats a really beautiful old truck. This owner really.looks after it. Thanks for featuring it. Cheers!
I had a 1965 Cadillac Calais back in the early 70s that had a 429 V8 in it. When my brother blew up his 396 camaro, he gave me the Holley 650 dual feed off of it . The caddy turned 15 second quarter miles at Palm Beach International raceway.
The carburetor you are installing has the benefit of computerized analysis about it's performance. Worth it, and better than rebuilding a lesser unit.
Edelbrock, Holly and Brodix - the holy trinity of Chevy small blocks from time past.
Our instructor at our trade school told our class that the best thing you could do to a carburetor is adjust it! And then he went on to say if you cannot get it adjusted properly, rebuild it. And what it is found to be worn out when you pull it apart, then replace it.
Look into a Holley Sniper 2 plug and play fuel injected carb. They work really well. Hook up a vacuum gauge and set the carb mixture, reset idle. Don't forget to remove the vacuum line to the distributor before performing your carb adjustments. Check all your chock settings.
Great close-ups Ray.
Once had 1969 mustang with a 428cj too Holley if I remember correctly they were holly 600 lots of fun
Strongly recommend that you replace all of the flexible fuel lines with E85 rated lines. High risk of the ethanol in today's gas eating the stock lines and creating a fire risk from ruptured lines.
We have 93 ethanol free gas in my area. That’s what all the guys with old trucks and hot rods use. Even if he changes all of the fuel line, the Holley Carb will corrode.
Very much agree and to use quality branded fuel hoses, lots of terrible quality and fake fuel hoses around. Well here in the UK.
My personal opinion. Edelbrock works way better on Chevy products than the "what the holley hell" carbs. With the Edelbrock ones, no intake adapter needed.
Also Air/Fuel mixture screw adjustments to get the best out of the new set up. Old School from back in 1977
Finally, a fueling technology I understand. Lol, even had a Holley on my Datsun 510, with an Offy intake manifold.
To adjust idle mixture on these old carbs, I used a vacuum gauge straight to manifold vacuum, adjust the mixture screws for max vacuum inches on the gauge. After the engine is fully warmed up of course.
I really love that year's short bed C10. You are giving this life again.
Hay Ray! Don't forget that noisy belt. 😁😁
I thought about this. A carb's system functions similar to the float assembly in my toilet. The instruction leaflet says every measurement needed and rebuild kits usually come with an easy to use measuring paper tool. Like a toilet tank, you basically clean the carb up, install new jets and check side to side play and drop! If you're getting paid for this, you're a professional!
Fixing parts is a thing of the past when it was cheaper and worth the time to fix. Now the parts are just as much as the repair kits or only slightly less.
You should take a look at that brake fluid level. Excellent job so far.
That's the reason like this website ur full of information explaining what u r doing in detail and most of all ur honesty and pushing 600 , great job.
From experience, it is way easier and faster to diagnosed a carb fuel problem than an EFI problem, even though since the 2000 I always have a laptop with me.
Carburetor rebuilding it has to be the first course on any mechanics tech school, even in todays age generation. Carb rebuilding was my first course when I when to mechanic tech school though i already knew how to rebuild them since my grandpa show us how to du to it was imperative to maintain every vehicle in the farm in optimal working condition. that included engines.
One day I told him there is no need for carburetors due to EFI. He response was... Are you goin to drive around with a PC on your truck in order to diagnose a electric problem? When the problem could be a short wire, a sensor or ECM Itself.
once you learn how to rebuild a carburetor you also learn how it works and just listening to it will let you know what is wrong with it.
A carb rebuild kit with a jets kit is very small, you always carry tools on your truck therefor it will take less time to deal with the problem in hand.
😂😂🤣yep, grandpa told it like it has to told!
What a coincidence, I put a new carb on my 79 Monte yesterday! It is from National Carburetor in Jacksonville. This is my first experience with them, and so far so good. I have rebuilt Holleys in the past, but that one seems pretty far gone.
GM used the Rochester Quadra-Jet 4-bbl carburetor. For what they were, they were impressive. My dad had a 78 square body c-series with a 454 in it. That truck was scary fast!
Amazing the difference between old and new- school tool collections. They sell a flexible shafted hose clamp driver that makes all those worm-gear clamps easy-peasy, but of course now-a-day you only need pliers for the tension hose clamps.
Frek yeah a new carb episode, I’m feeling the zen and enjoying a beer and a combustible.😁
On with the show!😎👍
Regarding the rebuild vs replace issue. Rebuilding yourself vs paying for the time for someone to rebuild is significant. I rebuilt my own carbs back in the day (with the advantage of having a grandfather that was a master mechanic) Today, if one can't do that, you have to pay someone else to do it. A stock holley carb is about $300 - 400.
I've rebuilt carbs, once the throttle shafts were out in the base plate...they are junk😢
@@michaelpressman7203 yep. Even in those situations, my grandpa had a stock of brass tubing he used to make sleeves, took a lot of time, he did everything to save a customer money. He taught me to rebuild/repair starters and alternators as opposed to just replacing them. (this was in the 60's & 70's not practical these days)
In the late 70's a few friends and I ( High School) did exactly the same exact carb swap on many vehicles. Yes I know not the same but period correct. 😊
WOW I really miss my 85 now. My 85 only had a 305 but I didn't have the spare cash to upgrade lol. Great video and Great truck. Compliments to the owner 🙂
I think this proves that Ray is not actually Superman, although I have never seen both of them together. Nothing wrong with not knowing how to do something, and it is refreshing to see someone admit it, as too many people nowadays lie.
Fun fact, my cousin named his daughter Holly because both my cousin and his dad (my uncle) love classic cars. Oldsmobile, Roadrunner, Charger, Challenger, and so on. They actually import them sometimes to Sweden from the US to restore them :D
Boy, I miss working on those old trucks and that small block 350. There was a lot of room under the hood to work and not all of the garbage electrical and computer stuff to have to deal with.
Adding to Larry's comments,the accelerator pump has a few adjustments, there at the purple spring and the cam,(which there are different profiles available) that actuates the squirter,cam screws on to the back side of throttle linkage...so if there's flat spots/hiccups they can be dialed out. Don't forget those have power valves...a fart or two back thru the carb will rupture the diaphragm and it'll run like dooky. Power valves come in different vacuum ranges to also help drivability...if they pop it can let fuel dribble like the old was doin.
Peace!!
At least you could get to things in this truck! Not like working on the "New Ones" of today!! It does sound nice!!
The vehicle now has “shiny” carb! Nice! 💙
FYI: Holly had a recall on its carbs several years ago. Corrosion in the bowl from the metal breaking down. They sent you a kit to repair it. Had this on my 68 Camaro it would not idle correctly and loss power.
Ohhhh Ya Dooo know how to rebuild a carburetor! It goes back together just like you took it apart. The hard part is getting it dialed in on the mixtures
I would check timing as it seems a little sluggish reving off idle, also drive it a bit and check plug color to verify jetting. Of course first fix would be that belt or tensioner issue, that noise!
Like you I don't know how to rebuild carburetor either. I've seen it done 100 or so times never had a chance to do one myself.
Your right ray unless your into racing it'll probably be awhile before you get a project to rebuild a carburetor like that thanks for admitting you didn't know how righteous 🤙
The dirty dark varnish down inside the throttle bores of the carb show it is old and has been running super rich on fuel for some time. Holley is a premium carb brand (performance carb) but those tend to create tiny vacuum leaks around the throttle shaft bushings (primaries and secondaries) and can create bad vacuum leaks that causes a rough idle and the best way to fix that is to replace the carb. The Chevy 350 cu in often came stock with a Rochester "4MV" Quadra-Jet 4-barrel carburetor or the 2 barrel Rochester 2GC carburetor on the smaller 305 cu in V8.
For professional carb support, you might want top look up Mr Carburetor in Cedar Hill TX. Many, many moons ago I rebuilt a lot of Holley carbs. I even put a Holley 2 barrel on a Roots 1800CC engine in a 72 MGB. Damn fine running engine.
You're right, Ray. The first time I rebuilt a Holley the result was far from perfect. Like you, I decided to just purchase a new one. Of course, I still had to change the jets on the new one to achieve proper fuel flow.
Its nice to see a vehicle that you can actually see the engine.
Great to watch you work as always. I really appreciate that you are a thoughtful professional who makes great content that I can watch with my miniature human. Keep up the great work!
I watch your videos as much as I can and it brings back so many memories. I think you are so awesome great work !!!