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6/14/2019 9:25 AM  #1


Autolite 4100 or Edelbrock?

I’ve been reading what everyone has said about the Autolite 4100 on the forum and I’m starting to be convinced that maybe just going that way may be the better way to go instead of the Edelbrock Performer 1400.  I like the fact that the Edelbrock tends to be an install and go carburetor and you don’t have to fiddle with it much before firing it up for the first time.  On the other hand everyone seems to think the 4100 is a slightly better carburetor depending on the application and desired results.  I'm not building an asphalt eater, but want an "efficient" powerplant that takes full advantage of everything. 
I should indicate what I'm looking at putting on the 302:
Either an Edelbrock Performer Intake or a Weiland that my buddy has.
GT40P heads
Block that's bored out .040" over.
I'll be putting a T5 in from the Buzeks
9" rear end, ratio yet to be determined.

If I go with the 4100 what should I be looking for?  I found this guy on eBay, but again I don’t want to buy something that isn’t perfect for the application I’m doing:  https://www.ebay.com/itm/Autolite-4100-rebuilt-carburetor-orinal-with-live-testing-62-Ford-big-car/163675658557?hash=item261bd4593d:g:QFAAAOSwX2JczKgD&frcectupt=true
 
Do I want to find one that’s from a 1967 Mustang?  Does any of that matter?  Is it absolutely necessary that the carb has the tag on it?  Am I asking the right questions?

 


Owner of MustangSteve - 1967 Mustang Coupe 302, 2005 Mustang GT
 

6/14/2019 10:00 AM  #2


Re: Autolite 4100 or Edelbrock?

You want a 4100 with the 1.08 venture. Wouldn't put it on an edelbrock intake due to vac leaks at the base. Less headache for you if you just stick with an eddy carb, intake combo

 

6/14/2019 11:02 AM  #3


Re: Autolite 4100 or Edelbrock?

I would go with the Performer intake and 1403 carb.  That's a 500cfm mechanical secondary electric choke carb that works really well on 289s and 302s. 

The 4100 is a good carb, but the problem you get into is so many of them are worn out now.  A simple rebuild often doesn't fix them, especially with wear to the throttle shaft bores that cause vacuum leaks and all manner of poor running that is often hard for the novice to diagnose.  I'd stick to the the Edelbrock.  You're getting a100%  new carb that will bolt on and run, and be easy to tune.

On the heads I'd look into the real cost of the GT40Ps.  You may have header fitment issues due to the raised exhaust ports.  If you're planning to go salvage yard searching, good luck.  For some reason a lot of the ones in the salvage yards are cracked in ways that aren't immediately apparent and only show up under Magnaflux inspection.  If they need to be rebuilt you'll almost certainly have as much in them as a set of Performer heads from Edelbrock.  Now, if you already have the heads and they work, go for it.  They are a good design by stock head standards.  The problem is when they wear out or you want to push the envelope.

I'm hoping your block is an older 302, not a 5.0.  The reason I say this is that a 5.0 being bored over 0.030 should be sonic checked.  These were thin wall castings and usually can't be bored more than 0.030" safely without verifying wall thickness.  The older blocks are typically fine at 0.040 and many can even go to 0.060 if there wasn't a lot of core shift, though over 0.040" should be sonic checked. 

Not trying to poo poo your build, just hate to see good people throw good money after bad.

 

6/14/2019 11:18 AM  #4


Re: Autolite 4100 or Edelbrock?

Very interesting TKOPerformance.  I have the GT40P heads and got them off a 2000 Explorer.  When you say sonic checked, is this the Magnaflux I hear about? 
The 302 I got is from a 91 Thunderbird. 
And noted on the Edelbrock intake and carb.


Owner of MustangSteve - 1967 Mustang Coupe 302, 2005 Mustang GT
     Thread Starter
 

6/14/2019 12:22 PM  #5


Re: Autolite 4100 or Edelbrock?

I agree with those who say Edelbrock carb and intake combo is the way to go.  I have used that setup many times and can attest that it is trouble free and will not disappoint.


Mustang Steve Bash in Gruene, Texas September29-30, 2023
 

6/14/2019 12:37 PM  #6


Re: Autolite 4100 or Edelbrock?

The Edelbrock is a good carb, but remember what I said about the COBRA air cleaner fitment.  You will need to add a 1/2" air cleaner spacer to the cobra air cleaner and that will preclude use of that 3" tall, real expensive, really cool looking washable filter your cobra air cleaner has, most likely.  You can check and see if it will clear the stock 67 hood.  Easy enough to check, using any carb as a test.
I like the 4100.  A good one is like gold, but as TKO said, might be hard to come by.  They can ALWAYS be rebuilt, even if it means getting a good machinist  to make some new shaft bushings.


Money you enjoy wasting is NOT wasted money... unless your wife finds out.
 

6/14/2019 3:09 PM  #7


Re: Autolite 4100 or Edelbrock?

mustangermike wrote:

Very interesting TKOPerformance.  I have the GT40P heads and got them off a 2000 Explorer.  When you say sonic checked, is this the Magnaflux I hear about? 
The 302 I got is from a 91 Thunderbird. 
And noted on the Edelbrock intake and carb.

Sonic checking and Magnaflux are different.  Sonic checking is a way to measure the thickness of something you can't easily measure like a cylinder wall.  Magnafluxing is a process using magnetism to find cracks which are invisible to the naked eye. 

I would have the heads checked for cracks via Magnaflux.

'91 T-Bird would have had a 5.0.  If it needs to be bored try to get away with only a 0.030" overbore.  If it doesn't need to be bored and there's no appreciable bore wear (this can be measured with a dial bore gauge) I would just dingle ball hone it throw a new set of rings in it. 

 

6/14/2019 5:09 PM  #8


Re: Autolite 4100 or Edelbrock?

I haven't had any experience with an Edelbrock carb, so I cannot offer an opinion there.
When I got my car back on the road some years back now, I was faced with the decision of what carb to go with. In the end I came across Pony Carbs. I contacted them and spoke to Jon and he convinced me that the Autolite 4100 was the best match for my 289 and how I intended to drive it. I believe that it was Jon's opinion that the Autolite was the best matched carb for the 289.
It's a bit hard for me to compare, but I can say that I have never regretted my decision. Only drama that I ever had was the heat tube choke, but I converted that over to an electric choke and never looked back.
With Pony Carbs no longer, I'm not sure what the deal is with getting a properly rebuilt Autolite is these days.


1964-1/2 D Code Coupe - 289 V8, 4 Speed Toploader, 3.00 ratio rear, Autolite 4100 Carb, 15" tires, Pertronix ignition
 

6/14/2019 7:48 PM  #9


Re: Autolite 4100 or Edelbrock?

I favor Holley 600s, which is what I have on my 302.  I also have GT40P heads with a mild porting and standard size valves.  If you're going low budget, the GT40P heads are the best iron heads Ford made for the small block.  You will have header fitment issues, and you have to ensure that the steam holes line up properly with those in the block.  I've posted how I addressed both issues.  However, if you can do a little welding, you can modify standard tri-y headers but you'll have to re-route several tubes.  I started with a cheap stainless steel pair of tri-y headers I bought on ebay and then bought some stainless steel bends.  I used a mig to do the welding with stainless steel wire and standard mig gas mix (didn't bother with back purging) and they've held up fine.  Also no ground clearance issues like many other long tube headers.


Cheap, Fast, Good:  Pick Any Two
 

6/14/2019 8:05 PM  #10


Re: Autolite 4100 or Edelbrock?

Holleys just "look right" on Fords butt..........Edelbrock carbs are soooooooEZ to tune(IF you need to!) and EZ to hot rod if you get the itch.
I love'em!
6sally6


Get busy Liv'in or get busy Die'n....Host of the 2020 Bash at the Beach/The only Bash that got cancelled  )8
 

6/15/2019 9:05 AM  #11


Re: Autolite 4100 or Edelbrock?

Stevo wrote:

I haven't had any experience with an Edelbrock carb, so I cannot offer an opinion there.
When I got my car back on the road some years back now, I was faced with the decision of what carb to go with. In the end I came across Pony Carbs. I contacted them and spoke to Jon and he convinced me that the Autolite 4100 was the best match for my 289 and how I intended to drive it. I believe that it was Jon's opinion that the Autolite was the best matched carb for the 289.
It's a bit hard for me to compare, but I can say that I have never regretted my decision. Only drama that I ever had was the heat tube choke, but I converted that over to an electric choke and never looked back.
With Pony Carbs no longer, I'm not sure what the deal is with getting a properly rebuilt Autolite is these days.

Unfortunately, with them gone, so has gone the brain trust by and large.  They are who I purchased my correct Autolite carb from many, many years ago, and it ran well on the engine.  But, the Edelbrock runs better, and tuning it doesn't require a ouija board...
 

 

6/21/2019 9:14 PM  #12


Re: Autolite 4100 or Edelbrock?

TKOPerformance wrote:

Unfortunately, with them gone, so has gone the brain trust by and large.  They are who I purchased my correct Autolite carb from many, many years ago, and it ran well on the engine.  But, the Edelbrock runs better, and tuning it doesn't require a ouija board...
 

I was worried about that... Pony Carbs were VERY good and Jon knew his stuff, so it's a real pity... I have been saying that when I start having issues with my Autolite 4100, I will remove it, spray it down with some oil and seal it up in plastic for storage. I think the way forward then is to go with a bolt on EFI, but maybe the Edelbrock is worth considering? I would want something around the 480cfm size though.
Other than that, I love my Autolite 4100 and Mustang Steve is right, it just cruises so well...
 


1964-1/2 D Code Coupe - 289 V8, 4 Speed Toploader, 3.00 ratio rear, Autolite 4100 Carb, 15" tires, Pertronix ignition
 

6/22/2019 7:45 AM  #13


Re: Autolite 4100 or Edelbrock?

Edelbrock 1403 is a 500cfm carb that runs great on 289s and 302s.  I simply leaned mine out two steps from the factory calibration, which I believe was a jet change and the factory metering rod (takes maybe 5 minutes your first time to make the swap).  There's a tuning kit #1486 that has everything you could reasonably need to perfectly dial in your 1403.  Adds a little to the initial purchase cost, but well, well worth it.

It will bolt on and run fine out of the box though. but in order to reduce the fuel smell to the absolute minimum and get the most power out of it I needed a bit less fuel than the factory calibration.  A 289 is a pretty small engine after all.

 

Board footera


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