600.....won't be too big!
6sal6

Edelbrock 500cfm. Runs right out of the box.  You may need to fatten it up a tiny bit of the power side. 1403 is the carb I run and get the tuning kit for it.

I have mine jetted down two steps on cruise and power.  But that's for my 289 with stock cam and heads, done at 5,000RPM.  My guess would be out of the box calibration will be close, maybe lean the cruise 1 step.  Then I'd try power down one step and up one step vs. out of the box.  Super easy to work on, change rods/jets in about 10 minutes without needing to drain the gas out of it.  Much, much better than the stock Autolite I couldn't get tuning parts for (it was NOT a 4100 though, 4300 maybe, can't remember, anyway its on a shelf with the factory intake, which is where those parts belong).

Be sure to get your timing dialed in too.  All the carb magic in the world isn't going to fix a bad timing curve, and it will just never make the power it should. 

Never had a single issue with heat soak with any Edelbrock.  Stock Autolite did that to me once, but that's one time in like 20 years, so I can't really fault it.  Honestly I don't care what a carb looks like; I care how it works.  Holleys look great, but they are a PITA to tune and often just never seem to be able to be tuned spot on, just close.  An Edelbrock looks a lot like a Carter, and Carters were used on plenty of performance cars, just not '60s era Fords. 

Holley 600 carb gaskets are cheap and effective.

I installed a Summit Racing Carburetor 600cfm last fall. It was on a 302 with a 5 speed.  I have to say its one of the best carburetors that I've installed.  Ran really nice right out of the box.  I did a few minor adjustments and I was good to go.
 

RV6 wrote:

TKOPerformance wrote:

Edelbrock 500cfm. Runs right out of the box.  You may need to fatten it up a tiny bit of the power side. 1403 is the carb I run and get the tuning kit for it.

I have mine jetted down two steps on cruise and power.  But that's for my 289 with stock cam and heads, done at 5,000RPM.  My guess would be out of the box calibration will be close, maybe lean the cruise 1 step.  Then I'd try power down one step and up one step vs. out of the box.  Super easy to work on, change rods/jets in about 10 minutes without needing to drain the gas out of it.  Much, much better than the stock Autolite I couldn't get tuning parts for (it was NOT a 4100 though, 4300 maybe, can't remember, anyway its on a shelf with the factory intake, which is where those parts belong).

Be sure to get your timing dialed in too.  All the carb magic in the world isn't going to fix a bad timing curve, and it will just never make the power it should. 

I have a hard time believing anyone would suggest a heat soaking Edelbrock to another Mustang enthusiast. They also look totally wrong under the hood of a classic mustang.

I have to disagree. My Edelbrock 1406 looks fine and I have never experienced problems with heat soaking or vapor lock with it on my 351W. I do have a 1" phenolic spacer under it, so I'm sure that helps insulate the carb. I had an 84 F-150 that had an Holley 4180 that was a leaky, hard to tune PITA that would cause me heartache when I had to do a state mandated emissions test to renew the license. The Edelbrock is a dream compared to that carb.
 

RV6 wrote:

Steve69 wrote:

I installed a Summit Racing Carburetor 600cfm last fall. It was on a 302 with a 5 speed.  I have to say its one of the best carburetors that I've installed.  Ran really nice right out of the box.  I did a few minor adjustments and I was good to go.
 

I have the 500 cfm version of the Summit Carb on my 289. While it ran OK it stumbled large time taking off from the light and was hard to start. Going through the carb I found the accelerator pump was not even close to being adjusted correctly and the jets were not even seated finger tight. So much for quality control. The Summit Carb now works great but I have not been able to put many miles on it 



The Summit MO8500VS looks good on top of the engine. 

     Looks Great!   Mine had no stumble.  When I hit the floor it just goes.   We'll see how the summer goes and If Id recommend it after.  Though I have a feeling most of the car show's will be cancelled with the Covid19.  Ill just have to cruise around and see how it does.
 

6sally6 wrote:

Ron68 wrote:

RV6 wrote:

[quote.

I have to disagree. My Edelbrock 1406 looks fine and I have never experienced problems with heat soaking or vapor lock with it on my 351W. I do have a 1" phenolic spacer under it, so I'm sure that helps insulate the carb. I had an 84 F-150 that had an Holley 4180 that was a leaky, hard to tune PITA that would cause me heartache when I had to do a state mandated emissions test to renew the license. The Edelbrock is a dream compared to that carb.
 

 
Of course you don't have vapor lock issues Ron68........it never gets above 65 degrees there!!!
6s6

Hey Ron68..I've been doing some internet investigation and.....the 1406 is 'tuned' as an emissions-friendly carb whereas the 1405 (SAME carb only comes with a manual choke) is 'tuned' as a performance carb from Edelbrock.
The difference is the 1405 comes with .100 main jets(1428) & 070 X 047 (1451) metering rods and try the orange step down spring to tune it.  According to the tune up chart the 1405 is a couple steps leaner than the 1406.
Just FYI
6s6
 

I've run both Edlebrock band Summit on my 66 Mustang. The Edlebrock is a 1405 600 which I bought used. The Seller highly recommend rebuilding it as it had been in his yard shed for a couple years. He took it off a Chevy truck he bought for a Holley. I ignored his advice and just bolted it on after checking the float bowls for junk. They were pretty clean. The carb ran great returning 17 mpg while beating on the car on a couple autocrossing events. Yes I did have some hard start after running. However after upgrading from points to Duraspark fixed that.

I had a 600 cfm Summit which I got a good deal on. Brand new in box never used. After sitting in a box brand new for many years I decided to try it. It's a very smooth good running carburator. It's a little apples to oranges comparing it to the Edelbrock since it was used and I never did anything to it. I haven't had time to really dial in the Summit since it was last fall before putting the car away. So comparing them with noted limitations the Summit seems a little smoother then the Edelbrock but the Edelbrock gave me the impression of running better on the upper end. The Summit seems like it falls off. Again spending time dialing in the Summit, maybe richer secondary jetting or vacuum spring may take care of that. Rebuilding the Edelbrock will probably make it drive smoother although it drove really well.

My summery as a Edelbrock fan, either or. Both are very good. It's six of one, half a dozen of another. You won't go wrong with either.

Last edited by Huskinhano (4/01/2020 4:34 PM)

Most carbs are going to give you trouble when you start jossling them all around.  Holleys are literally terrible at anything other than straight line performance.  Guys cram the float bowl with foam and all sorts of stuff trying to get them to work off road.  The Edelbrocks, Carters, and Q-Jets are just better at it.  That said, if you're serious about off roading its time to go to EFI.  The engine will run upside down or on its side (yes, I know this from experience).  Autocross is like off roading's infant brother.

Stevo wrote:

The poor old Autolite 4100 gets a bit a bad wrap... I have one on my car. Jon Earnhardt rebuilt it for me. I had issues with the choke for a number of years, but recently converted the choke to electric and there hasn't been any further issues. My Autolite runs great. Very smooth cruiser and pretty decent on the mpg too. When I plant the foot, I can feel the secondaries open up and away she goes. With Pony Carbs gone, I'm not sure what I will do in the following years when the Autolite needs a service or replacement parts. I'm seriously considering one of those electronic carburetors (aka fuel injection for old classics) maybe... But for now, I'm enjoying the Autolite 4100 on my car.

Bookmark for future reference, mikes carburetor supplies. He has the parts, knowledge and may still have rebuild service for the 4100.