Holley Carb question 66- L36 car.

[Keith B.]

My List # 3370 Carb is the original and 39 yrs old. When I bought my 66 427/390 last summer the car ran awful. I recently had my Holley thoroughly disassembled, cleaned, new carb kit, jets, etc done by a Carb guy. Car still ran poor, air/idle and mixture screws had no effect when turned all the way or out, adjustment is not working. In the interim he put on a 1967 Holley #3810 (larger dbl pivot Carb over my # 3370), car ran perfect, great idle and performance. Mechanic felt I needed a new primary metering block (they warp apparently) for my org # 3370, found a new one and installed same today. My 66 ran terribly again, running to rich (eyes burning), no real noticeable change when adjusting the Carb with the new metering block. Now what????

The orginal owner I bought my car from had broken one of the corners off the base plate by over tightening the corner, it was repaired well.

I have an option to buy this 67 Holley that the car ran great on but I want to have my 66 Judged for the first time next summer, so that is a problem.
Questions:
Should I purchase a new Holley or AFB Edelbrock for best performance, take a deduction? (What is the deduction for an incorrect carb??)
Is it possible to find a new or re-conditoned Holley # 3370 that works and meets the originality standards I would need for judging?
If so, where would I look to find a Holley # 3370??

Any advice or thoughts guys........I love my 66 but am not a carburetor expert, nor mechanic. Thank-you.

[Clem Z.]

Re: Holley Carb question 66- L36 car.

a good carb guy can fix your carb. things go bad on these carbs but they all can be fixed because it did not run like that when new. i takes more than just cleaning and putting in a kit.

[Richard S.]

Re: Holley Carb question 66- L36 car.

Keith,

You can send your original correctly dated carb to one of several carb restoration experts in the States. Gerry Luck is one and I'm sure others will chime in with more names. You're in B.C. so maybe someone can recommend a carb restorer on the west coast for you. It's not cheap and won't last forever if you drive the car. I bought a brand new Holly 3370 from Holly ten years ago and it has run perfectly for over 50,000 miles although we did have to epoxy two leaks after about 25,000 miles. They all seem to need fixing at some point if you put milage on them. Good luck with yours.

[Mike M.]

Re: Holley Carb question 66- L36 car.

I had Bob Kunz restore my carb. He did a great job and turn around time was good to. Also I bought a correct dated carb from Custom rebuilt carbs. Mike

http://www.customrebuiltcarbs.com/

[Jim T.]

Re: Holley Carb question 66- L36 car.

Keith a test you can perform that will cost you only your time. At normal engine temp and car running, remove the air cleaner and put a finger over the front vertical vent. If your 66 dies right away, this is a indication that the power valve is ruptured and needs replacing. Easy fix, you can buy just one Holley power valve in a blister pack from Auto Zone or other auto stores that sell Holley parts. A backfire through the carb is famous for rupturing Holley carb power valves. I never take a trip without the parts I need to replace one.
Water pumps, fuel pumps, and carb parts don't take up much space.