Posted by T.L. on June 12, 1998 at 23:35:04:
In Reply to: Hey T.L. posted by DJ on June 12, 1998 at 10:59:16:
Hey DJ, how's it goin'? Okay, heres the scoop (straight up-no B.S.). I experienced a SIGNIFIGANT performance increase by bolting on the carb & intake. But you really need to have dual exhausts because what goes in must also come out and your engine needs to breathe. At this time, I am still running the stock cam in my car (I have a Competition Cam but will not install it until I rebuild the 177,000 mile motor). As a result, the engine likes to idle a little bit "rich" which can cause problems passing emissions tests but other than that, it runs great. you can always lean out the air/fuel mixture for the emission test but you'll want to change it back afterward 'cause it'll idle rough that way. Also--word to the wise, Holleys are a pain in the ass. Oh yea they run GREAT when they run but they constantly need "tweaking". The float levels get out of adjustment and the power valve blows out quite easily if you experience a backfire. But no other carb has the throttle response that a Holley has. I've tried the Edelbrock carb (which is basicly a modified Carter AFB) and it just didn't "cut it". And one last thing; the Holley comes with the slowest secondary spring (black). I suggest buying the Holley spring kit and using the "purple" spring or the "yellow" one because with the stock spring, the secondarys never fully open even at 600 cfm. Oh yea, and your stock air-cleaner will not fit the Holley (already tried that).
Hope this helps. If your REALLY into performance, there are a few things to consider. The 4-barrel/dual exhaust thing is the first step to "waking up" any V-8. Power-wise, the weak links in the Maverick's 302 are: the small valves (1.73 intake/1.45 exhaust), low compression (8:1 ratio), and the wimpy cam. Go with 1.84/1.54 or 1.90/1.60 valves, 9 or 9.5:1 pistons (so you can still run on "pump"gas) and a good street/strip/RV cam. As far as strength, the two weak links are the rod bolts (use ARP bolts) and the oil pump drive shaft (get a chrome-moly one). Normally aspirated, these engines are capable of producing 250-275 horse power and mountains of torque. But if you have a low mileage engine and don't want to rebuild it right away, then the carb/intake/exhaust swap is the easiest way to go. BTW- don't let people discourage you from increasing your car's performance like when they say it's a waste of time or money. You decide how you want to spend your time & money. They're just jealous 'cause your car might be faster than theirs...
: Back in April you responded to my question about
: a carburetor replacement on my 302. Well I'm about
: to order up the Edelbrock 2121 and 600 cfm carb.
: Edelbrock Tech Support also recommended this setup
: as long as I can remove the EGR etc. which I can.
: Now here's my question, a lot of people have told me
: that bolting this stuff on will be a waste of money
: unless a cam is also installed, it just won't run right.
: It sounds like you got an adequate increase in performance
: without the cam upgrade. True ??