What carb for 440

[Geoff 2]

66 Sat.
I do not have a definitive answer to your question. It is not just raw airflow, but also the quality of the signal to the carb. The signal with an IR system is so strong that the main jet will be considerably smaller than if the same carb is used with a conventional intake manifold. Also, IR systems have less restrictions to airflow & get a straight shot into the cyl.
A company in the US called Gene Berg made larger versions of the IDA carbs....for VWs that were drag raced! Four 58 IDAs on a 427 Ford made over 700 hp.

 

[Geoff 2]

Perf intake or RPM intake. Should be matched to the whole engine. Not just an arbitrary choice.
Perf rpm range is idle to 5500 rpm. The 5500 rpm number toggles slightly for the engine cubes. Big engine might be 5300, small engine 5700. The rest of the engine combo [ cam, ported heads, headers? ] etc needs to be factored into the choice.

RPM intake is 1500-6500 rpm. Above comments also apply.

 

[Curiousyellow71]

That actually brings up another question. Would i see significant gains in switching from the performer intake to the performer rpm with my current setup?

The performer is modeled after a oem. It's "almost" just an aluminum copy. Weight savings and spread bore and square bore carb patterns are a benifit over oem. Power gain..not much.
A RPM air gap is a much better intake, it is a high rise and you will feel noticeable gains on the upper end and it likely will be similiar to the performer on the bottom end. But they only have a square pattern and the height can cause issues. Be prepared to run a drop base air cleaner if you have a flat hood. IMHO for performance it is a nice upgrade. If you have the funds and biggest question will it fit with the air cleaner your wanting?????
Performer and oem are really similiar! On the performer 383 it's just turned backwards! The 440 oem on left performer right: ports are shaped slightly different.

 

[Some Car Guy]

Performer RPM even runs really good on smogger 440s. I fit one under a 70 challenger flat hood with a drop base.

 

[PsyOps]

Since you already have the Performer intake, put the new carb on and see what you think. Later, if you decide to get the RPM, fine. However, like many of us here, if you drop on the RPM, the next thing you'll be thinking about is a set of aluminum heads. Once that happens, I recommend you start saving some money for your next set of tires!

 

[davidplymouth1@]

Most if not all Holleys have power valve protection now. It was true about blowing a power valve 40+ years ago(not sure as to when they solved it).

The 440 sixpack carbs combined are 955 cfm when converted to a holley 4 barrel cfm rating.
I don't think too many six pack owners would trade for a 650 cfm carb.
But if anyone wants 2..I would be glad to trade a 650 for six pack carbs.Lol
That six pack is going to be way to big for your 440...its not going to be responsive at all..you will hate it.

Thanks Man

 

[Don67Satellite]

I wanted to try something else and after A LOT of research and debate I bought a Edelbrock AVS2 650.
It's been on the car for a week and I have mixed feelings about it.
However...the low speed throttle response of the AVS2 is weaker than both Holleys, which I was not expecting. I'm assuming it's a tuning issue.
There's a big full throttle bog as well that I'm trying to tune out, which is a fairly common issue.

I've had the 650 on my 440 for awhile now after a lacklustre experience with a Holley Street Demon 750.

The WOT bog is VERY annoying! I have been playing with the secondary air door which has helped, but I am beginning to think that the squirter is just too small.

The #1475 kit is in my future I think.

 

[Napoleon1991]

Since you already have the Performer intake, put the new carb on and see what you think. Later, if you decide to get the RPM, fine. However, like many of us here, if you drop on the RPM, the next thing you'll be thinking about is a set of aluminum heads. Once that happens, I recommend you start saving some money for your next set of tires!

Yeah il try the carb first and go from there. Definitely something to think about in the future. Already have aluminum heads and those really woke the motor up! One purchase at a time lol.

 

[Jonas Nordstrom]

I've had the 650 on my 440 for awhile now after a lacklustre experience with a Holley Street Demon 750.

The WOT bog is VERY annoying! I have been playing with the secondary air door which has helped, but I am beginning to think that the squirter is just too small.

The #1475 kit is in my future I think.

Just curious, what went wrong with the Street Demon 750?

 

[Don67Satellite]

Just curious, what went wrong with the Street Demon 750?

It could have been me more than the carb.

Just never really liked it on my 440.

 

[WileERobby]

OP's info: "Engine is a 440, 10:1 compression with a voodoo 703 cam. It has TTI headers, a performer intake..." and "The car isn’t raced at all, it’s just a cruiser so I’m looking for something simple and reliable that will still perform well when I decide to mash the skinny pedal." I didn't see a post correcting the intake to a Performer RPM so we're talking something slightly better than stock cast iron. As WileERobby said, I'd find a BB TQ. Barring that, I'd opt for the AVS2 with cfm choice (650 or 800) up to you. Please let us know what you end up with and how it is working out so we can add your real world experience to the site's knowledge base.

Thank you. Someone got it. Rather than turning it into a shitshow argument about Holleys suck, and this-is-better-than-that crap, or do you prefer Maryann or Ginger.

 

[Houle #382]

Houle,
You have made some very sensible comments in post # 52. Sometimes smaller is better because it provides better overall performance.
Overall in this context means from idle rpm up to the usable rpm that engine is comfortable with.

Here is an example on how to figure out what size CFM carb you need. Take a 440 for example,440 CI X 5800 RPM X .085% (VE) divided by 3456 equals a 627 CFM carb so you would round it up to a 650. What some guys don't understand is an engine will only take so much air shoved into it, an engine is nothing more than an air pump. Granted the higher RPM you are going to run the more CFM you will need but how many street cars really run 6500 or higher RPM ? Very few. My 440 is .030 over with 440 source aluminum heads a 600 lift hydraulic roller cam Edelbrock performer RPM intake stock exhaust manifolds and the 650 AVS 2 with a couple of changes, I changed the step-up springs from orange to pink and the secondary jets to .104's and she will keep on pulling as long as I have my foot into it. On the street the light to light acceleration is awesome.

 

[Don67Satellite]

As things are always open for debate I have seen YouTube videos on carburetors that state with these old engines, the VE (volumetric efficiency) really doesn't apply in the calculation. Therefore 440 X 5800 /3456 = 738.5CFM so at least a 750CFM carburetor.

 

[Geoff 2]

VE is applicable to every IC engine, old or new.
Whether one wants to use that info to be better informed in selecting the carb cfm for the engine...is up to them.

 

[Some Car Guy]

So you guys are better informed when putting a 650 on a 440 hp, which the factory determined needed a 750?

 

[Jonas Nordstrom]

Read my carburetor journey thread for some real tests.
Some results about size were quite surprising.

 

[Moms68]

As things are always open for debate I have seen YouTube videos on carburetors that state with these old engines, the VE (volumetric efficiency) really doesn't apply in the calculation. Therefore 440 X 5800 /3456 = 738.5CFM so at least a 750CFM carburetor.

Great video. Thanks

 

[Bee1971]

Read my carburetor journey thread for some real tests.
Some results about size were quite surprising.

My Carburetor journey.

 

[440 4 speed]

I finally got a correct 750 AFB for our car. When I finally get the car together, looking forward to use it. Sine you aren’t to concerned about it, I strongly suggest a TQ. Replaced the QJ on our 85 360 350 Ram van with a TQ from a 73 E body. Completely different beast. When you get on the accelerator you can feel the force. I used a 4640 on the car until we decided to do body and paint. Loved it.

 

[Bee1971]

"When you get on the accelerator you can feel the force."

May the force bee with you