[Ragtop Man]

All aftermarket AFB's are jetted very rich as an insurance policy, not knowing whether or not the engine has been heavily modified kept the carbs from frying engines, just lean them out at your own pace.

There are tuning kits to deal with these problems, and get yourself a good running engine. There are a couple of good books over on Amazon that detail how to clean, rebuild and tune the Carter/Edelbrock, but the advice to get a proper Q-Jet and factory intake is pretty good.

Be aware: the Q-Jet took years to get over its "factory junk" reputation. It was far more sophisticated than many of its early tuners, who were used to the screwdriver simplicity of the Holley aftermarket carbs. It is a pretty finely calibrated instrument, but, start with a good core, and make all the proper allowances, you can make huge power with decent mileage.

BOB

[6ragtop8]

My 2 cents. I agree with most, the Q-Jet and iron intake the way to go on a basic street car. I had a '70 Tempest with a 400 4speed years ago, tried a stock 650 DP, a tricked out 780 vacuum secondary and a tricked out Q-Jet. The Q-jet was the most responsive and fuel efficient of them all. I am not a fan of the edelbrock carbs. Although you don't here much about them, I did use a Carter AVS carb on a Chevy (decades ago) and I found it to be a great working and easy to set-up carburetor.