Edelbrock on a Packard V8?

[Guest packard400]

My 1955 Packard 400 has been drydocked for over a year. The problem is the Rochester 4GC

carb. I have had 3 of these blasted things on my car over the last year and none have worked right.

The last one has been rebuilt twice and while I can now move the car, i can't trust it to go

further than around the block. I want my car as close to original as possible, but I also

want to drive it!

What I want to do is to put an Edelbrock carb. on the car so that I can drive it untill

I can afford a total engine rebuild. Does anyone know what would be the proper type of

Edelbrock to replace a Rochester 4GC when applied to a 1955 Packard 352 V8? If an Edelbrock

won't fit, does anyone have any other ideas? Help!

[Guest imported_Speedster]

Are you sure it's the 4GC Carbs that are the problem? Maybe you have a vacuum leak, Fuel-pump problem, pluged line or tank-outlet or something else? Did you have the same problem after installing each carb? Have you done a Flow-rate test of the fuel pump and other system components? Have you tryed changeing the pump?

Who did the overhaul on the Carbs and do they have a testing facility, to determine if the carbs or operating correctly?

Sorry, about All the questions, But you wouldn't want to buy an Edlebrock, an adapter and other fittings required to connect it up, and then find out the problem was somewhere Else.

[Guest Randy Berger]

Rick is quite right. The 4GC is a simple carb and easy to rebuild. There may be some other reason(s) for your problem. Can you explain the exact symptoms?

[Jack_Vines]

Your car and your decision, but the problem is not inherently faulty carburetion. Millions of GM cars and thousands of Packards ran the Rochester 4CG with reasonable performance and economy. Some recommendations:

1. Put a fuel pressure gauge on the line. Could be a weak pump.

2. Check the manifold for vacuum leaks.

3. Ask someone with a known good carb to allow you to bolt it on for a test.

4. Pay someone who really knows how big bucks for a re-manufacture of your carb. Too many times just throwing a kit in it is called rebuilding. Shafts need rebushing. Carb bodies need replating. Jets need comparing to spec sheets.

thnx, jv.

[Loyd Smith]

After having completely rebuilt the engine and having somewhat the same problem as it sould like you're having (three attempts to rebuild all three of the 4CGs that I have lying around), checking with two of the remanufacturers mentioned in this forum and find that not only would I have to wait on a long backlog to get a working carburetor but that I could buy two Edelbrock 1406 Performers for what remanufacturing the 4CG would cost, I wnt with the 1406 and adaptor plate. My 55th Series 352 has no trouble digesting the flow rate and, with a Pertronix Ignitor module dropped into the stock distributor, both performance and fuel economy are imporoved noticably. To be perfectly honest, I was throwing away 4CGs and Quadrajects and replacing them when both the carburetors and the cars that they were coming on were brand new. Still have all three 4CGs and WILL have one of them remanufactured after I've finished restoring the interior and having body work done, just as I've kept the generator that I replaced with a 12V positive ground, one wire alternator, the original points out of the distributor and and extra, original, air cleaner after having had one modified to both fit the Edelbrock carb and take a washable K&N air filter. This is my philosophy: Keep it where it can be returned to original but, if I'm going to drive it every day ---- well, you know.

[Jack_Vines]

If one is determined to go with a new carb, the 600cfm Carter AFB and the Edelbrock are basically the same carb and is the "loss leader" advertised by most retailers. It is usually about $50-100 less expensive than the 500cfm. They both use the same primary side and the 600 is only larger on the secondaries. The electric choke is convenient. If you are not racing the car, be sure to by the 600cfm with the economy calibration, rather than the performance calibration.

As mentioned by Lloyd above, save the OEM parts, just in case the next owner wants to restore it. FWIW, any carb, including a new AFB, will wear, will get varnish and will lose its plating. I have gotten a couple of '63-64 Studebaker AFBs for free because the owner wanted to spend the work to fit a shiny new Edelbrock rather than rebuild the old AFB. There was nothing wrong with that AFB nor the 4CG and the Quadrajets when they were new. In the '70s manufacturers were trying to meet emissions standards with carburetors and it couldn't be done and still have them drive and perform the way owners expected. The stumbles and hard starting were emissions calibration related. Many muscle cars then and now run Quadrajets into the 12-second quarter mile when properly set up for performance.

Studebaker offered a Jet Stream Kit for the 1956 Golden Hawk which used the Packard Caribbean 2-4bbl Rochesters. When properly set up, they ran strong, even with the Isky solid lifter cam which was also part of the kit.

[WCraigH]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If one is determined to go with a new carb, the 600cfm Carter AFB and the Edelbrock are basically the same carb (snip)</div></div>

True, true. BUT, the actual reason that the E-carb 600 cfm works good on a stock Packard 352 is because of the "air valve secondary", which is vaguely similar to the Qjet secondary and even more removed from the Holley vacuum secondary carbs. What this means is that the carb will "throttle itself" to the actual air flow demanded by the engine at any particular throttle setting/load.

So, it seems the "best" choice is to buy the cheapest new E-carb you can. Also, let convenience of installation be an overriding factor.

<img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

[Jack_Vines]

Am moving the discussion on the Jet Sreak kits over to a new thread where it can be found for reference in the future. See "1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk Jet Stream kit for Packard V8"

[Guest packard400]

Thanks for all the help. What a great response!