...been lurking for awhile; now I have some questions...

[adamfgarner]

Hello all,

I recently bought a '63 longbed 1500 series with the 305, granny 4 speed and a dana 60 rear end. It needs some TLC which I have been giving...it looks like the Strom WW has been rebuilt by Holley (tell-tale sticker on carb) and the truck runs well with minimal warm-up...I have been lurking (reading without posting) for a few weeks now and know that most of you prefer the swap to a Holley 4412...in my reading outside the site I have read that Holley's were designed for wide open throttle applications and the main benefit is simplicity and availability of parts; in addition I have read that the Rochester 2G will bolt right on without an adapter and is actually a better carb for a wider range of driving conditions...anyone care to comment on pros and cons?
Also, on this truck I have some sort of engine pre-heater piped into the heater hoses and engine block - it's a cylinder mounted on the drivers side frame in front of the engine with a 120 volt plug...anybody have one of these or ...? Open to comments and questions...oh yeah also am looking for input regarding a good choice of mufflers for this engines best performance as I am getting ready to have a dual exhaust put in. Thanks in advance, I really appreciate any input, advice and all your enthusiasm. I will post pics if someone is really interested.

[bigblockv6]

The Rochester 2G is a better carb than the ww but you won't see any kind of improvement in performance it will be the same as the stock ww carb. Overall with the Holley 500 there is a dramatic increase in performance despite what you've heard that this carb is for wide open throttle applications, that's not quite true. Another carb to consider is the larger Rochester 2GC used in 70's GM 400 plus cubic inch engines as well as Buicks 231 V6 from 1975-78, this will require an adapter as well and is in the 425 cfm range.

[Cayoterun]

I'm guessing from your description of the pre-heater, it came from a cold climate at some time.
Plug them into 110v at night, and it keeps the engine coolant warm for easier starting next morning.

Don't see them around here as much anymore, since fuel injection, but was very common for many years. New improved versions are still used alot on farm machinery used in winter.

[adamfgarner]

Just so it's known I do greatly appreciate the replies...I just don't always have the time to check in and sometimes Ol' Frank has to sit on the back burner before the next massage of TLC...on that note all of your experience, know-how and willingness to help is fantastic and I am glad to have found this site (actually Irishbleueyes is my brother-in-law and he kind of got me interested in these trucks)....I think these old V6's are way cool and hope I can keep my patience in check and my checkbook hidden as indeed this fixer-upper can easily become an obsession.

[Irishbleueyes]

Originally Posted by adamfgarner

Just so it's known I do greatly appreciate the replies...I just don't always have the time to check in and sometimes Ol' Frank has to sit on the back burner before the next massage of TLC...on that note all of your experience, know-how and willingness to help is fantastic and I am glad to have found this site (actually Irishbleueyes is my brother-in-law and he kind of got me interested in these trucks)....I think these old V6's are way cool and hope I can keep my patience in check and my checkbook hidden as indeed this fixer-upper can easily become an obsession.

Your Welcome.....