Re: Holley Carburetor Conversion
Brian,
I did the Holley conversion last year on my 1964 3/4 ton GMC pickup with a 305E engine. It had been a long time since I worked on cars, but this was not a hard job. However, there are other parts you will need.
Funky61 is right about the air cleaner. The Holley requires a standard (5 1/8" if I remember right) diameter intake opening. I was told that this was common on 1970's GM cars, so I got an air cleaner from a mid-70's Impala that fit perfectly. It even had a spot for the oil breather line (which you may or may not have depending on the model year).
I was lucky that my accelerator spring set-up worked without need for changes.
I was able to use my existing choke set-up, but the cable is really too short (it had to go through the ignition wires at the distributor) and I eventually installed a longer one from Napa.
I also had a challenge in finding a gas line connection that fits the carburetor and the fuel line. I think Holley makes a part that will work and can be purchased from dealers like Summit Racing. You will probably have to convert the line from the fuel pump to the carburetor connection to a flexible fuel line hose that will require clamps. I added an in-line filter at this point as a backup to a larger filter ahead of the fuel pump.
I did not enlarge the intake manifold opening, but will defer to more experienced members about the need for this. I can tell you that my truck has more power and runs better with the Holley, with some loss of gas mileage - but I am still getting about 13 mpg from open road type driving. My next engine project is to reduce the carburetor jet size because the truck seems to be running rich.
JRMunn
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