original Carter AFB - have redone, or replace?

[dlmwtvl]

I am tearing down my 66 401.
It has the O.E. Carter AFB carb.
My question is, should I send it out for a full resto, or, just replace it with and Edelbrock 850 Thunder series polished carb?

[Brian]

Without question--redo the original!
The aftermarket carb will never work as good as the original that was designed and tuned to work with the 401. 

[cwmcobra]

I guess it depends on what "look" you want for it.  And of course, it will be hiding under that big air cleaner most of the time.

Full restoration will cost about $300.  If you decide to go that route, Carmen Faso is pretty much universally recommended by this group.  His contact information is available if you decide to talk with him.  He will deliver a carb that you can bolt on and it will perform at least as well as it did coming out of the factory. If you prefer the look of the Edelbrock, that's not a bad option either.  Most of us here prefer originality, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with other approaches.  If you are on a budget and have the mechanical skills, you can buy a service kit and rebuild it yourself.  I've done that in the past with good results, but not as good as if I'd gone the professional rebuild route.

My carbs should come home from Carmen's soon.  I'll post some pictures when they do.

Chuck

[Brian]

 The factory air cleaner will not fit on the aftermarket carb unless you can find an air cleaner off a 66 that had the q-jet option.

[dsags]

The Edelbrock is a very good carburetor but .... the original air cleaner will not fit since the carburetor inlet is bigger than the OE carburetor and if your car is an automatic - as most are - it will be difficult to make the kick down linkage work.

I recommend staying with an original equipment type carburetor.

Dan

[cwmcobra]

The factory air cleaner will not fit on the aftermarket carb unless you can find an air cleaner off a 66 that had the q-jet option.

Good point.  I didn't think about the possibility of different inlet sizes......duh!

[telriv]

You can swap out the original top to the Edelbrock. It's a direct bolt-on.  For the linkage you could swap throttle shafts or do some cutting & welding.

[option B9]

 I asked my Father the same Carter AFB question 20+ years ago when I purchased my white GS,  Should I rebuild the Carter or get a aftermarket carb ? he said " the Carter AFB was made for that 401/425 motor and if its rebuilt correctly the engine will run fine, if you want to have problems try another carb !!" My father was a GM trained tech that had worked at the local Buick dealership for 30+ years. So he was right and I learned from the teacher. I keep my AFBs in tune & the 401s run fine. And I have an extra one on the shelf ready to be rebuilt if I need it.   Thanks Dad....   Tony

[elagache]

Dear dlmwtvl, Brian, Dan, Chuck, Tom, Tony, and mid-60s Buick sufferers of "temptation," . . .

Well, since nobody seems to know the answer to my history question, perhaps I should instead have a little . . . . fun!!


. . Not to tempt you or anything . . . . .

I am tearing down my 66 401.
It has the O.E. Carter AFB carb.
My question is, should I send it out for a full resto, or, just replace it with and Edelbrock 850 Thunder series polished carb?

Wouldn't you really rather have . . . . EFI!!! . .

Cheers, Edouard 

[GreatScat1965]

I am tearing down my 66 401.
It has the O.E. Carter AFB carb.
My question is, should I send it out for a full resto, or, just replace it with and Edelbrock 850 Thunder series polished carb?

I'm a Carmen Fasco fan. He has done over a 1/2 dozen carbs for me over the years. that said, the option no one seemed to mention is the "345 HP option for the '66. An Irion '66 Q Jet manifold and a Carmen built Q Jet. Yes, you will need the '66 Q jet air cleaner base but I've found a few over the years. The lids are the same. I even found a Chrome '66 Riv base years ago; that really looked nice. Still stock just 20 more ponies.