i friend of my dads has alot of junk ford trucks a and t-birds with V8's in them most if them have the original carb still on them. im sure he will sell me a carb off one of the motors but im not sure if i should rebiuld an old one or just buy a new one, all the carbs i saw were holleys some from the 60's and others from the 70's.
Well, if originallity and restoration are your goals, then rebuilding an era correct carb would be the thing. But, if getting a good running car, and having newer technology and parts, or a higher performance level are your goals, then buying new would be good. If you know how to rebuild and restore a carb, you can get by with less money by going that route.
Rebuilding is a lot cheaper if you can do it. My last one was a newly rebuilt carb from Napa for my 250 that a guy bought and sold online. I got it for about $25. So, in that case, it was cheaper to buy.
dont just grab any carb. you need to figure out what your geting. on a holleys choke horn is its list number. with that list number you can figure out what the carb is. holleys catalogs have the descriptions in the back. get and take a catalog with you or get a list of the list numbers of the carbs at the yard and post them and somebody will tell you what they are. also with the list number you will be able to get a rebuild kit for the carb you get.
It's been my experience that Holley's that are REALLY old looking, should stay right where you find em. They can be more trouble than they're worth if you don't know what you're doing. The best bang for the buck are those that are almost new looking, which in many cases they are. And with only swapping the powervalve and accellerator pump diaphram can be extremely reliable for years. I've picked up 3 or 4 of these over the past few years, paying no more that $150 for em. Two were 600's, one 570, one a 750. My 3x2 setup was only a year old too. Old Holleys are good for parts mostly.
As long as the throttle shafts and bores are not worn they can be easily rebuilt. If the throttle shafts are loose and you don't have a set of the proper reamers and bushings then you are better off just walking away.
