1985 C20 Carb Questions

[phantom110]

Hello All,
I have a 1985 Chevrolet C20 w/ the 5.7 litre 350. For better low-end torque and better overall fuel economy, it was suggested to me to find a Holley 4360 Economaster Carb. My questions are:
A) Is this truly a good carb for better low end torque and fuel economy
B) Where should I look to find one if this is true
and C) If this is not a great suggestion, can anyone suggest to me a better carb than my stock Rochester Quadrajet?
Thanks all!
-phantom110

 

[76zimmer]

That carb may beat the quad in fuel economy, but I don't think it will for torque, or overall performance. Are you having problems or what?
Can you give some more details of whats wrong, or what you are using the truck for, and hope to accomplish.

 

[phantom110]

Thank you for your response. Currently, the pickup is being used primarily for weekend driving, taking dump runs and hauling small stuff to Goodwill and such. I'm not looking for a helluva lot of performance as of yet as I just got the thing. I'm just looking for a carb that has a few fewer things to go wrong. Thanks for your help.

 

[dyeager535]

You won't beat the Q-jet. Easiest way to improve economy in these rigs is to keep your foot out of the gas. Rochester is SMALL on the primary side (250 or 300CFM) so as long as you aren't accelerating hard, yoiu won't be using as much gas. It has just as much likelihood for problems as any other carb, short of any additional vacuum items on it.

These trucks are heavy, and have terrible aerodynamics. Short of putting a diesel in, you aren't going to get noticeable improvements in economy unless you have a problem that is fixed, like bad plugs or wires. Or your driving habits are so bad that you could markedly change them.

A given displacement engine needs a given amount of fuel at any point in it's operation. Small carb or big carb, you need the same amount of gas/air to run an engine at a specific speed and load. Only way to change that is change the load and/or speed. (or fuel)

 

[phantom110]

Thank you for your help; I appreciate it.