Edelbrock 1406 Carb

[John Cason Fudala]

I have a brand new Edelbrock 1406 carburetor the I would like to install on my 63. I have used these carbs on several vehicles that I have owned (Fords) and they work very well straight from the box. My concern is connecting the TV rod to my Jetaway tranny. Is there a way to mate the TV rod bracket from my AFB to the Edelbrock carb or do I need to get creative? I spent some serious dollars to have my tranny rebuilt and would hate to screw it up over a simple carb swap. Thanks

[3ft7bqmb7dryo]

The main reason I believe that folks are going to the modern Edelbrock is a lack of resources. If there were stock carburetors readily available, there would not be a need to go with an Edelbrock.

The Edelbrock does have a bigger primary throttle, so there is a slight increase in bottom end performance.

The Edelbrock is much easier to adjust too.

[663e3bd478e74d979d5b686a191bc893]

Sorry, I know this an old thread. I have a 1959 Cadillac 390 in my 1950 Chevy truck. It has no carb right now so I wanted to use the Edelbrock 1406. Does anyone know if I will need an adapter plate to bolt it to my stock manifold?  I’ve seen some conflicting info on this. Should I use the same spacer that the Carter originally had? Or is the spacer not needed with the Edelbrock?  The picture that Mike posted seems to show a spacer of some sort. Does anyone happen to know what spacer that is? Thank you 

jason

[Jason Edge]

The original Carter AFB (and Rochester 4GC) had the PCV nipple built into the intake to carb insulator. The new Edelbrock have that nipple built into base of carb and you want to use it, so you do not want the stock insulator. There were fuel/air efficiencies from raising the carb a bit off the manifold, and of course the heat insulation properties.  The bottom line I would use some sort of insulator spacer. I used a Trans-Dapt TRD-2446, 3/8" spacer with my Edelbrock which seems like about the right thickness to replaced the original insulator.For more details on installing a Edelbrock on a 63 390 / 64 429 check out this help page: 

- Carburetor - Edelbrock 1406 & 1411 Installation Summary

[John Cason Fudala]

Like Jason said, you do not need the phenolic resin insulator. My suggestion is to plug the crossover ports in the manifold under the carb, (tap, drill and insert 3/8" bolts, no head, slotted to fit a screwdriver with JB Weld for sealer on the threads) and go with a 1/2" or 1" 4 hole spacer. Do not use an open hole spacer because I can tell you from experience, you will have off idle stumble and a nasty air intake whistle. Also, if you are using the Hydramatic 315, AKA Jetaway or (AKA) Controlled Coupling transmission, make damn sure the throttle linkage to the transmission is set up correctly. If not, Bye Bye tranny. Lots of info on the 63/64 site that will be of great help.  Hope that helps. John

[663e3bd478e74d979d5b686a191bc893]

Much appreciated. My motor is a 59. Does that change anything or is the advice the same?  I had read through that help page but I wasn’t sure if there were differences due to my motor being a 59.

I wanted to use the original carter and the hydramatic transmission. My grandfather left the carter outside for 20 years so its scrap. The cost to rebuild the hydramatic was approaching $5000 so I decided to go with a th400. I went back and forth on it, I finally just ordered the th400 adapter kit to finalize my decision. Thank you all for the time spent. 
jason

[Jason Edge]

Intake is the same 63 to 66 but I am unfamiliar with the 62 and prior intake and carb hookups. Perhaps others with experience with these earlier engines can chime in. I wills say the 600 cfm 1406 will be a good match for the 59 390.   That is the cfm rating is a good match for the 390 displacement regardless of engine configuration.

[John Cason Fudala]

The intake manifold on the 59 - 62 engines are the same so the 1406 will bolt up just fine. The Throttle linkage is almost identical to the 63/64's so that will not be a problem. By not using the HydraMatic transmission the TV bracket on the throttle is not needed. None of the engines prior to 1962 had a PCV system, they all used a road draft tube so a metal 4 hole base plate will be perfect.

[John Cason Fudala]

The TH400 uses an electric switch for full throttle kickdown. The switch is bolted to the side of the carburetor. Look on the AFB and you will see 2 holes where the switch mounts. I'm not sure how it would mount on the Edelbrock carb but Jason did the same swap on his 64 and he documented it with some detailed pictures. All of that info can be found on our site.   Good Luck. John

[Jason Edge]

I never installed the THM kickdown switch on mine and have never really felt the need. I have plenty of power to pass at anytime. It is a project I will undertake at some point. I understand with the HM this is not an option. To get correct shifting the TV rod needs to be attached to carb throttle plate and a stock Carter AFB TV rod throttle plate can be adapted to attach to Edelbrock.

[663e3bd478e74d979d5b686a191bc893]

Perfect. Thank you.  I’ll hook the kicks down switch up at some point but I have some work to do first. I’ve been through two different engine builders and it’s been two years but my motor should be ready this week. :)   I painted the truck piece by piece in my garage. She’s ready for her caddy motor. 

[663e3bd478e74d979d5b686a191bc893]

Thank you for the kind words. I was really going for an old school hot rod kind of thing. That’s why I kept the straight axle. I already bought the kit so hopefully the crankshaft adapter fits. :) 

[663e3bd478e74d979d5b686a191bc893]

Well, the beast is in...   I tried to prime the motor before starting and found that the rocker arm assemblies were hopelessly clogged (engine rebuilder never touched them I guess) so I sent them out to be rebuilt.  Can I just route a vacuum hose from the valley cover breather to either the front or back vacuum ports on the carb?  Do I need to replace it with a PCV valve or does it matter? Thank you.