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carb swap

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Gary Davis

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north carolina, usa
I want to replace the original 2bbl. carb on my 1985 D100 with 318 engine. would like to go back to the earlier 70's carbs and wondering if they are direct bolt on or are base plates too different. if so, any recommendations as to what type will swap without having to change intake manifold.
 
the present carb is a factory Holley that i cannot keep the accelerator pump working in as well as constant needle and seat issues causing flooding as well as a loss of fuel in the carb if the truck sits for a couple weeks without being run. this leads to either having to spin the engine for 20 or 30 seconds to refill the carb or manually "priming" by pouring a splash in the intake. perhaps if i could swap back to the older Carter two bbl or the larger Holley found on the 70s models 400 engines without changing inakes would be better for service. the original question is what will swap without changing intakes. thanks for replying.
 
That factory smaller Holley is actually a pretty good carb. Sound like it need a good rebuild or just replace it with the same model (keeps all the linkages the same).

The Carter 2BBL is an excellent carb, better economy but probably not as much power as your original. The 70's Holley 2BBL is a good power house given its size, however any of them you find have probably been rebuilt by now and there is a real chance that the top plate has been warped through bad rebuild or over tightening the air cleaner too many times. That is fixable but you NEED to know how to do it right or the problem just gets worse.
 
thanks a lot. Been doing pro mechanic work for over 50 years, the last 38 in a shop leased behind a parts store, but its getting harder to find these old carbs that are rebuildable due to ethanol and sitting.
 
I know the big Holley has a larger mounting pattern. That carb was never on a 318 so it'd require an adapter plate (good luck with that) or swap out a 360 intake. I think the other two are the same, but I've never had the two of them off next to each other before.
 
I had to install a carb on a customers 87 D150 that had a 318, he swapped the engine and didn't have a carb. Why he didn't keep the one from the engine he removed I don't know. I ended up getting one from Rockauto, I believe it was from the early 80's and it was a Holley
 
Yup they started with the Holley 2bbl in about 77-78 while since 318s still ran the Carter.
I had a 360 Holley 2bbl on a 318 just took an intake manifold swap for it to happen. That car always ran good would have run better with better gears than the 2.45 it had.
 
There was one year (think it was 80 or 81) where Mopar went the other way and put the little 318 carb and intake manifold on a 360 from the factory.
My buddy's dad had a Dodge van he bought new, his had a 318 but the manifold was actually stamped from the factory "318/360".
 
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