Carter or Holley?

[Anonymous]

I'm really sick of the autolite 1100 and want to replace it. I'm not really looking for a lot more horsepower, but it would be kind of nice. Reliability and smoothness is my biggest demand.

So, which carb is better, the Holley 1946, 1948 or the Carter YF, YFA? Correct me if I'm wrong, but they are both direct swaps, right?

oh yeah, it for a 200

 

[CobraSix]

I loved my 1100...but since you don't.

I think the YF may be for a later 250 head with the larger intake port. But I'm not an expert on those. I think it is also be best for a 1V application.

Slade

 

[Anonymous]

Both the Carter YF/YFA and the Holley 1946 are for the later heads (w/the 1.75" carb hole and wider bolt spacing).

I have the 1946, and I like it. Getting the choke set to my liking was the most difficult part. Of course, this isn't a Holley 1946-specific problem - I prefer a manual choke on any carb. But I digress...

I can't give an opinion of the Carter YF/YFA as I've never had one. A lot have used this carb. with good results. But, as with anything, each carb has certain advantages and disadvantages.

Both of these carbs. were designed to utilize the cable throttle linkage setup. If switching to either one, I would advise getting the cable setup (everything from the pedal to the cable mounting bracket) from a Fairmont, Granada, etc. or get an aftermarket setup. It's very easy to install. However, it's not necessary to convert. I personally like it b/c there is no worn feeling as with the old linkage. (Of course I had the Falcon bellcrank linkage, which has more wear points.) It's more responsive to small changes in the pedal position.

Another thing you have to consider is your distributor. If it hasn't been changed, you have the Loadomatic vacuum advance-only distributor. This dist. and the Autolite 1100 were designed to work together, utilizing the spark control valve in the 1100. If the carb is changed to one that doesn't have a spark control valve, the vacuum signals sent to the dizzy aren't quite the same. It will work: I ran my 1946 with the Loadomatic for over 2 years with no "problems." But last year I finally converted to a '68-up dual advance (meaning centrifugal+vacuum) dizzy. I noticed a definite improvement by changing distributors.

 

[63redtudor]

When I bought my '65 it all ready had a 1946 on it. Don't know if it was just a crappy carb, or my inability to tune it, but I was never able to get it just right. The best I was getting was about 10 miles per gallon & it never seemed to run right. Then I switched to a YF (of unknown origin) & haven't had too many problems since. I made my own carb adapter out of a 1/2" x 4" x 4" aluminum, not only does it fit the bolt pattern, but it is a kinda 'funnel' between the carb opening & the intake opening. I was able to use the original linkage, though I had to modify it a little. I would recomend a cable throttle (I just haven't been able to install one yet) & the duraspark comversion. Hope this helps.
Edwin

 

[Anonymous]

If you had to make an adaptor to use the YF, you might've had the Holley 1940 instead of the 1946 b/c the 1946 uses the same larger bolt pattern as the YF. Not saying you have, but
I've noticed many people on this board seem to get the two confused.

The 1940 was a replacement carb. used in the '60s for the Autolite 1100. It has the small carb. opening and bolt spacing and also used a spark control valve. Here's some pics:

The Holley 1946, however, was used from '78-up on the 200s. Around 1980, these carbs. became encumbered with alot of electronics and ports. But the earlier models don't have all of that - they are bascially no different than the Carter YF in terms of still having all the vacuum ports. Here's the pre-electronic 1946 (the type that I have):

 

[Anonymous]

I had an Autolite 1100 on my 66 200 ci and got rid of it due to poor performance. It was rebuilt, but I could never get it to stop hesitating on startoff. I went with a Holley 5200 and the car has never run better. The Holley is a licensed version of the Weber 32/36 but costs a lot less. You need an adaptor, narrower air cleaner and throttle linkage, but I think that the increase in driveability is worth it. I wish I had done it a lot earlier rather than tinkering with that 1100.