by FM Staff. Photography by Kevin Mikelonis.
"I want to put a carb and manifold on my stock 289.
Should I go with Edelbrock or Holley?"
FM has heard the grumblings of this dilemma for nearly a decade.
However, we've never paid much attention to it because for
most enthusiasts first-time intake and carb combos are short-lived.
Once someone gets a taste of horsepower, it's just a matter
of time before they're onto the next level of performance.
Besides that, first-time performance upgrades are rather low
risk no matter which direction one goes. With regard to intake
manifolds for mild street small blocks, the general consensus
has always been to get an Edelbrock Performer. Carburetor
choices for the same class of motor usually depend on an enthusiast's
future plans. If an individual prioritizes fuel-economy and
a hands-off tuning approach, then
the Edelbrock carb is the best bet. However, if someone wants
to maximize power and have a carb that can easily accommodate
future engine upgrades, going with a Holley is the right choice.
It's a yawner from a magazine standpoint and the only thing
that might make us stand up and take notice is if there were
some major development in the world of intake manifolds for
small block Fords. What kind of major change? Well how about
if the guy that helped design the venerable Performer manifold
left Edelbrock and went to help the competition?
That is exactly
what happened last year. Jim Dralle, the long time Edelbrock Senior
Design Engineer, recently went to the other side to work for
Holley. Among many of his first priorities, Jim was responsible for reviving the Action-Plus line of manifolds, the sort of the lesser known
(okay forgotten) alternative to the Performer in the idle-
to-5000 rpm class. The Action-Plus received the benefit of
Jim's knowledge about the Performer and then some. All the
runners were flow-balanced, something unheard of on a mild
dual plane manifold. The new Action Plus, part number 8124,
has been getting lots of press. Holley ran their own engine
comparison on a moderately built 302 motor and gained some
14 horses and nearly as much torque over the Performer (2121).
We thought this was interesting and warranted some independent
testing of our own. We created two typical "first step"
intake and carb combos and then dynoed them.
| Holley
Combo |
Street Avenger 570 or 670cfm
(PN:0-80570 or 0805670)
Street Avengers are a new lineup of carbs by Holley. They
boast quick change vacuum secondary springs, and a more
precise fuel metering system. We'd normally go with a
650cfm, but these are the two nearest sizes in the Street Avenger line. We'll test both.
Street Price: $375 |
Weiand Action +Plus Manifold
(PN:8124)
Holley redesigned the 289-302 Action Plus this year.
The manifold runners have all been flow balanced using
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The rpm range is idle-5500.
Street price: $150 |
| |
|
| Edelbrock
Combo |
Performer Series 600cfm
(PN: 1406)
The Edelbrock carbs are known for their trouble-free driveability
and great fuel economy. However they can be tough to dial
in for maximum performance.
Street Price: $275 |
Edelbrock Performer Intake
(PN: 2121)
The Performer is the gold-standard in idle-5500rpm manifolds
for small block Fords.
Street Price: $150 |
The Test Mule - 1966 Mustang
Since our objective was to see which of the two popular
"first step" combinations would perform the best, we
needed to find a relatively stock and unaltered 289 motor.
Fortunately for us, FM friends Kevin and Heather Mikelonis own a basically
stock 289 1966 Mustang with a T5 conversion. Heather has owned
the car since high-school and only recently got the bug to
take the first step towards increasing power. They'd recently installed the Edelbrock Performer intake and 600cfm EPS
carburetor before we approached them for this test.
Heather's 1966 Mustang is one to
envy. It's clean, it has a stock 289 that runs perfectly,
and the four-speed was swapped for a modern T5. We dig
the lowered stance and styled steel wheel upgrade too. |
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Typical of many beginners, Heather
isn't itching to tear into her motor or install power
adders. She wanted a good bolt-on, 4V intake and carb
upgrade. They went with the Edelbrock Performer and matching
600cfm EPS carb. We'll dyno it, then bolt on the Holley
equivalents to see how they compare. |
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Anytime you head to a dyno session
it is wise to make sure your car is properly tuned and
you have all the supplies you'll need. We gave the Mustang
a fresh set of plugs and LiveWires.
We took gaskets, RTV, and coolant to make the manifold
swaps. |
|
There aren't many DynoJet dynamometers
on the Central Coast, but we located this one at Willis
Automotive in Salinas, CA. Here we are buckling down the Mustang in preparation for the Edelbrock dyno run. |
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