My new RT didn't seem to have an issue or maybe a minor issue when it was in PA but since I got it home in Florida it has been a nightmare of vapor locking/boiling fuel in the carb (I have heard it). I have done all the "normal" stuff to combat heat but to no avail, I was trying a 1 inch spacer today but had a hood clearance issue so no go. I have an 850 DP Holley I can try but I need to go through it since it has been sitting awhile. It's 440 with a castiron intake, at least with the Holley I can run a thin heat shield and the bowls are suspended over the intake. What is the history on boiling with the Edelbrock?

Thanks in advance, Kevin

I've been running a 750 Edel for over 20 years on the street...

Been in some HIGH heat situations...

Zero 'percolation' issues...

(But, I mix the sh!t pump 'fuel' with REAL fuel(read: 110)...


I'd try and find SOME kind of carb gasket that'll get you off the intake...

Every little bit helps...

Is the pump fuel the same back in Penn that it is in Fl? I assume that you are now running E10.

all that has changed externally is the ambient temp and (possibly) the gasoline (E10) formula. Boiling is pretty severe, sounds like E10 plus a stuck heat riser (guessing on the HR). I would add a spacer and a drop base air cleaner to accomodate it. You're sure nothing else has changed?

I've tried several different fuel pumps, the one that was on it, a good high volume I had and then a new one just in case. I have run both E10 and non-ethanol fuel with no notable difference cause I wondered if the ethanol was different down here, they don't even have non-ethanol in PA. Not to mention none of my other cars do it except maybe my 69 RT a little, also castiron intake but with a T-quad.

I know Detriot can get hot like PA but not sure it's the same as Fl, never been so I guess I cant say. What I experienced in PA was a hard hot soak start like it was bleed over after shut off. Cold it is 1 pat to the floor and electric choke works perfectly, even after sitting weeks.

I had an eddy 1406 elec choke on a DD 318 & it was flawless (had a ~3/8" felpro base gasket. Mostly non ethanol. In your situation sumpin has to be heating up the fuel in the bowl to the boiling point

Agreed but what, temp is fine, check with 2 sources, car is dark blue so maybe just more underhood temp but nothing I can detect. Running stock manaifolds so not even header heat. I am running a basic thin carb gasket, one of my thoughts as I mentioned is getting it up off the manifold.

Living here in Phoenix, I feel like an expert on vapor lock. YES, the Edelbrock/Carter style carbs will vapor lock. There is virtually no fuel pump combination you can use short of a very well engineered electric pump set-up that will cure this problem.
The factory used a 1/4 thick gasket/spacer on the wedge motors and when fuel had lead etc... had had higher volatility temperatures these were fine. With modern re-formulated fuels no way is that enough in tough climates such as Phoenix. and I'm sure parts of Florida.
And just for the record, when it's 110 degrees ambient outside Holley's vapor lock too!

You know what I'm wondering if it ain't the fuel. what about capping the in port of the mech pump & plumbing in/running a can of several gallons of race gas or another brand of gas stn gas (I'd prob go with race gas just to make a 100% valid test) & see if that ain't it

I can get 100 octane Sonoco in town so I can run the test with that. I like I have a full tank so I'll run it low and put 5 gallons of the Sonoco in it. I will also continue the search to space the carb up as much as clearance will allow. My other thought is to switch to the 6 pack set up I have just sitting on another engine on an engine stand, will I need a new throttle cable??? 4 speed so no kickdown linkage to worry about.

An electric fuel pump will help deal with it... though anything you can do at the carb end like insulated spacer or heat shield will help.

The electric pump can help at least make sure liquid fuel gets to the carb. I run one on my 2 carbed vehicles... '47 Power Wagon and '78 brand F PU both with original type carbs. Current gas is made for pressurized EFI systems and not carb setups with a pump in hot engine compartment location that tries to "suck" fuel.

The power wagon would not re-start hot after heat soak and in 85+ weather would vapor lock going down the road. The Ford would loose fuel pressure and power in hot weather at load going down the road (tested with fuel pressure gauge on the line going to the carb).

An electric pump fixed both. In both cases, they will boil on hot soak/hot weather. They need some throttle to start in that situation - kinda like a flooded engine - but they do start and run reliably.

The electric pump needs to be aft where it is cool and as low a possible. The Carter pump, and a diaphram style I use on the PW have best capability to handle some suction if the pump is not lower than the tank... but needs to be in a cool place. I actually run a Mr Gasket pump on the Ford... not sure it is the best for this application but works great.

Not really interested in running an electric pump but I think it probably would help. Although not identical in the set up I have 4 or 5 that run carbs and mechanical pumps without issue and I have run them for years down here. I guess I really cant say what it aint til I can say what it is though. I thinking more and more it's the minimal space between the carb and the cast iron intake, many of the others are aluminum intakes, one other Edelbrock but it's on aluminum. I hate this time of an issue when I have something to try and have to wait til morning to get parts and tinker.

You do not need an electric fuel-pump...


I've been in multiple 95+ degree temp scenarios over the years...

The Carter did(and continues to do)just fine...


Dial-in yer delivery/return properly...

Do as much as possible to 'cool the carb'...

Run some REAL fuel, you'll be rockin'...

I had the same problem with the Quik Fuel 1050 on my 69 Bee with an electric pump. I dumped the 10% ethanol junk an switched to 100% gas. Problem went away. I finally dumped the carb and went to EFI. Now I can run the 10% pump junk again.

This

http://www.edelblog.com/tech-tips/resolving-heat-soak/

This

http://www.coolcarb.com

This

Best thing I did was blocking off the heat crossover on the intake with the proper fel pro valley pan

Obviously I don't run my car in the winter , so what do I need a choke for . Starts and idles perfect , don't even run a choke plate on the carb

I'd highly suggest getting it low & siphoning the rest out. it only takes 10% of ethanol (90% is still gas) to cause these issues so it wont take much (ethanol) percentage to invalidate your test and the refinery people I have spoken with say the percentage varies widely (up or down) from the nominal 10% and the oxygenated fuel these days is garbage (didn't have time to ask em why on the last Q). Holler how it turns out

I'll run it out of gas if need be, but I'll run an auxillary source for the test if it is that bad. One thing is I drive these things a lot and running 100 octane all the time would get to even me. I can get 87 octane non-ethanol about 3 miles from the house but not sure it would like a lot of that. I've never nothered with octane booster is it effective? Is there an additive that counteracts the ethanols tendency to boil out there?

Thanks for all the input so far guys and I'll update as I figure stuff out.

I run 2 of the MrGasket 1/2" stacked alum/gasket heat shields to make a 1" 4-hole spacer for my 1405 on an alum holley street dominator intake on my 85 truck.

also blocked the heat croosover.

those 2 things fixed all of my fuel perking/boiling/vapor locking woes here in FL on the 10% e crap.

no mere heat soak on mine, 40 mile ride you can not touch the intake but carb is luke warm to the touch.

same thing for the holley 6210 spredbore I run. used the same spredbore Mr Gasket 1/2" alum/gasket heat shield x2 for 1" 4-hole spacer with heat cross over blocked. carb barly gets luke warm/no issues with crap gas here.

the 440 got the same 1" 4-hole spacer set up with heat blocked..run a 750 edelbrock on it with same results. 40 mile ride and carb is luke warm at most.

I even liked the edelbrock q-jet I had on the 440 with the stock q-jet 5/8 fiber open gasket. carb stayed cool.

I tried a few different types of spacers for heat reasons and the Mr Gasket stacked alum plate/gasket worked bestest for me.

get the heat blocked and run the mr gasket stacked plate heat shield.

This one Scratch?

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mrg-3710

I was thinking of something like this but I cant take the inch due to hood clearance maybe one will do the trick. I cant believe I don't have one in the shop but good money says I cant find one locally today.

yes, I used 2 to make a 1" spacer.

the 1/2" stacked worked fine first go round but 1" picked up the lowend torque like I wanted.