Used Holley

It's the things you can't see that plague used carbs, warped bodies and such come to mind. Unless you can see it run and IDLE on an engine before you purchase it I would never buy a used carb.

OK then, questions answered. I will wait.

Thanks

Probably just dumb luck on my part but I've done fine buying used Holleys and in fact pick them up any time I see one priced right. As long as the shafts aren't loose in the body, or are frozen in place or there are obvious signs of distress I've generally not run into anything I couldn't sort out. I'm no carburetor whiz either.

The 3310's like I suspect you're thinking of are my favorite. If you reconsider looking for one, I prefer the earlier ones with the metering block on both ends of the carb. The newer ones are a bit prone to problems with the metering plate on the secondary side, plus it's easier to switch up jets working with the metering block.

I do have one on the shelf I bought really cheap, that doesn't seem to want to cooperate, but I've not spent a lot of time on it yet. That's really the only problem one I've run into.

lol buying used carbs is a crapshoot....look at the Moparts.com classifids....there are more used carbs for sale than anything else...the old 3310 series with vacuum secondary was the go to carb in the 70s,80s...worked good with hyd cam,headers,dual plane intake,dual point dist or electronic...buying them used now...you can spend countless hours...rebuilding them, taking them apart,trying to fix warped baseplates, wallowed out shafts, casting imperfections etc. for the time and money involved...it aint worth it unless your topping something you want to unload quick.lots of new ideas&technology have surfaced in carbs...Demons,Quick Fuel, etc. go that route and save the headache..spend more now to save time later...

I agree with everyone who says "forget the used carb at swap meets"...I use the same approach for swap meet torque convertors. Buy a new carb.
HR 20

I'd always thought a person might do OK rebuilding a used one if the price is right & the condition/shaft play is acceptable which that is external conditions but I've heard for years regarding issues with used ones & most everyone on this thread feels the same way. If the price is right take a chance & if a new one is in teh budget then what Joe said get one of the Holley clones that have adjustable systems so when you get your Innovate LM1 (or similar) AF meter you can dial in all of the systems dead on. reportedly is a night and day difference once you get it perfect

If you decide to go ahead and try a used carb, in my opinion the most important thing to look for is if it has been apart. I have bought a lot of swap meet carbs for myself and for buddies. Only a very few have been crap. Most have worked out fine. The only ones I have had real troubles with are the ones that have been apart.

If you decide to go new, the Street Demon just got a very good review in the carb shoot out in the new Mopar Muscle mag. It is definitely the go-to carb today.

The problem with used Holleys is that people like to mix and match parts from different series carbs thinking it is going to make huge performance differences. Unfortunately, not all the parts play well together and you end up with a carb that is almost impossible to make work again unless you are very familiar with them.

Sometimes it is as simple as a float bowl gasket that means the difference between a good carb and a fire starter.

The Holley is one of the easiest to fix when messed up The worst of the bunch is a the edel crap you have on that 340 now a good Holley will give you a .2+ in qtr if not more