Predator Carbs

Back in the eighties, I remember seeing lots of cars at car shows running Predator carbs. I was always fascinated by them, mostly because they looked so wild. I didn't know enough about cars at the time to actually figure out what was special about them.

I haven't seen any lately...have they quit making them? How did they work, anyway? I know they weren't like your typical carb.

Pretty much had large shutter plates in the bottom instead of throttle plates. Great for full throttle. Not so much on the street. It was intended to dump a lot of fuel.
I worked with a guy that was a substantial investor in the development and marketing. Never did pan out. I occasionally see one now and then. I have a poster with an eagle about to strike that was their logo.

Exactly.

Had a former employer try to run one on a 500+ inch motor, it didn't last long and got replaced by a Holley.

Ed

had a 66 chevy Malibu with a 383 and a predator carb great on the strip not so good on the street replaced it with a holley

My car ran very inconsistent with one, swapped on an edelcrap and went slow, then went Holley.....never looked back.

There has been three different version for automotive use of that variable venturi design, Predator was the last one trying to market them to the automotive racing buyers. Kendix was before them and I don't remember the original company name. They are a direct diritive(SP?)(copy) of a carb. designed a long time ago for aircrft carbs. used on radial air cool motors, the first one I saw was mounted in front(at the rear of the motor) of a commpound Supercharge Wright Wasp radail bomber motor, I belive it was that motor, that was on display at the Big Bear ,CA in front of airport restraunt back in the 1990s IHTH

My brother had one for a week or so on his first car (68 Cutlass w/ a 350). Car ran different every time he drove it. One day it ran great and the next time it bogged and farted. On the good days it made a lot more power then the Q-jet the car came with.

They are, or were, popular with the monster truck, mud bog, sand drag crowd. Idle to the line, floor it, and then idle back.

Kendig was the original, IIRC

The race predators were basic VV carbs, they offered a "street" conversion that added an accel pump.
Not very good as a street carb

they were still making them up to about 10 years ago
not sure if they still do today.
i knew someone who worked for them for a few years..

I ran one on my 383 Dart racecar. Easy to tune but not much to tune with. I ran mid 12's with it but couldn't seem to get any quicker until I changed it out for a 750 Holley. I gained 3 tenths immediately with NO tuning! Got into the high 11's tuning it before I sold the car. I will never use one again...

Opening the throttle on one of those is like flushing a toilet

I tried one on my 440 with a 590 purpleshaft. the only thing it done well was idle ! when the engine started to load up or stall, the butterfly would open, dump some air n fuel and all was good. it would never die. put my trusty 850 dp back on and it smoked the predator in every aspect. throttle response,wot

A friend of mine bought one when they first hit the market, and he disliked it so much that he gave it to me free. At the time I was driving a completely stock 1970 Barracuda Gran Coupe with a 318-2bbl and a 904 trani. Just fer kicks, I purchased a 2bbl to 4bbl adapter and bolted er up. The carb was useless to me too. BUT! I wanted to make it work, and I found out that for street driving, it has to be mounted sideways with a bell-crank style throttle linkage. That position alleviates fuel slosh from the fuel bowl. Additionally, the Predator has no idle circuit, but a kit was available, so I purchased it too. The kit installation required two holes to be drilled in the main body at 90 degrees from each other, and those two holes have to meet. There is no room for error, but I did it successfully.

When I finally fired it up, that Predator turned my anemic 318 into a down right street fightin' monster! Throttle response was instantaneous, and suddenly I could melt the tires off the rims! I loved it and drove it daily for 5 years until I sold it to finance... um well, that's another story!

Anyway, the Predator carb can be a lot of fun if you do those two modifications. However, I don't know if the idle circuit kit can be found or duplicated.

I have a buddy who loved them on race cars. He was able to tune them and make cars dead nuts consistent.

He was the only guy I ever saw make one work without a blower under it.

I seem to remember they had a nick name of the flying toilet.

Got one sitting on the shelf with the accelerator pump. Neat conversation piece buts that's all it's good for.

Are you possibly thinking of Ron's Flying Toilets mechanical fuel injection ?