Engine: Carburetor for 289 Engine

[John Milner]

What does everyone recommend for a reliable carburetor for a stock 289 engine? I'm not looking for a hot rod, just decent throttle response and reliability. I do plan on driving the truck often around town. The only trailer that I would pull would probably be a 5x8 or something similar. The engine is going in a 1950 2r5 and will have a 3 speed overdrive transmission. I believe the rear axle has 4:88 gears in it as it is the stock rear. The 289 engine is from a 1961 Hawk. The engine has been freshened up with new rings, bearings, seals, gaskets, and a valve job. The stock camshaft and lifters were in good shape so they are being reused. My intake is an Offenhauser 4 barrel that came with a Stromberg 4 barrel carburetor. The intake is for a small base carb but I believe I can modify it or run an adaptor for an AFB or Edelbrock style carburetor. However, I'm not opposed to running a Stromberg, Rochester, WCFB, etc. My initial thought was find something in the 500 cfm range. What carburetor would fit my needs the best?

[StudeRich]

You almost NEVER hear of a Stromberg 4 barrel !
It does look like a Stromberg Design, very rare today, I don't know if parts are available for those.
On the other hand, it may be a Mopar or GM thing as Studebaker never used one so I would not know.

But it IS very similar to a small, square bore Rochester or Carter WCFB 4 barrel.
As you probably know most people today, are running 500 CFM Edelbrock AFB Clone Electric Choke 4 Barrels on Stude. 289's.
You just need the Large Secondary throat Intake like the '63/'64 Stude, with the AFB Bolt Pattern, or a Modified 2 or 4 Barrel to fit.

[Dwight FitzSimons]

IIRC the Stromberg 4-V carb came as original equipment only on a 1953 Buick.
--Dwight

[Mike Van Veghten]

John -

If you do the math...like Rich says, a 500cfm carburetor is actually MORE than enough carburetor. Some may claim otherwise, but... Sure, you can make an 800cfm carburetor work on a 289.. BUT...will a smaller carburetor work better..."yes". Been there, done that. I've done a LOT of carburetor and spacer testing over the years.
A 500 AVS 2, Edelbrock will be a very nice addition to your engine.

BUT...the Offenhauser manifold has VERY small ports (runners) !! It was originally designed for th 232 engine. And NO amount of port matching will make it better. Again, yes, I've had them . I may even still have one, I don't recall right now.
Except for the weight, the stock, iron intake WILL flow better than the Offenhauser manifold on the larger engine ! It's just much heavier, and doesn't have the "cool" factor...but...

There's been MANY years and MANY people playing with, and experimenting with this stuff. There is no magic to these engines (maybe some in the cylinder heads !).
Now, if you have the heads ported, get a high lift/duration cam, a custom intake manifold, run something like a 4.11 gear ratio or lower, in a lightened car, then yes, you can get away with a larger carburetor.
But that's pretty much only for the hard core folks.

Mike

[PackardV8]

With 4.88 gears, the carburetor doesn't matter. Any will work because the vacuum will be so high and the RPM will be so high, any carb in good condition will be fine.

jack vines

[altair]

I have a 259 in my 54 Champion and I have an AFB from a 59 Buick 401 the model is 2840 some claim it is too big but it works perfect. It has the vacuum choke assembly with the furnace heater through the exhaust manifold all works well. It required a 1/2" spacer to clear the throttle works. The body appearance the that of a current Edelbrock but not as shiny. I think they used the same casting molds. There are at least 500 AFB models to chose from. I found mine in a wheelbarrow full of them at a swap meet for 50 bucks. Your engine is not fussy. Be a bit cautious about converting from a vacuum choke to an electric one. If you want an electric choke then find one that has it. In the wheelbarrow were a quantity of electric and vacuum chokes.

[yeroldad]

Again: I wouldn't use an Edlebrock carb on anything. They are NOT the same casting as a AFB, they are 'cheaper' castings. An Edlebrock will work, but they all are rich out of the box. I would call an Edlebrock barely sufficient. I have removed them from numerous motors and put an AFB in place, and gas mileage goes up, better emission numbers, and better performance. As far as size, my business partner bought a Edlebrock for his 327 SBC with a mild cam, alm. intake, and headers. That carb leaked right out of the box and never did perform worth a poop. A friend knew I love AFB's and brought one over and gave it to me. Turned out it is a 735CFM for a marine 440 Dodge. Too big I was thinking, but, after a rebuild, a bit of tweaking, it runs great on the 327. 3:73 gears lets that motor sing and that carb is definitely not too big, with the way the secondary's operate. When I found out what that carb was, I tried to swap him for a Holley, but, to this day (20+ years) he will not give that AFB up. Edelbrock makes a lot of good stuff, but not so good carbs.

[Hawklover]

Well to add to the conversation............about 15-20 years ago I put the 500 CFM electric choke Edlebrock on my R-1 stock Avanti, and truth be told I never touched it after the install. It has presented zero "issues" and as to running a bit rich, better that than too lean.

[BRUCESTUDE]

Ditto here, and it has no slop; instant response! I love it!

[1960Hawk]

I've just recently installed a Edelbrock 500cfm avs2 on a 289.
got it dialed in on the dyno.
very happy with it.

[JoeHall]

Main difference I've found with AFB versus Edelbrock clone is the hot air versus electric choke. The hot air was used on 1950s - 60s AFBs that were OEM, and on EARLY 9000 series AFBs. The later 9000 series AFBs, and ALL clones, AFAIK, had only electric choke. IMHO, the later electric chokes are junk and part of the problem with hot re-starts. They heat up quickly to open the choke, and that's a good thing, but they cool down and close the choke just as quickly, and that's a bad thing in hot weather. If the car is shut off 20-30 minutes, even in summer, the choke will be closed when the engine is restarted, and that's the LAST thing needed on a heat soaked carb that has already flooded the motor. When I figured that out, I installed manual choke on everything, except the wife's GT, because it was too difficult to explain to her. So I left the electric in place, and told her to not pump the pedal, but press and hold it to the floor (which forces the closed choke open - a bit), and crank the engine till it started, then immediately let up. Thank Goodness I installed EFI on her GT in 2013, and it now starts like a modern car.

The early 9000 series AFB I mentioned in another thread, and the current 1967 Buick AFB, both had/have hot air chokes, much slower to open and to close, which is perfect for both hot and cold weather. When I disassembled the Buick AFB, to clean it before install on the 56J, I noticed the hot air choke is more sophisticated than the cheap looking electric ones, and it works perfectly. You'd have to disassemble and inspect one of each, to understand what I am saying, but the difference is obvious. Other than that, I can use a kit to dial in any 9000 series AFB or clone, and be reasonably happy with it, for what it is. But I agree with yeroldad, they're not as good as 1950s - 60s OEM AFBs and early 9000 series AFBs.

[yeroldad]

Well said. I almost always go with a manual choke, with every carb, no matter what brand it is. But, I am a control freak, he-he.

[JoeHall]

As for WCFB versus AFB, Stude was late to the party in going to AFB in 1963, and AMC was even later, in 1966. Meanwhile GM, FOMOCO and MOPAR all went to AFB in 1957. I believe the reason Studebaker procrastinated was not because the WCFB was better, rather, they were struggling to survive and could not afford to changeover. The WCFB has a steel base plate, about 1/2" thick, and anyone who thinks that's a good idea - even with 1950s - 60s gasoline, has never done an actual comparison. My experience, the WCFB is the absolute worst in heat soaking. In the late 1980s, I discovered how much better AFBs worked on 56Js, and wrote about it in the "56J Only", and included instructions how to do the swap. This remains as true today as it was then, but I'll keep the WCFB in the trunk, in case someone wants to reinstall it someday, when the 56J turns up in an estate sale. LOL

[Omatic]

Has anyone tried the Autolite 4100 series carburetor, used from late-50-s to late-60's Fords, including the 289? I've read it's a very good carburetor, and in the 500+ cfm range, which maybe was a little undersized for the 352-390+ engines. But, I haven't tried it, and will have to see if it would even fit on a Studebaker intake without machining.

[bensherb]

The Autolite 4100 has a Holley two barrel bolt pattern and WILL NOT fit any Studebaker manifold with out an adapter or re-drilling the bolt pattern.