I have a 312 Y block in my 1956 Ford Club Sedan and I'm interested in setting it up with a vintage 3 x 2 carb arrangement.  I know there are several old intake manifolds still out there--Edelbrock, Fenton, Offenhauser, etc.--by I have no idea which is consider the "best" when it comes to performance and reliability.  Same goes for the 2-barrel carbs: should I be looking for Holley 94s, Stromberg 97s, Rochesters, or?  I know that many forum members have "been there, done that" and I would greatly appreciate any advice you can supply to get me started on my search for the best configuration.  Many thanks, Ron

I have an Edlebrock 573 aluminum intake with 3 model 94 carbs. Outer two have idle circuits and chokes disconnected. I do have power valves blocked off. Got my linkage from Speedway Motors. A 553 is the second best intake . Stay away from Offy and the others. Get Edlebrock. Air flow is better. You will notice a difference and you will most likely be happy with it. my 2cents

55Birdman  Hickory NC

AS 55birdman said, the model nos. are 553 and 573. The 573 (big port) is for the "G" and later heads

54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ

Forgot to mention my engine has 113 heads.

55Birdman  Hickory NC

Ron, If your car has the original engine, it's a good one, but it will have the smaller ports. You'll want the Edelbrock 553. I'd use the Holley 94/2110 carbs. I think the stock 56 2bbl carb would make a good center carb, it's the 2110 ECG carb.



The Fenton manifold might be ok, but don't get the Offenhauser. The Offy is a 360 degree plenum and it suffers from terrible fuel distribution.



Although you won't be using the chokes on the front and rear carbs, you will want to leave the choke plate in place. It helps baffle the airflow so that the bowl vent will work properly. You'll want to have the choke plate staked in the open position.


Best regards,



Paul Menten

Meridian, Idaho

My 312 has the larger heads and I'm using a '57 distributor, so from what all of you have said it looks like the best setup for me will be the Edelbrock 573 and the Holley 94 carbs.  Now the fun part--find them!  Thanks for all the great input!  Ron

Ron:

As has been discussed before on this site, for pure performance a good 4 barrel will outperform the most desireable 3-2 setup, but there's nothing like the "WOW" factor of the 3-2s.  And they can be made to run smoothly and reliably.  Fuel mileage is good if you can keep your foot out of them also.  HeHe.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

When I started looking around for some Holley 94 carbs on eBay today I quickly learned that there are many different models.  In just a couple minutes of surfing I found 94s with model designations of: ECG, 8BA, EBU, EB and 59.  And something tells me there are even more models lurking around out there.  So the question is, what model/s should I be looking for?  And should I narrow my search to 94s with the Ford logo on the side?  Thanks again for the helpful info.  This is an incredible forum!  Ron

Ron, I scrounged matching truck 94's for the end carbs. I think they have a designation of 7R or similar. They have flared inlets and I thought that would be cooler.



But your question is a good one. I think the 94 stands for .94 as in 15/16" which was the bore size. I mention that because other Holley 3 bolt, 2 barrel carbs come in sizes like 1", 1 1/16", etc.



I'd use a 2110 like the ECG on the center carb, and some matched 94's for the end carbs.

Best regards,



Paul Menten

Meridian, Idaho

What does "2110" and "ecg" refer to?  I'm low on the learning curve here.  Thanks, Ron