Holley 1920 VS Carter BBS

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Erick27

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I have a 1971 Plymouth Duster with a 3.7 slant 6 that currently has a 1920 Holley carb. I have rebuilt it in the past and it is now leaking again. I was advised that a Carter bbs might work better for me. I am looking for any opinions on both carbs and which is preferred based on personal experience. Also If I do switch to the Carter what else would I need to change in order to transition.
Thanks for any info.
 
I have used both in my 65 Valiants over the past 50 years . The Carters are better, the Hollys always end up leaking gas all over the manifold . I even switched out the stock Holly on my 76 Aspen 225 slant with a Carter from a 65 Valiant and it was a bolt in job . It woke that mother right up too !
 
I have the Carter on my Valiant and I like it. Is this really a "what one barrel carburetor is better than the other one thread"? lol
 
I have the Carter on my Valiant and I like it. Is this really a "what one barrel carburetor is better than the other one thread"? lol
Well rusty , it's better in terms of how it doesn't piss gas all over a hot intake.As for power there is no difference between them .What I found over the years is that that spring that props up the float in the Holly gets weak after about a year or so of use and that is the cause of the leaking gas .It also causes your gas mileage to suffer because not only is it pissing fuel but the mixture changes from the change in the float level. In my opinion the Holly is a POS
 
Well rusty , it's better in terms of how it doesn't piss gas all over a hot intake.As for power there is no difference between them .What I found over the years is that that spring that props up the float in the Holly gets weak after about a year or so of use and that is the cause of the leaking gas .It also causes your gas mileage to suffer because not only is it pissing fuel but the mixture changes from the change in the float level. In my opinion the Holly is a POS

Well like I said, I like the Carter on my Valiant. Put a kit in it in 15 minutes. Runs good. No leaks.
 
Thanks for the input guys. I have decided on the Carter but I am having trouble finding the right one for my car. I am being given several different options. Any suggestions which one is a match?
 
yeah, the 1920 did have a bad habit if squirting fuel out the side....never ran a Carter BBS.
 
The BBS is the better-designed carb, but at this late date the one to pick is the one that's available in better condition. Top № 1 choice would be a new Carter BBS. They do go by on eBay from time to time, and for hookup compatibility you'd want a '70-up (California) or '71-up (50-state/Canada) carb. Expect to pay money; nothing runs like a new carb, and every time someone buys and installs one there's one less in the world. Like this one. Second preference would be a very carefully picked rebuilt unit like maybe this, bought from the people who rebuilt it and stand behind it (at least they say they do), a whole hell of a lot preferable to the "remanufactured" garbage one can piss money away on from real or virtual parts stores.

Everything hooks up directly, except the fuel inlet's on the front of the BBS rather than on the side like the 1920. Good excuse to do the Fuel line mod. If your choke is anything other than perfect, put on a № 1231 electric choke kit when you do the carb swap.
 
Well rusty , it's better in terms of how it doesn't piss gas all over a hot intake.As for power there is no difference between them .What I found over the years is that that spring that props up the float in the Holly gets weak after about a year or so of use and that is the cause of the leaking gas .It also causes your gas mileage to suffer because not only is it pissing fuel but the mixture changes from the change in the float level. In my opinion the Holly is a POS
You are right about the spring becoming weak.
 
Hello all,
This all sounds soo familiar. I bought a Holley 1920 from Rock Auto last July, installed it, ran awesome, no adjustments needed and fired right up, ideled, etc for about 2-3 weeks then the front bowel started leaking. I did the normal fixes but still leaks. Then...... the idle got weird. I could not keep her idleing aside from full throttle. My local garage looks it over, said it was toast so I've reluctantly built another 1920 from Rock Auto to get me at least mobile and I plan to have a carb expert I know rebuild my other one. I also plan to use nothing but ethanol free gas.
Say I was ever to swap my 1920 for a Carter, which Carter is the easiest to swap with not having to adjust my current fuel lines (which are made for the 1920 side fuel inlet)? The Ball and Ball or BBS and or does it make a difference?
And- oh- where to get it?

Thanks
Frank
Stevensville, Maryland
 
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