My mechanic recommends I replace the carburator on my son's 73 Duster. He currently has a Holley 1920 on it, but I know some models had a Carter BBS carb. The Carter's slightly less expensive and the guy at the part store recommended it over the Holley. Before I purchase one or the other does anyone have any suggestions, recommendations, pro/cons???? Also, are there any "issues" with replacing the Holley with the Carter?

The Carter is a better-designed carb. Most everything hooks right up, with a few exceptions, as long as you pick the right carb.

The Carter fuel inlet is located on the front rather than on the passenger's side, so you'll have to rework the fuel line; while you're at it go all the way and rework it This way.

You will probably need a new choke thermostat since the '73 Holley choke won't interface correctly with the Carter choke lever; best option here is the Electric Choke conversion kit (pictures Here)
Contact Carlos at CarbsOnly and ask for an electric choke kit number 2231; it contains everything you need.

Make sure you pick your Carter carb carefully. A '73 car has EGR and a ducted bowl vent; the carb you install should also have those features, so get one for a 1973 Dodge D100 or D150 truck with 225 engine. If you're not running EGR, you can use the one for a 1971 Dodge Dart with 198 engine. Be careful whose "remanufactured" carbs you buy; most of them are junk to varying degrees, you often have to pull them apart and correct improper assembly/adjustment (float level, choke pull-off setting, linkages, etc.), and throttle shafts are never rebushed in the "remanufacturing" process, even though this is critical to good driveability and economy and virtually all old carburetors at this point need it badly. Consider a "remanufactured" carburetor as a starting point, not an ending point, and you'll be fine.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

If youre going to get a carb rebushed, make sure and ask questions! I had to cut my losses on a 1920 I had J&J performance here in Hamilton do a rebush on, he split the housing because he tried to use 4bbl bushings he had lying around, he kept promising a replacement or a refund but never delivered. My first clue should have been that he was going to use bakelite bushings for the job, thinwall brass is the only way to go! At the time I was just happy to find someone that was willing to do the job at all, much less properly. Dont make this mistake!

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

Well, I've done more tinkering with the Carter than the Holley... so I'm not sure whether my inclination to agree is all that relevant. But as long as the discussion is here, let me pose the question: are both of these 1 Bbl carbs quite cheap (derived for mass production), compared to something else? I'm not sure what, but the reputation of a Weber comes to mind, for example. Would I obtain smoother running, better fuel atomization, and so on, by merely being willing to swap in something better than whatever corners were cut on the assembly line?

It strikes me that, as good as these old cars are, they nevertheless suffer from the same maladies as any other mass-produced machinery. I've discovered it's hard to find anything that couldn't be improved at least a little bit by using better quality materials when I do repairs. I won't even bother with a tune-up, for example, unless I spend a tiny bit extra on a Blue Streak cap and rotor, and spiral-wound (inductive suppression) spark plug wires. So maybe the same should hold true for a carb.

On the other hand, the research and tuning and experiments I have done suggest that a carb (any carb) is a surprisingly poor way to atomize and distribute fuel, especially when attempting to keep a tight rein on the fuel mixtures at varying loads, compared to multiport injection. For a large number of reasons.

With that in mind, I haven't seen any need to try an expensive carb. But I'm still curious what would happen if I did. Anyone have experience?

- Erik

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Lots of early Valiants and Barracudas have crossed my path.
Also a handful of other toys for variety now and then.

Check out my site. I've put on a Holley 1920, a Carter YF, and a Holley/Weber 5210 2bbl. All fit on my 1bbl intake with some adjustments. The 5210 was the most impresive.
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/658846

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82 D150 Slant6 Shorty
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/658846