So, not a box but 460 carb question

[p71towny]

So my 88 f250 has a 460 converted to carb. It has a “rebuilt” edelbrock 1407 on it but does not want to start well even with the manual choke. It runs decent when warm but still seems to be starved of fuel. It has one of those Holley inline fuel pumps on it. I’ve never had a 460 before but run the 1406 carbs on other shit just fine. It had an old early 60s Holley carb off a grain truck on it before. Should I just put that back on or does the edelbrock need different metering rods in it?

[Arquemann]

Usually tuning a carb is a pretty smart idea to get things runnning better...
A 460 is gonna be thirsty, try turning the idle screws maybe a quarter out and check how it starts.

If the Holley ran fine, I'd put it back unless you've hopped up the 460.

[Tiggie]

Very limited experience here, as I have "piddled" with exactly one of these. I definitely won't say I tuned it but I did experiment just to mess with it.

One thing it did is under very lean jet/rod setups was not idle or run, regardless of mixture screws.

What rods and jets is it running?

[p71towny]

See I dunno as it was “rebuilt” already. I think I’m gonna buy a kit with different rods and shit to compare. Idle screws have yielded me no improvement.

[friskyfrankie]

A complete teardown and possible rebuild is surely in order. I'd especially be looking at the fuel bowl and float to see what is actually getting in. Check for debris and the overall "clean look" a carb should have and the movement of the float.

[DerekTheGreat]

I echo what others have said about tearing it down and verifying what jets and such are in it. I have no experience with Ecklebrock carbs, but the 600 CFM Holley on my 318 ran much, much better when I bought the Holley book, read it, bought the jet & power valve kit and tinkered with it. Turns out the thing was starving for fuel no matter where it was running and the accelerator pump/nozzles needed a significant adjustment, as it always stumbled when I stepped on the throttle. Car ran like a gazelle after that, didn't use a choke.

[gadget73]

The metering rods won't have anything to do with starting. They only pull out of the holes when the secondary opens. Make sure the idle stuff is right and the throttle blade is basically in the right spot. Too far open and the idle screws won't work right. Choke also needs to be set right, too far closed and it will just drown, not closed enough and it won't be happy. Accel pump also needs to function or pumping the pedal isn't going to do anything useful.

verify the timing too, if its too far out of whack no amount of dicking with the carb is going to make it start easy.