Throwback Thursday: Buying A Used Holley Four-Barrel Carburetor

Can you believe the end of another week is staring us straight in the face? Friday is almost here. It’s true when they say time flies when you’re having fun. Now that Thursday has hit us and the end of the week announcing its arrival, it’s time for another Throwback Thursday.

This week, we are taking a trip back to February 2017 to check out, What To Look For When Buying A Used Holley Carburetor. In this edition, we help you guys while you’re scouring swap meets and foraging through boxes of fuel parts looking for that perfect Holley four-barrel carburetor for your application. For starters, you first need to know how big a unit you’ll need. That information flows at the speed of light over the internet, and those who need a link of motivation, Holley even has a carburetor selector guide on its website.

Holley four-barrel

Every Holley four-barrel carburetor has a list number. If the carburetor doesn’t have a choke assembly, the list number will be clearly stamped on the side of the body.

When looking at a swap meet carburetor, knowing what model you have in your hand is the first step, and that’s why it’s good to look at some foundational differences between each of these three series’ of carburetors that make up the lion’s share of sales for Holley.

Holley four-barrel

For carburetors with a choke assembly, the list number is the top number on the choke housing. The carburetor may or may not have the word “list” or an “L” before the number.

In the original article, you’ll get an education about the difference between a 4150 and a 4160 Holley four-barrel carburetor. Spoiler alert: the 4160 is not 10 cfm larger. The article even gets into the Dominator-series, so you race guys can even learn a thing or two.

holley four barrel

Evidence of corrosion and buildup on the bowl side of this block indicates that it likely has the same amount of crud inside the passageways within the block. Be sure to clean everything! The jets have been removed, but also note the omission of a power valve (the big circle just above the jet holes.

If you think the guide is all about “old” carburetors, you’ll be surprised to learn that other Holley carbs, like the Street Avenger are even covered. The article is so informative, in fact, we even reached out to the folks at Holley to learn what issues the guys there have seen with used carburetors that are sent back for rebuilding.

There’s a lot more to this incredible story, and that definitely makes it worthy of a second look. For that reason, I selected What To Look For When Buying A Used Holley Carburetor as this week’s Throwback Thursday showcase article.

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About the author

Randy Bolig

Randy Bolig has been working on cars and has been involved in the hobby ever since he bought his first car when he was only 14 years old. His passion for performance got him noticed by many locals, and he began helping them modify their vehicles.
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