Nuts and Bolts with Buffalo Jim

Dear Buffalo Jim,

I own a 1972 Chevelle SS with a 350 V8 engine and a stock two-barrel carburetor. I recently added bigger exhaust pipes and now I want to step up to a big, four-barrel carb. What brand do you recommend? Is it possible to buy too much carb for a car? How do you know the right size carburetor for a given vehicle? Also, do I want a carburetor with a vacuum or mechanical secondary? Thank you.

--Dean Walters

I'll tell you, bro, the '70s were tough years for the Chevelle and for Chevy performance in general. Due to increasingly restrictive mileage and emissions requirements, the monster engines of the late '60s had to be detuned, and by 1972 the stock Chevy 350 was only putting out 170 horsepower. Compared with the 325-horse powerplant of 1969, the 1972 Chevelle SS was a real drag.

But diehard Chevy fans knew that there was still potential tucked beneath the Chevelle's thin exhaust and flimsy, two-barrel carburetor. You've taken the first step by widening your pipes, but now's the time to let the beast out of its cage. Based on my experience, I think you'd do fine with a 650-cfm Carter four-barrel mated to a high-rise Edelbrock manifold. Anything bigger would be overkill. And while you're at it, you also need to throw in a Crane cam and a matching set of Crane hydraulic lifters. This may sound like a lot of work, but since you're taking off the intake manifold anyway, you might as well get all the work out of the way at once. Don't worry; the engine doesn't have to come out of the car. You just need to pull off the radiator and the front timing cover. Also, make sure to have your mechanic swap out your timing gear and chain while he's in there. A good mechanic should be able to do the whole job in about eight hours, which will run you about $450 in labor. In my mind, it's a small price to pay to drop two seconds off your quarter-mile. See you at the Speedway.

Buffalo Jim is the owner of Allstate Auto Marine. His first car was a 1957 Chevy Bel Air convertible, which he bought for $125. Years later, he traded for a '68 Chevy Camaro powered by a 427 with two four-barrel carbs on a super high-rise manifold. The engine alone cost $12,000. E-mail him your car questions at buffalojim@lasvegasmercury.com.