putting a 4 bbl on my 55. should I go with the original, of buy a new edelbrock?

 

Original 4 barrel carbs on these car have one weakness after aging. Most will leak slightly from the small plugs located within the float bowl but installed from the outside.If you use an original carb ,be sure to clean around each plug and cover them with gas tank repair (2 part kit) available at most part stores.It will insure that they don't leak and make that puddle of gas down in the intake wells and allow for quicker starts after sitting! They are very good carbs ,and I would recommend staying stock. To clean before repair just use vinegar. Easy fix. Larry

 

I would use the original Rochester also. The Edelbrock will have to be altered/modified for the shift kick down and though doable this requires a very precise adjustment to get the car to shift correctly, plus your Batwing air cleaner will no longer fit( if you have one) and would also have to be altered. As usual this swap like most isn't as easy as it sounds at first....Tedd

 

ok, I got a manual trans so linkage will not be a big deal. my air cleaner is a repop, so I don't think that will be too hard. still think I should go with the original? I think it would look a lot better.

 

If you have an original, the least expensive choice is to throw a kit in it. The Edelbrock is not a bad choice either in your case.

 

If the 4 BBL will be new to the vehicle, the 1955 Rochester 4 BBL does not have the auxiliary throttle valve assembly on the secondary side of the carburetor. The 1956 Rochester 4 BBL does, if you prefer to have that feature. Otherwise the two carburetors are nearly identical and will directly interchange. (A throttle return check was also added in 1956 on the Jetaway Hydra-Matic cars to reduce stalling upon sudden throttle closing.) The throttle body bores got larger in 1957.

 

glad I went with the orignal

 

Just curious, which carburetor was original to the 1955 98, a Rochester or a Carter? If either are acceptable, is one better than the other? The previous owners of my car put an Edelbrock on the car and honestly, I am not a fan. I have a Rochester 7007000 in need of repair, but I have access to a Carter that has already been repaired.

Thoughts and opinions please.

 

My best guess was a Rochester since the Carter doesn't appear in the Olds Shop Manual for '55 nor in the Olds parts book. The last parts book entry for Carter 2 and 4 BBL. was 1954. I have a '55 and it's always had a Rochester. They would both probably work well. The Rochester has always worked well for me. I don't have any experience with the Carter on that car. If you'd like to hear from an owner with a Carter, ask Eightbanger; he has a Carter on his 1953 98. I have a 2BBL. Carter on an old Rambler which has always worked well there, but that has little to do with the Olds. The 7007000 is the correct 4BBL. Rochester for the '55 with a Hydramatic. The 7006000 is the correct 4BBL. Rochester for 1954 & 1955 if it's a synchromesh transmission. If originality is not important and you'd prefer to have the auxiliary throttle valves on the secondaries, you can get one from a 1956 Olds. It's a direct bolt on. The bores are the same. They got bigger in 1957. The Carter 4 BBLS. were: 2059S in 1954; 2016S or 2080S in 1953; 932S in 1952. I've been assuming that you were interested mostly in the 4BBLs. You didn't say, but you mentioned 7007000.

 

Mine did exactly that Larry,,,I've had a couple of them out during the rebuild and made sure I drove them all in hard after, we'll see if it worked when she's back together.

I would have to say that the Carter on my 53 is a pretty straight forward and robust carb, the rebuild was easy, the float height is an important part, WCFB has four but real easy to set up, and make sure that the check ball in the bottom of the pump chamber isn't missing or stuck and your good to go...even before the rebuild with all the neglect it had suffered it was still operational.
The stalling round left turns which the Carter suffers from can be corrected with a bushing....apparently the Rochester does this too.