PRI 2017: Custom-Built Carbs Deliver Driveable Power

AED Performance custom builds carburetors for individual engines to deliver maximum performance and driveability.

Feeding a 440-cube, 1,000-horsepower LS7 with 20 pounds of twin-turbo boost requires the right kind of carburetor. It needs the right flow characteristics not just make power, but to run smoothly. Something off the shelf might not do the trick, which is why AED Performance builds completely custom carbs.

When you have a build of this caliber a $300 carburetor is not going to be what you need. — Jeff Harris, AED Performance

“When you pull a stock carburetor out of the box and nothing about the rest of the engine is stock, so why would you stick with a stock carb,” Jeff Harris of AED Performance, explained. “When you have a build of this caliber a $300 carburetor is not going to be what you need. The rest of your hot rod is built to your specs, so your carburetor should be too. Everybody runs out of money by the time they get to the top and that can be a problem.”

To ensure these carburetors can meet the needs of each unique engine, AED collects all the details about and engine to formulate the design of the carb.

“We get all the specs from the individual customer. I want you to tell me everything about or as much as you know and we will take it from there,” Jeff said. “We get all the engine specs and set it up for each application. You could have the same engine used in two different vehicles with two different styles and the carburetor will be totally different.”

With all the necessary information, AED will then construct a carburetor geared toward the engine. This isn’t done by just mixing and matching existing parts.

“The venturi and the metering blocks are CNC ported and built specifically for that application. The metering blocks are all billet with a billet base plate and machined throttle shafts,” Jeff said. “When we say custom it is exactly that. It’s not custom because it’s black, it’s custom because it’s built specifically for that engine. Everything is sized appropriately based, not only on the engine itself, but the fuel type and the elevation where it is run, so when we say custom it is exactly that.”

“Everything is completely adjustable, so it will be easy to tune as well, but if you do have an issue, I can walk you through it,” Jeff Harris said of AED’s custom carburetors.

All that attention to detail is said to not just deliver big performance, but the kind of performance that is fun to drive.

“For something like this, we can make big power, but our claim to fame is driveability,” Jeff added. “It’s easy to make something fast, but making it driveable is the hard part, and we are at the top of the heap for that as far as I am concerned.”

For more on AED Performance’s custom-built carbs, you can visit the company’s official site here.

About the author

Steve Turner

Steve Turner brings decades of passion and knowledge in the world of Ford performance, having covered it for over 20 years. From the swan song of the Fox Mustang to the birth of the Coyote, Steve had a front-row seat.
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