John D

my 79 350 came with a single plane Torker (mt-1) manifold and an older AFB without a choke. The Torker was likely used for hood clearance purposes. After rebuilding and tweaking it the AFB worked okay but still not great at normal loafing speeds. Great above 2500 RPM but the car rarely sees that. Engine has a Mallory HEI Style distributor, I don't know much about internals but it does have .010 over TRW pistons (seen from below) and .010 under main bearings (seen during rear seal change). After some research I pulled the trigger on a new Performer EPS manifold, which really woke the car up at lower RPM. it's~3/8" taller but I was able to get enough clearance by tweaking the air cleaner. I was able to virtually eliminate soot deposits around the exhaust pipes with a little more tuning. I was tired of no choke, and the AFB had some wear, so when I found a deal on a Holley 4150 series carb I grabbed it. I haven't spent much time dialing it in but it drives pretty great right out of the box (only a couple short test drives so far). I suspect a new Edelbrock would too, but I always wanted to try a Holley. Thought about EFI but that's $2k+ vs $350 for the new 4150. Plus O2 sensors and hp fuel pump installation etc. Hope this helps.

I have a brand new center steer power rack of unknown fitment but it could work well for such a modification. I'd let it go real cheap...contact me for details my 79 has r&p already but it's part of the c4 vette clip that was spliced onto the original frame.

since rear Avanti brakes are so similar to the e series rear truck brakes, I'm wondering if those 13/16 Mustang cylinders might be useful on the trucks. iirc the truck rear cylinders are 7/8" and are also becoming unobtanium. Being slightly undersized in back would probably work great on an empty 1/2 ton truck. I adapted easy-to-find 1" truck front cylinders to my 4E7 rears but am running 12" Turner discs up front and a Turner dual mc setup with a proportioning valve, so I can get away with the larger size.

probably Recaro seats but a photo would help. My 79 front seats could use a re-cover but they are also missing headrests and associated hardware. (Insert locations have been upholstered over.)

Hmm, The change in engine tone would indicate the booster is using vacuum, I wonder why this wouldn't occur sooner in the stroke... did you leave the existing booster in place? btw brake booster exchange is in Lynnwood, in case you decide to go down that rabbit hole. They turned my 79 booster around in a couple days. Also it's probably different but I have a working booster from a 63 Cruiser on the shelf.

I thought about inquiring on the overlays too, but my AC panel and shifter panel are different, and doing the instrument panel would be a real chore. I'll be glad to be rid of my plastic GMC wheel though!

I've seen discussions on air dams.. here is a photo of mine. It was this way when I bought it, today I repaired and installed the grill. The openings at each end are ducted to dual 4" air filter snorkels. Clean work under hood too. Veronica runs pretty cool, 1979 rqb2978, 350 700R4. I think the dam helps. Flex fan and standard shroud. We're driving to Kamloops tomorrow. Yes, the round headlights aren't quite right, but they are round. C4 front suspension btw.

lol those dimple washers are the same ones used in the windshield frame of my '41 President. And my '59 truck.