I have a 1966 Chev Impala, 327ci, with a Carter 4bbl carb. I believe the carb needs to be overhauled or replaced since the car idles very rough when hot, starts hard when hot, and I can smell gas after the engine has been off for awhile.
In addition, after the car has not been driven a few days, I need to push the pedal many times to get the car to start.
I was told that this Carter is not the orignal carb
for this car and that the Carter was not a very good carb to begin with.
As such, I am considering replacing the Carter carb instead of overhauling it.
Can anyone recommend a well performing replacement carb at a reasonable price? I do not need "high performance", I just want the car to run well.

Thanks!  

The Edelbrock carb which is the same as Weber and Carter AFB. is the best all around value. It's a middle of the line performer, rarely needs to be messed with,is foolproof, and is affordable. Sounds like your needle and seat are leaking. Gas leaking past will flood the idle mixture as well as flood the intake, making it hard to re-start and deplete the fuel prime after it sits a few days. If the carb is the correct CFM, throttle shafts not wore, then I would rebuild.Good kit for around $50.00 through Edelbrock. 1966 had a Holley.  

Thank you very much for the info JW454. I had heard good things about Edelbrock and will check that out.

Is there a specific Edelbrock carb (model # / name, etc.) that you recommend ?  

350-1405 is 600cfm.Manual choke, performance callibrated. $250.00. 350-1400, is the same model but with electric choke and fuel economy calibrated. $290.00. Both carbs can be calibrated the same as each other, so it really depends on if you need electric choke.  

Thanks again JW!

Two questions please -
1. My current Carter carb has a "automatic" choke, not electric or manual. I do not want a manual choke.
Is there a similar Edelbrock carb that has a automatic choke ? I suppose I could convert to electric but thought I would ask this anyway.

2. By "fuel economy" calibrated, does this mean that the car might feel sluggish off the line ? Again, I don't want "drag race" type performance but at the same time, I would like some horsepower.
Can the calibration be easily changed ?

Please note that I have a friend that will guide me through the installation. I am just doing some preliminary research here.

Thanks again !  

Since the current carb will be almost the same as the new one, you should be able to get the manual choke version, delete the manual linkage, and hook up to your existing linkage. The car will probably come out of the hole and pull through the mid range better with the economy calibration. When you get the new carb, it is supplied with a owners manual, it will take you step by step through the tuning procedures. And yes, the calibrations are easily made, if need be.  JW.  

Hi JW, thanks again for all your time and answers. I will probably go with the Edelbrock carb - Manual Choke as you recommended.

I forgot to ask this odd question before.....
My Impala has oil on top of the intake manifold on both sides near the base of the carb. I don't think the leak is coming from the manifold or valve cover gaskets. The manifold mounting bolts are very close to where the oil is. My friend suggested that the oil might be seaping through those bolts / openings, is that possible ? We checked the torque on the bolts and that seemed to be okay.
If the bolts are leaking, can that also cause air to get sucked into the engine where it does not belong and make the car run rough at times ?
If you think the bolts and openings are leaking, how can that be fixed ?

Thanks !!  

Your friend is right. The intake manifold bolts should have some type of thread sealant because they pass through the head casting into the rocker area. No, I do not think that this would make it run rough at times. Even without thread sealant, oil should be minimal if your PCV system is working properly. If you run a PCV valve, make shure the opposite valve cover is vented (breather cap or hose to air filter). Without the other cover being vented, the PCV valve is useless and you can expect oil leaking from other places in the future if this condition persist's. When you say the car runs rough at times, is it burning oil out the exhaust? If so, pull the pcv hose at the carb. and see if it has oil in it. If so, do your valve covers have baffles?  JW.