All things being equal, I prefer the Carter 400 cfm to anything else on
a 215. On the other hand, the Carter is such an accommodating piece of
hardware, I have run a 500 cfm for the last 30,000 miles on another 215.
Both cars have a mild street cam, uprated ignition, V8 MGB headers (very
restrictive, but they fit). The biggest difference is that the 400 seems
to get slightly better gas mileage. Overall performance is not noticably
different in street use. If you go in for some hard driving, the 400
seems better.
If you find a rebuildable 400 under $200.00, go for it. Rebuild kits are
around $30.00 or less. Otherwise, buy a new 500 with Chevy linkage & the
electric choke, under $250.00 at the mail order places. Don't skimp & go
the manual choke route, it's a pain to route the cable, it eventually
stops holding in an on position, & once set, the electric choke never
needs fooling with.
Carters run out of the box, Holley needs a metering plate, fooling
around with springs & such, more hassel than I am willing to put up
with for a street machine.
Jim Stuart
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