Classic/Antique Car Repair: Holley 885 Carburetor, s max, holley


Question
The car is a 1953 Mercury flathead with a Holley 885 carb. The engine was just tuned with new plugs and points. It still idled a little rough so I adjusted the two needles at the rear of the carb and got it to run smoother. It acted up again and I really messed those needle settings up. The engine now only runs at half throttle. Where do I start in order to get the two needle adjustments back to full RPM.  Thanks.

Answer
The base setting for the idle mixture needles is to lightly seat them and then back them out 1 1/2 turns. The engine should idle. Then turn the needles out one at a time until the engine looses speed. Now turn them in slowly until the engine reaches it's max idle and then just looses speed. The back them out till the engine reaches its max idle speed and runs smooth. Ear and touch is the key. A tachometer car help here as the change in speed is as low as 50 rpm.
Brad