OK I'm gonna have to check it out then. I have gotten mixed info from looking up reviews and old car writeups on the '65 Merc's.
The "Marauder" trim is supposed to have a higher HP engine, and some places say it's a Holley, some say it's a Ford 4100 (which is a Holley Model # infact).
With the 390 engine, it's doubtful it would have come with a Holley. Back in '64/'65, the Holley 4Vs were
only used on the 406, 410 and 427. There were some 390s built with the Holley 2300
2V carburetor.
It doesn't matter if the car was a Marauder or the regular Park Lane, what matters is the engine code.
Unlike the '03-'04s, an early Marauder got the same engine hardware as the full-size Merc it was based on.
As for the Holley and Autolite carbs being related, no. The Autolite 4100 shares nothing with the Holley
4150/4160. Ford first used the 4100 carb design in 1957. That same year Holley introduced the 4150,
which was used on the '57 Thunderbird. But the two carbs are as different as a small-block Ford is
from a small-block Chevy.
A lot of 4100s got pitched in favor of the Holley 4150, IMO, only 'cause that's what the Chebby guys were
doing. Lotta grease-monkey-see, grease-monkey-do back then, as now. And, of course the magazines
were pushing 'em, 'cause, well, that's what magazines are in business to do. Perhaps if the Chebby guys had
decent factory carburetors, things might have been different.
The Autolite 4100 is a simple design that belies how good it was. Way back in '57, Ford was the first to use
annular-discharge boosters, and patented the idea. Annular boosters provide much better fuel atomization,
and a much better metering signal than the conventional boosters used in Holleys and the like. The annular-
discharge boosters provide much better driveability and economy. They're also much more tolerant of an
agressive camshaft profile. Holley uses annular boosters on their "Dominator" series carbs, but the only
Holley 41xx carb to ever use them was the 4180 that Ford used on the '83-'85 5.0 HOs
Holley did sell a 4010 model for a few years, beginning in the late '80s, IIRC. The 4010 was an updated
Autolite 4100. Holley acquired the rights from Ford, when Ford got out of the carburetor business.
The 4010 never really caught on, though, and it's been discontinued.
Unless you really need a carb larger than 600 CFM, I think the Autolite would be the best choice for
your '65. Companies like Pony Carburetors can sell you a complete correct Autolite 4100 restored to
concours or driver standards. Or you can go the used route and rebuild it yourself. Look for one with a
"C5AF-xx" tag number, and a "1.12" cast into the driver's side of the fuel bowl. If the tag is missing,
look for the number stamped into the side of the front driver-side foot.
If buying used, make sure the throttle shafts move freely. The 4100s didn't have much problem with worn
throttle bores, but if they sit out in the weather for much time at all, the throttle shafts will bind up.
I would also shy away from any carb that looks like it's been subjected to a rebuilder's sand-blast cabinet.
