What carb to replace my Quadrajet

[IT Cowboy]

My Quadrajet needs to be rebuilt and my mechanic says $480 for removal and rebuild so I am just thinking about replacing it with an Edlebrock. Supposedly they come almost all adjusted and are easy to tune. So which one should I go with Someone on another site suggested the AVS 19069 as a newer better option than the 1406

[Willshook]

The average mechanic can't reliably overhaul a Q-Jet. I know people will take exception to that, but I have yet to see an "overhaul" come out of a regular (non-classic or hot rod specialty) shop that wasn't FUBARd.

That said, not all that hard to do with parts and guidance (plus patience) from Cliff Ruggles Performance.

Edelbrock carbs require less tuning in a stock application, which is good because they are less tunable

https://www.holley.com/products/fuel...parts/0-80555S

Specific Q-Jet replacement, including being spread-bore which works exceptionally well on our trucks since we cruise on the smaller primaries but can get some CFM if we need it from the huge secondaries. Extremely tunable like all Holley carbs but often requires some time to dial it in on initial installation for peak performance, drivability and economy.

Just remember that if you buy a square-bore carb you'll need an adapter.

[geezer#99]

I’d get one of these before I had a mechanic touch mine.


https://quadrajetpower.com/chevrolet...rajet-7042206/

They’ll even rebuild yours if you want.

[ron350]

If you have the erg to replace the Q-jet just bang your head against the wall till that erg goes away.

The Q-jet is one of the best carburetors ever made.

If you can use hand tools and can take pictures any one can rebuild a Q-jet with this book.

https://www.amazon.com/Rochester-Car.../dp/0895863014

I still have my copy from 1974.

[LS short box]

Over on corvetteforum.com the is a member that's called "Lars". He is the go to guy for rebuilding QJ's. He gets great reviews.

[IT Cowboy]

I am trying to figure out if rebuilt is worth it for the same or less than a new one

[Willshook]

Originally Posted by LS short box

Over on corvetteforum.com the is a member that's called "Lars". He is the go to guy for rebuilding QJ's. He gets great reviews.

I sadly don't think Lars is still taking on that work, other than on an exception basis - good callout and worth checking, though.

[cadillac_al]

Whatever you decide just hang on to your old carb. You may want to go back to it sometime. do you know if it is even the original carb for your vehicle? You might want to check the numbers on it t find out. I have some seriously worn out Qjets that still run perfectly fine. I don't know what people do when they overhaul them other than clean them and put new bushings in them. I have some with very loose throttle shafts that still run very good. If your truck was in my garage I would have your Qjet working nice in an hour or so. Sometimes a bad float or plain old dirt and gum will cause some problems but other than that they rarely have problems.

Oh, by the way, did you ever change your points? A lot of carbs get rebuilt unnecessarily because of bad points.

[Willshook]

Originally Posted by IT Cowboy

I am trying to figure out if rebuilt is worth it for the same or less than a new one

If you're happy with the Q-jet then keep it and either rebuild it yourself or send it to one of the very, very few places that can do a quality overhaul noted on the thread. It is a great carb for stock or near-stock engines.

Whatever you do, DO NOT buy a "rebuilt" one from a parts store - it will be absolute garbage.

The only reason to swap to a Holley is if you really want to tune the engine, if it's making over about 1 HP per cube, or if you're doing a lot of upgrades. At that point the tunability of the Holley really makes a difference.