new carb?

[ronm69c10]

Time to dump the quadrajet. I have a1969 chevy with a rebuilt stock 454 with header's.Any suggestion's? Thank's Ron

[toiletbowl54]

Edelbrock makes a good carb. Easy to tune. With a big block I would think a 750 cfm would work. I have a 600 cfm sitting on top of a 350 and have had no problems. I suggest one with an electric choke. You may have to change intake manifolds, I would check that out before buying a new carb.

[Doug's68SS]

Why dump the quadrajet, they are really good carbs when they are setup correctly. I have a BBC with one on it.

[68is4me]

I love my Quad on my BBC. They can be tricky to set up, but once you get them figured they run really good.

I have also heard a lot of good things about the quick fuels, but have no personal experience with them.

[gvnick]

+1 for the Quadrajet. If you dont mind spending a few bucks, call Sean at SMI. He's one of the best with quadrajets and will sell you an updated carb dialed in perfectly.

[joeydurango]

Another vote to keep the Quadrajet. Lars Grimsrud is another excellent QJ rebuilder, highly recommend.

[Greasey Harley]

I would think twice about ditching the Q-Jet, but that's just me.
If I did move away from a Q-jet, I would replace it with fuel injection
.
"The Q-Jet is a very capable but often misunderstood carb." -Cliff Ruggles

"90% of all carb problems are ignition problems." -Lars Grimsurd

"we're all pullin' for ya'" -Red Green

[harpo231]

Originally Posted by Doug's68SS

Why dump the quadrajet, they are really good carbs when they are setup correctly. I have a BBC with one on it.

Amen to that, best sound ever is that spreadbore kickin in !!

[demian5]

Originally Posted by Doug's68SS

Why dump the quadrajet, they are really good carbs when they are setup correctly. I have a BBC with one on it.

I agree here. And what I am finding with edelbrock, unless you want something hokey, you are gonna have to pony up some $$ for a throttle return spring and bracket that doesn't look like a hack job.

[Steeveedee]

What issues are you experiencing with the QJ?

[68Stepbed]

I personally never mess with anything but Holley carbs. I've never had a QJ that did anything better than making an interesting splash in a pond. Come to think of it, same with Edelbrock carbs! LOL

I wouldn't go any bigger than a 650 on a stock Big Block. The above mentioned EFI swap is also a good idea.

[RedRider]

If you go with Edelbrock, there's a great rebuild kit (cheap too) on Amazon that's worked great for me.

[Coley]

Carbs are 'old' technology and need to be handled with reasonable skill and patience to ensure they run right.
If you apply that to the Quadrajet, you will get results.

Over 1/2 of the guys that I run across who have carb problems are 'shade tree lazy' and only willing to use a flat blade screwdriver to adjust the idle mixture screws and then the fast idle....thats it...that is their effort 'fence and property line'....lol. After that effort, they are done....and simply want to buy a new carb.
Its worth it to remove the carb off the truck for an hour or two, put it on a well lit bench, seriously clean it with carb cleaner and compressed air, remove the top (easy) set the float, the set the choke linkage and make sure everything is there and connected.....so they end up 'chucking' it and simply 'Visa card' their way along through the problem....fair enough I guess and fairly common today.
(removing the carb takes about 15 mins....maybe 20 if you aren't really quick. Re-installation takes about 20 mins maybe 25 if you do a few checks and tightens, etc)

As a result tho'....they get what they get, usually a Visa bill....lol.

A quadrajet is worth the effort but it (or any carb?) is not for people unwilling to investigate it a bit to find out why it isn't running well.

It might be a tosser if its throttle shafts are worn out, or its air horn is warped, etc....but its worth investigating what is holding it back. You never know, it might be that little tiny, tiny, clip in the float bowl disconnected from the float pivot.....ask me how I know, lol.
Or it could be that somehow loosened off the vacuum relative spring mechanism on the secondaries....meaning 'constant Bog at every light'...or tightened it up too much....meaning 'no secondaries...ever'.

my two bits.....and a happy quadrajet customer.
Coley

[Steeveedee]

If you take a look at Cliff Ruggles' book on Q-Jets, he shows you how to make it perform as new. I do my own carburetor work, but had the throttle shaft bushings done at a carburetor shop. This is the only carburetor in the family, so I couldn't see springing for the tools for a one-time usage.