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.

[IT Cowboy]

How about the Chinese carb clones on Amazon for $165, lol - I do know better than that.

I sprayed some carb cleaner around today and it really didn't surge too badly if little so I dont think I have quite as bad of leak as first thought. I am really thinking it is my points and that the timing is off. I am going to get a different distributor, maybe a Pentronic II kit and as weight kit and see if that makes a difference first. It seems to be running rich and is laggy so I think the timing is wrong.

[Dead Parrot]

I have a 1405 on my mostly stock 75 with 350/TH350. Replaced a Qjet that ran fine but kept leaking out of the front casting plug. This was mid 90s so there wasn't the wealth of "how to fix" that is available now. It has been very dependable since.

Out of the box, they tend to be rich, especially the ones listed for "off road only". Also, you need to check float levels before running. Even on new ones, often out of spec.

Buy the calibration kit. Has most of the parts needed to properly tune.

One advantage of the 14xx series is the easy quick tune you can do if you live in low lands and travel to the high country. Pick a set of rods that give a 2 or 3 step to the lean and swap in part way up. Can be done in about 10 minutes with the carb still on the motor. Better performance and no trail of black smoke.

This all said, the Q-jet is the next gen carb after the AFB(what the 14xx is based on) and has several improvements. IF you can find one properly built and tuned for your application, it is a better carb.

2nd the thought of keeping your old one. They aren't making many new ones and old ones are slowly getting lost to the crusher. I remember picking through barrels of pulled q-jets for parts at a salvage yard in the late 80s. They were in barrels as scrap metal that wasn't iron/steel.

[geezer#99]

What’s your initial timing set at?
At your elevation you should be at 14-16 degrees.

[IT Cowboy]

Originally Posted by geezer#99

What’s your initial timing set at?
At your elevation you should be at 14-16 degrees.

I am set at right around 10 degrees and am at 3500 ft elevation. The truck came from the valley and was at 1000 ft. I am betting it is waaaay off then and that is a lot of my issue. On another note I remember dad talking about dad traveling out west and having to adjust timing. I think they had a place at pikes peak to do it for visitors. I feel kinda duh again and I bet that is what is robbing my power?

[geezer#99]

The plus side of more initial is it will increase your idle. You can then turn your idle back down and your vacuum should increase.

[franken]

I seem to recall that the spreadbore stock intakes can't be used with a squarebore carb...