Rebuild the Quadrajunk or replace

[my67c20]

Well after getting 6 miles per gallon for way too long and constantly smelling gas i have decided to attack the carb. My question is should i rebuild the quad or replace? If i replace i would also like to do the intake as well. Reduce a bit of weight and pick up a few tenth of a mile. Second question is were can i get a good but yet low cost <$500 carb and manifold bolt on kit? Thanks in advance for any suggestions. Oh by the way i have a 350.

[mikep]

You'll hear a lot on the subject from the quadrajet advocates, the carter advocates ( call it an edelbrock if you like ) , and the holley guys. Ive used all of them . Quads work great as long as the throttle bushings are good. cheap rebuilds ($200 or so) dont usually rebush the throttle shaft bores so while you get a clean carb with new gaskets it wont last long and $400 is too much to pay for any stocker carb if you want a quality new or rebuilt quad. Edelbrocks and carters are good out of the box but arent the best on mileage in my experience and suck on hills . Ive only owned 15 of them or so. Ive had good ones and bad ones. My personal favorite carburetor for an otherwise close to stock engine with a mild or stock cam and headers or dual exhaust is the vacuum secondary holley 4175. Its a spreadbore configuration carb that bolts right up to the cast iron intake and quad fuel line and they run great right out of the box. Summit sells them around $300 and scoggins dickey chevrolet sells them closer to $275. I think its the best kept secret holley sells. They are as tunable as any holley if you feel like messing with it or they run well as is if you dont .
As far as the intake goes For an otherwise stock engine with a cam stock or no bigger than an edelbrock performer I'd say you wont pick up anything by switching manifolds so save the money. I run a cast iron intake and have gobs of low end power and I dont run out of steam until 90 or so which is as fast as I'd like to take that pig.

[Fast68Chevy]

if the carb is complete and unrepairably undamaged, and you decide on not rebuilding it and have no use for it then lemme know the numbers code off it and how much for it.
if numbers code start with 7 and not 17 then i want it

thanks

[Bulldog]

For years I bought and rebuilt Q jets. The best thing I ever did was installed a Eldebrock 600cfm Afb type on my 406 sbc. No problems put it on a go fast. Best $$ spent.

[Rod]

My burbs smelling of gas lots now too, I'll be watching this post for suggestions also.

[johnnyp]

my67c20, if you want to keep your original, you might want to check out this place. I'm keeping my "number matched' qjet, so I was looking for a quality "restore" (not just rebuild) and ran across this place. Here's what they sent in response to my email. It's been a few months, so the price may be a little different.

Dear Johnny Patterson;

Thanks for your inquiry to our Carbsonly website, about a "matching numbers" Rochester Model 4MV for the '72 GMC 1/2 Ton with the 350 engine that you are restoring.

To people who already have the correct "matching numbers" core in rebuildable condition, our advice is always the same. Rebuild the one you've got, because you already know it is right, and the cost would be considerably less.

Our process with your type carburetor involves careful cleaning, to maintain the original integrity, replating all screws and levers, and re-bushing the throttle shafts, in addition to checking all the internal parts and careful re-assembly with top quality components. This is excellent quality work. Generally carburetor bodies are not recolored, because they come out looking very "original;" however, recoloring is also
available.

For this restoration, send the original carburetor to us at BFIC /
Carbsonly, 1617 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, CA 91506 USA. Turnaround time is running about 10 work days. Your cost: $155.95. (Add $50.00 if body is to be recolored.) There's no added charge for return shipping to you in
Lincoln, NB via UPS Ground.

To order, or for more information, call us Toll-Free @ 877-333-3130. Our Customer Service Center, Showroom and Repair Shop are open Mon-Fri 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Pacific Standard Time. We accept all Major Credit Cards, money orders and checks drawn on US banks. It will be a pleasure to serve you.

Carlos Vasquez & Ken Coleman
BFIC Incorporated
www.carbsonly.com

[my67c20]

ttt

[vfrdude]

Not sure why a lot of people refer to quadrajet as junk. Most times, these are original carburators on 30 year old cars/trucks with hundreds of thousands of hard miles, and they expect the carb to function perfectly. With time, any carb is going to wear out.

There's a lot to be said about a carb that was specifically designed and set up by GM to work with your truck. It's hard to beat a quadrajet in good working condition as far as a mix between performance and mileage.

I've used Carter and Holley and have also had good results. I rebuilt the original on my truck, and it works great!. These carbs are very easy to rebuild.

[Southpa]

Thats basically the same advice I got from quite a few carb rebuilders/mechanics, your best alternative is to rebush/rebuild the original. You know it works.

[darrel_s]

Looking to do the same for my 71 Qjet. Anybody know of a reputable rebush/rebuild shop in the southeast? Makes me nervous just sending my original to an unknown Internet site.

[mark25]

i installed a new Edelbrock 600 Performer (#1406) and a new Performer intake (#2101) a couple of months ago when i put a new GM Goodwrench 350 in my '84 C-10. like one of the other replies said, not the best for mileage, even if you lean out the mixture a little. saying this i am going back to my stock cast iron intake and just have my Q-jet rebuilt. if someone is interested, and everything goes right next week, the Edelbrock carb and intake w/ carb. tuning kit will be for sale. has about 3500 miles since installed. $250 plus shipping for carb, intake, and tuning kit takes all!!!! let me know if interested, send e-mail to 2884ftst@kanza.net

[smitty62]

If you are really ? getting 6 mpg, you need to look elsewhere. Quadrajets are the best carb for our trucks--bar none.

[my67c20]

It is kinda funny several years ago a fellow employee who was a distinct Mopar man always refereed to the carb as a quadrajunk and unfortuantly that name stuck. Personally a carb is a carb if it is dialed in properly it all works the same. However i do thank all people who answered and i thank all the people who have answered my previous posts. There is an unbelievable amount of knowledge that goes beyond expected levels. I would however like to make a plug for another user group that i found. it is http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/ same as here more geared towards the 4x4 and other makes. With the combination of the 2 boards i was able to track down a clean set of 4.11 gears to replace my 5.13 and all it cost me is UPS charge. And yes i to get very excited when i hear that low diesel rumble rolling up. Again thanks to all. Keep up the support.

[palallin]

My father-in-law is really reactive about downing Q-jets: Rottenchester Quadrajunk Carbonators.

Me, I like 'em.

[Chevyman69]

A person like that shouldn't even be counted, their knowledge of carbs is as about as good as there english. Rebuild the Qjet, set it up and you will be happy. Better mileage and more flow than a 1406, why would you even bother. Because Carters run pretty well out of the box and most people now days find it inconveinient to work on tuning anything( the I wanted it 5 minutes ago society). If you get a good rebuilt quadrajet you will be much happier in the long run.