Quadrajet carb replacement

And that is coming from a FORD guy! WTG tbird!

 

I've had one Chevy in the past with a quadrajet on a 350. 76 C10.

 

I have the 750cfm or bigger Quad on the 500 cid Cadillac that throws the Pacer around.. its only problem is it runs out of gas at 85 in 2nd gear falls on it face then if I let up ,, it recovers and ready to tromp again.?
I have addressed this many times for 3 years, online, inperson, added larger lines,, changed fuel pump twice,, increased size of needle seats to 1.55... still the same .. so all my playing around has to be done up to 70 mph under a heavy load. But carb runs great,, idles good, strong through gears,, 2nds come in then POP! wip lash! Could go to Holley to have a front and rear fuel bowl ( overcome gas drop) but maybe not the power range.? Love the performance end of the Quad.

 

I got a new edelbrock 1406 for $325, ditched the quadrajet, and now my wagon runs real nice. For $325 I just couldn't rationalize spending any more time and money screwing with the quadrajet.:banghead3:

 

you know, my 2 quadrajet 455s are perfect, except the wagon has a bad cold start problem that can not be fixed. The 88 had the wrong carb on it when I got it and it did not run right at all after overhaul, so it was swapped for a freshly overhauled quadrajet out of a 72 Pontiac.

All quadrajets are not the same. Anyone know how many different quadrajet applications / variations existed? I think 1000s. Also, my wagon and Toronado 455 are different engine codes, same year 455.

Finally put an Edelbrock 600 on the 88 350 and it is awesome. Feels like a 400. Actually squealed the tires last night

Oh, losing the cat helped the 88 as well. Very pleased.

Quadrajet in the wagon? Not so pleased. But once it is warmed up it is perfect.

 

I've got an Edelbrock on my 350 Malibu and it is one of the most responsive carbs I have ever had. My wife had the same thing on a '74 Dart Sport with a 318 and it was the same. Only problem, and it is minor, is when cold, the choke pull off does not open the choke plate far enough and it floods a little for a minute or so. I can probably adjust it. Haven't even looked at it yet. Of course, these are square base carbs.

 

the 650 CFM vacuum secondary spreadbore Holley replacement carb is a poor example, even for a Holley, IMHO. They were known for notorious rich running issues. The Edelbrock is a fantastic driveability carb, MUCH improved over the Holley and ALOT easier to tune. With that said, I STILL feel that for an everyday driver, or even street/strip application, the Quadrajet is still the better overall carb...like was said, setup is the biggest thing. There are a few guys out ther who are extremely good at setting up a Qjet....one call and some $$ and a guy can have a quadrajet up and running in better tune and streetability than most any Holley out there.

 

Bingo!

OTOH, my thermostatic choke is still giving me fits. I've got the spring tension and pull off angle set up and it still opens way too soon. :banghead3:
Once its warmed up, its a snarling beast.

 

Actually, I am still a fan of the primitive hand choke. Pretty foolproof. I might convert my AFB to manual choke if I can't get the pull off adjusted a little better. As far as Q-Jets, they perform great when set up right, as has been pointed out. However, the AFB is such a simple, easy to tune carb, I prefer it. I rebuilt an old Rochester 2 V years ago and was amazed at all the parts inside. I assume a QJ is the same, only more. Not a lot to go wrong with an AFB or AVS.

 

And you just can't recreate that sound
I have the q-jet on my 87, when you nail it and it downshifts it makes it seem like you have some power and not 2.14 gears.

I have rebuilt a ccc q-jet, and have tuned another. Not that bad. Time consuming yes, but not difficult at all. Their biggest issues are the well plugs and the throttle shafts wearing. Get some epoxy and seal the well plugs and rebush the throttle shafts and away we go.
I have a 77 poncho 350 q-jet that I'll be building for my 403. Opening those secondaries is like a kick in the ass as it throws you into the seat. And once again the sound it worth it alone. I've woken my friend up (my neighbor) as i turn onto the street and nail it, just from the sound of the q-jet.

 

Is this an electric choke?

 

No, its a thermostatic coil.
I'm starting to think its not the correct spring. I bought the carb used and rebuilt it. The typical 2 notches rich setting is not working. I've adjusted it way past the index marks now. Its getting better, but still not right yet.
Choke pull off is adjusted to 1/4".

 

I know what you have. It has a hot air pickup coming off the exhaust manifold. You might convert it to a full electric choke and disconnect the heat tube. I have the electric one on my Malibu (AFB). It is not set quite right, but I think with a little tweaking it will be fine.

 

Speaking of electric chokes. Mine's electric and it's fully open in less than two minutes. No harm as the little six tolerates it well. I don't think that timing is adjustable unless there are other bi-metal springs that can be purchased.

 

Older Mopars had a thermostat that controlled the electric choke. It looked like a small ballast resistor. It let the choke start heating when the underhood temp got about 65 degrees. Until then, all you had was the vacuum pull-off. This controller could be used on any electric choke system.