My 1966 Olds 98 LS is currently equipped with a 425 2 barrel. I would like to change to a 4 Barrel carb.

What is a good Intake Carb combo for street use???

 

To be honest, your 98 will never be a drag car. I'd get a factory iron 4bbl intake and Qjet. You'll be very happy.

 

Kinda why I said

There are a few more factors to think about other than just HP. Fuel economy, what is the intake & carbs optimum RPM range, throttle response. How easy is it to locate the part & $$$$.

 

Despite the street/drag car contretemps, Joe's still right: Go for a stock cast iron manifold and Quadrajet combo.

They're cheap, relatively easy to find. Most any BB Olds manifold will fit, they're tuned well for street use, and can be machined and ported if you really want/need to. Major drawback is they're damn heavy.

The carb benefit is that the quadrajet uses those small primaries, so fuel consumption and throttle response is very nice, while the giant secondaries allows for fun romping when you jump on the throttle. Major drawback is many people find them confusing to rebuild. If you've never had one apart, get a book -- they're very tunable, and when put together properly, they generally will stay in tune without having to constantly fiddle with them.

 

I have an Edelbrock Performer and Q-jet on my 71 98. I also have a HV oil pump,deep sump Milodon oil pan, mild cam, double roller timing chain, and adjustable Comp Cam roller tip rockers on my 455. Eventhough I know my car will never be a "fast" car in the 1/4 mile I wanted it to perform as good as it can without going overboard. I am very happy with the engine and its power. It has excellent throttle response and does great on the highway (better than any 11 second Cutlass since it has those 2.73 rear end gears).

The only thing I am considering is replacing the Q jet I built with a new Edelbrock or Summit carb. I have rebuilt multiple Q-jets with varying degrees of sucess. The one on my 71 right now does ok, but I think I might be more happy with a newer carb that is easier to tune and keep in tune. The Q-jets are VERY versatile BUT IMHO they are finicky. If you don't have everything just right you will have a dead spot or poor idle.

 

what about the throttle linkage? i'm going from 2 to 4bbl also but i ran into a throttle linkage issue...the factory linkage rod is too short and won't reach the throttle arm of the Q-jet.I got a throttle cable from pick n pull but it won't fit either.Can a custom throttle rod be made or is there an adjustable one somewhere?

 

There has to be one avail since these cars came in both 2 & 4bbl

 

my 66 parts car is a 4bbl. i can't remember if all the linkage is there or not. if anyone needs it i can look and see if it is all there. just send me a PM. i would sell it for $10 if i have it.

 

You might be able to use a piece of "all thread" to manufacture a new throttle rod. I did this on my 64 98. I heated one end and pounded it flat. Then I drilled a hole so it could go over the stanchion on the throttle linkage.