I have a 1970 455 with the matching Quadrajet. I am having some problems and my question is.....Is there an aftermarket carb that works better than the stock Q-Jet? If so what intake would you suggest or does the stock intake work fine?

 

If your carb needs a rebuilt, I would do that instead of a different carb. The Qjet, as far as I'm concerned, is as good of a street carb, you can use. Also easy to work on.Even if you need to send it to a carb builder, it is worth the effort.

 

X 2

If possible rebuild the Q-jet

 

X3
i have one at sparkys carburetor service now. when i get it back it will be as good as new and cheeper than a new aftermarket carburetor. this way you are getting a carburetor that is specific for your application.

 

X4, mine is due back from Sparky's on Monday.

 

Can you guys post Sparky's contact info. Does he plate also?

 

http://www.sparkyscarbs.com/

he plates them and everything.

 

Another builder that I could recommend is Phil at custom carbs. He built the carb for my 496 in my Chevelle and he just completed the carb for my stroked 455 that Bill (BTR) is building for me.

When we dynoed the engine for the Chevelle, the operator remarked that is is one the the few times he didn't have to mess with the carb. Just bolt it and go.

Be prepared to be able to give Phil the cam specs, vacuum, est HP&TQ, and compression ratio.

Attached are a few pice of the carb. It is stunning. The pics don't do it justice. I guess we'll see what this carb does when Bill dynoes my eninge in a few months.

Philip Cancilla 732 356 4333
http://www.customrebuiltcarbs.com/

 

This guy is good, builds a lot of Qjets for NHRA stock class cars..
www.deanoscarbs.com/

Great tech support.

 

My opinion is that a quadrajunk is finicky, but will work really well if worked on right. So take it to some one good, like the above mention people. I have a quadrajunk on a 78 scottsdale that really rocks. It was done right.

 

Dont buy a Demon, rebuild the Q-Jet

 

One of our members Danny (70WCars) rebuild Q-jets from time to time. He rebuilt my Q-jet and did an excellent job. You can probably PM or e-mail him through our website and ask him if he is willing to do a rebuild for you. He doesn't plate the carb like Sparky's but his prices are great!

 

With patience and willingness to learn, you can rebuild your own Quadrajet with excellent results. The Ruggles book is a good starting point, and if you have problems, just ask.

 

Use an Edelbrock. For me,constant q-jet issues were to much of a hassel. Do a search on this topic on this site as well as other Olds sites for verification of above statement.

 

Thanks for the kind words Jessie, and YES I am still re-building Q-jets. Lots of experience with Calibrating and setting up for Olds. Let me know if I can help.

Danny

 

Not meaning to offend anyone but for gods sake do not use an Eddelbrock. That is the easy way out. You also can find a 800 Cfm rochester if you look hard on e-bay.

 

Depends what you mean by better. If you are drag racing the car you could probably use a change. However, if you are driving long distance, city driving, street racing (), cruising then there aren't many carbs better than a Q-Jet.

The Q-Jet on my 455 equipped 1976 442 is bone stock and has not been rebuilt. I am planning to get it done this year (after all it is 34 years old), but over all it works fine. I figure a rebuilt will freshen it up for the next 34 years . Q-Jets were so good that even Mustangs ran them for a while. My suggestion would be to go for a rebuild rather than a replacement.

 

That's funny you say that when all the comments above yours say the exact opposite

 

Again, "With patience and willingness to learn"... There is a lot a Q-Jet can teach you. Your search function will reveal a wealth of knowledge, along with the quitters that gave up. It may not be perfect, but it is a versatile carb that can be tuned to your needs. Just like anything, it has it's pros and cons.

Cliff, you asked if there is a carb that works better than the QJet? A carb's function is to mix fuel and air. The QJet will do that just fine, like any other aftermarket carb. The stock intake will be just fine. If you chose an aftermarket carb, you will likely need an adapter to match the stock spreadbore intake. Then you could have issues such as hood clearance, linkages, etc.

Next, what are your issues? There are plenty guys here that can help without the need to send it to a guru. Yes, you may have an issue beyond repair that would render your carb useless. But for a staring point, what's your problem with the Q-Jet?