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Speaking of taste tests; I'd bought a less than stellar tank of gas last week and when I got home, I siphoned it out. Of course my pump wasn't working so I old-schooled it. I had no idea how much ethanol tastes like moonshine.
Speaking of taste tests; I'd bought a less than stellar tank of gas last week and when I got home, I siphoned it out. Of course my pump wasn't working so I old-schooled it. I had no idea how much ethanol tastes like moonshine.
I hate the taste of gasoline, and little I love for the taste for any alcohol either. Neither taste like chicken. Now that I have gotten really aged, and knew I wanted an easier way to transfer gasoline I bought one of these, for 5 gallon can to tank a few times.
But what also works is a holley electric red pump, if you have one of those around. I just attach it to my fuel line in the engine bay with a hose clamp, and run a another long rubber fuel hose off it over into a plastic 5 gallon gas can and hit the juice.
There is a much easier way to drain the tank, and one that doesn't require electricity. Disconnect the line from the tank at the fuel pump and direct it into an appropriate container. Use your air compressor and a blow nozzle in the filler neck, with a rag to seal the opening. No muss, no fuss, no sparks, and no need to drink the fuel.
Ahh, all good ideas. But this time, at least, I wanted to pull the fuel out of the neck in case it had any sediments in it (which I didn't see). I found it interesting that the Freedom 91 was very yellow, while the BP 93 was very blue in color. Additives, I suppose.
Here's something interesting from Ruggles' book that took me by surprise:
"The tiny clip on the end of the needle can be discarded (it is not needed)."
This is in reference to the needle and seat installation. I've often wondered if that was the case. All the debate about the hanger being clipped through a float lever hole vs. between them was apparently not needed at all. Still, it makes me a little nervous.
All the idle circuit passages have been opened up, as per Cliff's book, the air horn mods complete, as well as the base plate mods. I haven't installed new throttle plate bushings, that will need to come next month. The wife cut off the funding. As well she should. We ran into a guy at a car show with a heavily modded, beautiful '71 "S". We were talking about his Sanden AC setup and he said he had another compressor, brand spankin', at his home. He said "$100?". I said "giddyup!" Lol. Great deal but the bracket and hoses set me back quite a bit.
Here's something interesting from Ruggles' book that took me by surprise:
"The tiny clip on the end of the needle can be discarded (it is not needed)."
This is in reference to the needle and seat installation. I've often wondered if that was the case. All the debate about the hanger being clipped through a float lever hole vs. between them was apparently not needed at all. Still, it makes me a little nervous.
How many million Qjets has GM built over the production life of that carb? How much money does it cost GM to install that clip (the cost of the clip itself plus the cost of labor to get it exactly in place)? maybe a penny a carb? Do you really think GM would give up that pure profit if it wasn't necessary, especially in light of the other places the company cut corners to save money?
All sounds good with the bits and the pencil torch, but however it may look like caramelization, but the taste test would probably confirm the lack of sweetness of sugar. Still you are on the right track and doing good. While you are doing that I am wasting my time with blending C60 into some McEvoy's Virgin olive oil.
Hmm, didn't know there was such a thing. And you'd think I would since my last name is McAvoy.
Hmm, didn't know there was such a thing. And you'd think I would since my last name is McAvoy.
What are the odds on that one
McEvoy is in California and considered usually about the best olive oil producers, in tests for quality. That means healthier, as compared to most store brands that could be almost anything else.
Been rolling my own, so to speak since 2013, and hence the need for good quality olive oil. In that study just the olive oil group also lived longer, just not as long as with the highly refined (99.95 pure oven dried in a vacuum) carbon C60 in it. Human biology and aging is another one of my hobbies since about 1981. Keeping olive oil in the fridge will greatly extend it's life, and in the freezer perhaps indefinitely.
Still trying to nail down the timing and carb. The carb I rebuilt using the Ruggles' book runs like a bat outta you-know-where, but still idles like crud. I think it may have a warped base plate, I should have checked.
Still trying to nail down the timing and carb. The carb I rebuilt using the Ruggles' book runs like a bat outta you-know-where, but still idles like crud. I think it may have a warped base plate, I should have checked.
Clean Buckyballs, with no solvent like toluene left on them. I just made up about 800ml or so. It is some very serious stuff. The oil after the blender turns a light brown golden color, unless in a large quantity with a bright light shined through it, then it looks dark ruby red.
Might have an air leak. I have used silicone in thin amounts, to keep air leaks down before with carb gasket. Silicone turns to gelatin with direct exposure to raw gasoline, but that's not the case usually with most gaskets areas. Of course I just learned in the last few months The Right Stuff seems to be unaffected by gasoline. 3M silicone paste might work, as it is thick and does dry out or melt easily.
It could be something else though. It doesn't take much to make a car unhappy at idle.
1. The quadrajet I rebuilt and modified was/is seriously warped. And not just the base plate.
2. The intake mating surface was also warped and very uneven (that's what I get for buying used). I glued some sandpaper to a very flat, small (maybe 8x10") piece of MDF and carefully sanded it flat and even. My machinist's square shows no gaps on that surface, now.
3. I put the '71 Q-jet back on. It's a tiny bit warped but not bad. Not great, but not bad. No more vac leaks. But since I haven't modified it, it doesn't scream like the one I went through using Ruggles' book. The car idles better, but again, it could still use improvement.
4. Copper gave me a Holley 750 to try. I had to order the proper throttle/tv bracket so I'm waiting for it to come in.
5. I can't believe that I have three warped Q-jets. Either it's just hard to find an original unit that's not warped OR I've been warping them by bolting them to the uneven intake mating surface.
1. The quadrajet I rebuilt and modified was/is seriously warped. And not just the base plate.
2. The intake mating surface was also warped and very uneven (that's what I get for buying used). I glued some sandpaper to a very flat, small (maybe 8x10") piece of MDF and carefully sanded it flat and even. My machinist's square shows no gaps on that surface, now.
3. I put the '71 Q-jet back on. It's a tiny bit warped but not bad. Not great, but not bad. No more vac leaks. But since I haven't modified it, it doesn't scream like the one I went through using Ruggles' book. The car idles better, but again, it could still use improvement.
4. Copper gave me a Holley 750 to try. I had to order the proper throttle/tv bracket so I'm waiting for it to come in.
5. I can't believe that I have three warped Q-jets. Either it's just hard to find an original unit that's not warped OR I've been warping them by bolting them to the uneven intake mating surface.
Hope its a Holley 750 Street Demon
It doesn't take hardly any tightening to hold a carb down. After all they suck.
I find so many weird little things that aren’t quite right when I’m bolting things together. Now I’m starting to assume everything is wrong until I’ve measured and it’s proven to be right.
I got the Holley all hooked up. It runs but I'm not all that impressed. To be fair, I haven't tuned it to my engine. The mixtures screws are more responsive than the warped Q-jet but even playing with them with a vac gauge doesn't gain me any better idle.
I've got my "1705" Q-jet on the bench, torn down, and I'm tryng to figure out how to take out the warp. I'm telling ya', that very warped Q-jet I modified using Ruggles' book, even with the vac leak and fuel seeping into the gaskets, accelerated like crazy. I took my neighbor for a short ride and scared him and me both! Lol. It just wouldn't idle and was a bear to get started.
In summary, my wife said it best; "You'll end up fixing and tuning the Q-jet AND tuning the Holley and then you won't be able to choose."
The 3310 holley is very float sensitive, make sure the bowl level is just below the site ports. Start your adjusting with the A/F screws about 1 turn out. Then turn them in or out to see how your vacuum looks. If you have a pretty lopey cam, you may have to adjust it by ear for the smoothest idle and highest vacuum.
That 3310 was bang on in my 350 but fuel transition was slow. I picked up a tenth going to a 750 DP. I think he needs to tune the accelerator pump woth a more agressive initial fuel shot for starters and change to a lighter spring in the vacuun pot for the secondaries. The 3310 he has has a metering plate. If that dont work he will need a metering block kit which is a common upgrade
Always a possibility. But again, the intake mating surface was jacked up and could have done the same to the two quads. The Holley is sealing fine (since I leveled the intake surface) and runs strong. It just doesn't have the acceleration the one quad had. I'll follow Copper's recommendations and get it running better. But for now, I'm rather obsessed with these quadrajets. The more people dislike them (quadrabog, quadrajunk), the more I want to know them.
Lol, great minds. I've read this a couple of times. I just wish they were more specific about the milling process since the mating surfaces have protrusions.
Lol, great minds. I've read this a couple of times. I just wish they were more specific about the milling process since the mating surfaces have protrusions.
OK got it. The quadrajets can be made to run very strong and gets good mileage, if you keep your foot out them. I have run them, but don't want to work on them. About the same with the Holley style carbs now ,though I have run them and worked on them in the past, or why my choice the last time I bought a carb it was the street demon new. A simple version of the thermoquad/quadrajets, and AVS carbs.
No problem with quadrajets. Or using silicone or epoxy to fill gaps and make sure the seal is good. I am very unorthodox.
So I learned something yesterday, lol. I spent a lot of time milling the base plate, milling the main body, and heating and bending the air horn back into shape. Everything fit very well. I ordered about $50 worth of new parts (gaskets, jets, rods, springs, etc.) and was finishing up the Ruggles' mods. I took a drill bit to one of the down channels to clean up a burr left from drilling out an air bleed when the drill bit caught and slammed into the down channel, drilling completely through one of the main fuel nozzles. I'm chalking that up to inexperience, lol. Today I'm moving on to a different Q-jet and starting over. I'll be able to use all the parts I ordered other than the gaskets. I'm pretty sure this has turned into an obsession but I'm enjoying it (when I don't drill through something I shouldn't).
If this current mod makes the grade, I'll post a quick summary of the process.
So I learned something yesterday, lol. I spent a lot of time milling the base plate, milling the main body, and heating and bending the air horn back into shape. Everything fit very well. I ordered about $50 worth of new parts (gaskets, jets, rods, springs, etc.) and was finishing up the Ruggles' mods. I took a drill bit to one of the down channels to clean up a burr left from drilling out an air bleed when the drill bit caught and slammed into the down channel, drilling completely through one of the main fuel nozzles. I'm chalking that up to inexperience, lol. Today I'm moving on to a different Q-jet and starting over. I'll be able to use all the parts I ordered other than the gaskets. I'm pretty sure this has turned into an obsession but I'm enjoying it (when I don't drill through something I shouldn't).
If this current mod makes the grade, I'll post a quick summary of the process.
So I learned something yesterday, lol. I spent a lot of time milling the base plate, milling the main body, and heating and bending the air horn back into shape. Everything fit very well. I ordered about $50 worth of new parts (gaskets, jets, rods, springs, etc.) and was finishing up the Ruggles' mods. I took a drill bit to one of the down channels to clean up a burr left from drilling out an air bleed when the drill bit caught and slammed into the down channel, drilling completely through one of the main fuel nozzles. I'm chalking that up to inexperience, lol. Today I'm moving on to a different Q-jet and starting over. I'll be able to use all the parts I ordered other than the gaskets. I'm pretty sure this has turned into an obsession but I'm enjoying it (when I don't drill through something I shouldn't).
If this current mod makes the grade, I'll post a quick summary of the process.
Yike! You are going to be super-experienced now. You are creating the first quadraMac!
Meh, I'm just following directions. I have a much better understanding of the ant farm of circuitry inside a Quadrajet But I doubt I could improve on what Ruggles has figured out. I do enjoy it, though. I've got the new build installed on the 455 and it runs like the proverbial scalded cat; crisp throttle, hard WOT pulls. And I'm hoping for better mileage than the Holley. But right now it's pinging at WOT, which it didn't with the Holley. Cliff thinks I might be running the fuel bowl low on hard pulls. I'll play with the fuel pressure and try to limit my mechanical advance.
Are you still running a quadrajet, Brian?
Single choke pull off and no APT? I'll pass, lol. Besides, this one won't run on your car now that I've had my paws on it.
UPDATE: The distributor hold down bolt was loose, causing the pinging issue. I started from scratch, 14* initial with vac can unhooked and 800 curb idle, adjusted the APT where I thought a good place might be (close to stock), locked it all down and went for a spin. I let it shift from 1st to 2nd and stomped it hard. She broke loose at the 2-3 shift! I laid a patch in 3rd gear so I guess I'm getting close to my goals.
For anyone interested; this is an '81 Quadrajet from a Checker cab. It was a poorly built eBay special and was warped. I disassembled the entire carb, sanded the base plate on 220 sandpaper taped to my (very flat) table saw, followed by 400. The bottom of the base plate took a lot of sanding but the top, not so much. The air horn rocked on the main body pretty badly. I covered the top of the main body with sharpie marker, marking the highest points in a different color and went at it with a large, medium grade file. I wasn't trying to make the main body flat on top, just wanted it to match the air horn. I got it real close to perfect and used two air horn gaskets to take up the slack. Using Ruggles' book, I followed recipe #2 for the air bleeds, idle tubes, down channels, etc. It wasn't difficult but my wire gauge drill bits weren't even close to what they were supposed to be so I measured them too before using them. I notched the secondary air doors just below the fuel holes, replaced the J-hanger with a G, and used secondary rods with the short tips. Jets are #74 with 54P rods (that actually measure .048" at the thickest so must have been modified?) and adjusted the APT so that the .044" part of the rods hang in the jets for a .030" difference. The P rods have the .026" power tips, rather than the .036". The throttle shaft holes in the base plate were recently bushed so I didn't bother. I made sure the vacuum canisters release within Ruggles' specs. I set the secondary air horn spring between 1/2 and 3/4 turn after the spring contacted the shaft and it seems good. No bog when opening the secondaries.
Well, I guess that's about it.
Play with the secondary air valve spring. In small increments loosen it up until you detect a bog accelerating at WOT (the secondaries are opening too soon). Then tighten it up one increment until the bog goes away. This way you will have the secondaries opening as early as needed. If the spring is a bit too tight, you are running on your primaries only for a bit too long.
Thanks sysmg but the air valve spring is the one thing I'm good at, lol. Lots of practice with it. I did, however, accidentally knock off a vac hose to the AC can and the idle increased and smoothed a little. I figure, and Cliff agrees, I must need a little more bypass air. Time to pull it apart again.
Thanks sysmg but the air valve spring is the one thing I'm good at, lol. Lots of practice with it. I did, however, accidentally knock off a vac hose to the AC can and the idle increased and smoothed a little. I figure, and Cliff agrees, I must need a little more bypass air. Time to pull it apart again.
Remember as I said for years. It is not practice that makes perfect, but perfect practice that makes perfect.
I am considering that rad for 72 w 455 I currently can't shed enough heat on the highway but run at thermo temp idling and below 45ish mph.
Let us know how it works out fit and temp wise.
Sorry Retro, I should have posted this earlier in the summer but; This Champion 4 row is awesome! I run between 170 and 180 depending on how much sitting in traffic and outside temp but so far it hasn't gone over 180*. I'm running a 180* stat. To be fair, I don't have my AC installed yet but since it's usually at about 175*, I think it will be okay with AC too, I couldn't be happier.
Sorry Retro, I should have posted this earlier in the summer but; This Champion 4 row is awesome! I run between 170 and 180 depending on how much sitting in traffic and outside temp but so far it hasn't gone over 180*. I'm running a 180* stat. To be fair, I don't have my AC installed yet but since it's usually at about 175*, I think it will be okay with AC too, I couldn't be happier.
Nice thanks ive still got a stock replacement 3 core in mine...works OK until i get on the highway after about 15mins the temp climbsto 215-220 and i get off the highway. I can cruise all day at 50mph even in recent ~96° heat stays right at the thermo temp of ~190°
455 w stock clutch fan, rad seals, and shroud all in place
Nice thanks ive still got a stock replacement 3 core in mine...works OK until i get on the highway after about 15mins the temp climbsto 215-220 and i get off the highway. I can cruise all day at 50mph even in recent ~96° heat stays right at the thermo temp of ~190°
455 w stock clutch fan, rad seals, and shroud all in place
Fans and shrouds are more for low speeds. You may have air in the system or a little too much antifreeze or a weak pressure cap-. Those are the easy cheaper ones.
July 4th, 2018, 03:20 PM
