Fulton

I have a '67 Cutlass Supreme 330 cu. in. w/ 4bbl.
Here's the history if you like stories...
Watched my dad rip off the choke thermostat (divorced) when I was much younger (around the early - mid 90's). He was so frustrated with it not working correctly. It never had since they bought the car around the time I was born ('78).
We had no idea someone had put on a carb from a '74 Cadillac ... meant for a 500 cu in motor. I found this out after they finally sold me the car. I've since found the correct Quadrajet 4bbl, which fixed all the issues the car had with fuel/ acceleration etc. I'll never forget how they used to keep going back to their mechanic... and all he could figure out is the carb needed bigger jets.

Anyhow, way back when my dad ripped off the choke, he rigged up some manual linkage. I'm currently looking to make life a little easier since I live in Kansas (cold one day.. not cold the next) and can't seem to find the sweet spot on the choke to get the car started without 4 or 5 guesses. I'm looking to hear how happy/ unhappy some of you might be with these different options...

1. Go back to the original choke thermostat. Looks like I might find one, but it's gonna be high dollar. Is there any advantage? Does it work well/ is it reliable compared to electric choke?

2. Install/ modify for electric choke. Cheaper option, and it's advertised to be more accurate, but is it really? Anyone disappointed after they've done this?

3. Go with fuel injection. This is going to be somewhat of a daily driver. Fuel injection systems advertise better fuel mileage/ a little increase in power. It'd certainly get rid of my cold start frustrations... or would it? The appeal for me here is I might not have to worry about parts availability, at least in the near future. 15 - 20 years down the road.. who knows. Will there still be build kits or accelerator pumps available for my carb? Will there will be support/ parts for whichever injection system I go with? (rhetorical)

Just looking for pros/ cons I might not have thought of and stories/ disappointments from experience.

joe_padavano

The stock choke with the stock carb worked very well when the car was built. The fact that so-called mechanics can't put the configuration back to stock is no reason to condemn it.

The stock Q-jet can't be configured for an electric choke, due to the divorced choke setup. You'll need to replace that carb with a newer one that has an integral choke housing and then convert it to electric. Of course, you then also have to get the new carb jetted for your 330.

EFI works great. That's a LOT of money to spend just to fix a choke.

If you really want EFI and are using the choke as an excuse, go for it. If all you really care about is a reliable car. the stock choke with the stock carb is the right way to go. Either learn how to adjust it properly or find someone who can. There are almost no "mechanics" anymore who know how to work on a carb, and fewer still who understand that your Olds is NOT a Chevy.

Fulton

I am the mechanic.

I've learned how to do all the adjustments for a Quadrajet. It's been awhile since the car has been sitting for the past several years, but there's something like 20-30 (maybe more) adjustments. My dad couldn't believe the difference after I got my hands on it.

Thanks for the input on going with electric choke. I've run across several that say they'll fit my application, but I was extremely doubtful.

Going EFI is an idea I've had for a long time. It wouldn't be about just getting rid of the choke. It's more about.. I'm going to be driving this car frequently. I'm after functionality, reliability, and having something I can diagnose/ repair/ maintain for several more generations. When I do the rebuild on this car, it's going to get some technological updates but cosmetically remain as close to original as possible. I've respected Quadrajets ever since I learned about them. But if I can do better in gas mileage, why not? It's almost a 50/50 option for me. I won't see a return on my money if I invest in EFI, but I might better appreciate how it performs. On the other hand, I know how to take care of the car as is. So as long as parts are available, what's my motivation for going through all that modification? It'd just be a convenient modification to do while I'm rebuilding.

I guess my only question now is for anyone who's switched to EFI... any regrets?

sqeeek

I've also been thinking of switching for years. I think I'm on my fourth carb and 50th or so configuration trying to get it to run consistently. The biggest issue for me is money - for every bit of money I've spent so far on all of those carburetors, I could've maybe bought the injectors for an EFI setup.

The other thing I've noticed is that my reliability issues are rarely due to the carburetor, but more to do with every other damn part on the car being 50 years old. Right now it actually runs great, consistently, but it started vomiting trans fluid all over the exhaust when I hit 3rd gear. So what happens after you switch to EFI? What's next?

At some point, to get modern reliability, you're replacing everything in the car with something new. If you have the money, that's great. If not, your other option is to live with 50 year old technology, which really isn't that bad but will never be as reliable as my Toyota.

Olds64

I have considered going to EFI on my 71 98, but I'm always tinkering with it. It's a toy instead of a DD.

If you don't wanat to spend big bucks then definitely consider going to an electric choke.