Quadrajet...rebuild or buy a rebuilt?

That would be the throttle shaft. No, a basic rebuild does not include this. However, new bushings can be installed to correct the problem, but would have to be done in a shop that is set up to do this sort of thing.

 

I'll also chime in with a vote for Q-jets. The small primaries can give you good mileage and the large secondaries can provide volume when necessary.

As far as the new or rebuild question, I'd vote rebuild. That way you can tailor it to your specific application. Check out this page... http://www.cliffshighperformance.com/

He does a lot of q-jet rebuilding and has fantastic results. He rebuild one for my '67 convertible a few years back and the difference was night and day. Not cheap, probably $350 but worth every penny to me. Plus if you want the DIY route, the book he wrote is also a good read. And if you call him, he'll talk to you about what you need and what you don't. My plan for my next carb is to find a good core, call him up and have him put together a rebuild kit that will turn it into what I need, based on my cars setup. It will save me some $$$ and give me the DIY satisfaction.

 

http://www.cliffshighperformance.com/bushings.html

bushing kit
You don't need a shop to do bushings.

 

QJs are new to me, so I was unaware there were do-it-yourself bushing kits. Seems pretty pricey though, about $65 for no more than in involved in parts. I would still check with a carb shop, might get it a lot cheaper, and if they mess up, it is their problem.

 

If you got a national carb, all those thing would be fixed.

It will be better then new.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Rebu...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item255e264723

this guy does 'em cheap

 

That's why I bought a rebuilt from Summit. I knew if anything was wrong, they would fix it. Cost $269. Looks and performs just like a new one off the dealer shelf.

 

The only problem with just ordering a carb from summit or just anyone is you just get a carb off the shelf. Summit is not gonna tune it for your engine before it ships. Thing could have been there years and built for who knows what uni config.

When you order a carb from National, you got a 2week wait as they just don’t grab some uni setting carb off a shelf, they build your carb just for you and your engine. It then tuned and tweaked just for you.
Not some uni setting carb that will work on "anything" is no such thing.

Torque Converters are the same way, off the shelf units are crap compared to having it done right, they will ask for full engines details and a dyno run and built it for your engine/trans combo, not a uni setting unit pulled off a dusty shelf.

Only thing here is doing the carb right will be cheap.

A TC done right cost a grand min.

 

I suppose if you really want to get to the nitty-gritty, get one tuned for your engine. All well and good. Mine is just a daily driver. The one I got from Summit is built to stock specs, I assume. All I know, I got it 2 days after I ordered it, there was no dust on the box, and the sucker brought my 350 to life like no Edelbrock could. Could not be any more satisfied with it.

 

Here's a DIY throttle bushing replacement procedure.

http://www.thirdgen.org/techboard/carburetors/206860-worn-qjet-what-now.html

 

I just had a really crappy experience with National Carburetors.

You can read about it here:
http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=181469#post181469

 

Well things could have changed in the past few years, lots of ups and down in the market, might not be owned by the same people. But love my carb from them, true plug n play.

 

Those carbs are so easy to rebuild it's funny. Spend the $40 buck on a kit and just read the directions and then read them again. It'll take you about two hours and if you do it right, it'll work like new! Might save you $150.00 too!?

 

Around here, it is quite pricey to have a Q Jet rebuilt. Prices run from close to $200 to well over $300. I usually buy a refurbished one from Summit Racing for about $300 and sell my old one on Craig's List to recoup some of my money.

 

I love Quadrajets, for what it's worth, I think they're the best carb you can get for a driver. I always hear "well, performance this, performance that." Yeah, yeah, I wanna use it for a daily driver, not a hot-rod.