This message may seem a bit basic for most but I would like some guidance. I recently became an owner of a 1968 350 HO firebird. All numbers match except that the carburetor is not original. The car is in great shape but not a show car and will not be used for a daily drive. The car has a Holley double pumper carb on it now. I was considering changing it out to the proper quadrajet to adhere to the originality of the car. The mechanic that is working on the car said that I would get much better mileage with a quadrajet and for that reason he suggested a change. I am not sure the benefit(s) of the Holley double pumper (two barrel) vs the quadrajet as far as desirabality for resale and driving performance and if it worth spending the money. Would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks
And when you do find them, they cost a good amount.
I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure. I feel like I am diagonally parked in a parallel universe. 1968 400 convertible (Scarlet) 1976 T/A - 455 LE (No Burt) 1976 T/A New baby, starting full restoration. 1968 350 - 4 speed 'vert - 400 clone (the Beast!) 1968 350 convertible - Wife's car now- 400 clone (Aleutian Blue) (Blue Angel) 2008 Durango - DD 2008 GXP - New one from NH is AWESOME! 2017 Durango Citadel - Modern is nice! HEMI is amazing! 1998 Silverado Z71 - Father-daughter project 1968 400 coupe - R/A clone (Blue Pearl) (sold) 1967 326 convertible - Sold 1980 T/A SE Bandit - Sold
ym block. I saw the ebay listing. I have called around and I think I can get a rebuilt 7028266 carb for around 700-800 dollars. Much cheaper than the one on ebay.
Carburetors are like women, very fickle, always need attention and affirmation, but if you take care of them they will perform well for you...(no offense Vikki)
Wait a muintue here...are you telling me you have a Holle...what has the world come to? I did eventually figure out what was wrong...it was bolted to a Pontiac. Once I fixed that problem it's gone 26 years with no trouble. My Q-jet never gave me trouble when I had the car...this is probably what has tainted my opinion of Holley.
Wait a muintue here...are you telling me you have a Holle...what has the world come to?
yup, and my reason: My car had a bad carburator when I bought it...and as I dont like to work on carbs I asked my buddy which carb would be the best to buy for my car... his reply: the one you or someone you know likes to work on , or are famliar with. So I asked: Which ones do you prefer to work on? he: Holleys me :So thats what I`ll buy!
Since your car is all original except the carb, I'd find a decent 68 carb of any # to use in the meantime but keep looking for an original # carb. Done right a Quadrajet will run great. Get the right application # carb for auto or manual trans.
Q-Jet, Holley, Edelbrock all go about the same function in different ways. Wit that said they are all good in their own ways, but in most cases, the Quadrajet is a better choice as it's typically a more versatile in a wider range of conditions.
"Typically" better fuel economy, better CFM ratings, better reliability and once those large secondaries open to 90 degrees a bigger smile upon your face!
There are exceptions to every rule, and as Bjorn's friend Rolf Pointed out, most stick with what they know. For comparisons sake, I have tried multiple similar CFM rated carbs on my relatively stock 455 over the years (Edelbrock, Holley and Q-Jet) and they were all pretty much straight out of the box, just slight tuning. The Q-jet was by far my favorite. Especially on the MPG front...
I'm building a performance based Q-jet now using Cliff's carb kit and book as a guide. I'm actually surprised at how many little things you can do to really take a stock Q-Jet to the next level.
So anyone who is not a fan of the Q-Jet, please send them my way! I'll take all you got... and will even trade you a Holley or two...
Holleys arnt to bad, but prefer q-jets. Havent had one that beat a q-jet for power and milage under 600 hp. But have to use holleys for over 150 shot of n2o. Ended up with 3 of each from different builds over the years.
30k and 9 years is a real milemarker. On the other hand, my quadrajet had 18 years and 280k miles on its last rebuild, going into it becuse of an ever so slow nano-leak from the needle and seat, slow enough so that it could gobble up the overflow without affecting engine idle.
I probabaly could have gotten away with just a needle.