Recently had my Rochester Quadrajet rebuilt and now discover that the fuel inlet is stripped. What options do we have? Supposed to be in a car show next Saturday.
A real bummer but glad we discovered it in the carport and not out on the road.
Liz

I ran into that problem before. If you have plans on dumping the carb, a permanent/last resort fix would be to JB weld it back in place (I used some similar stuff my neighbor uses to fix boat props with). I would only do that if you plan to get rid of the carb, if you want to keep it, Im sure there are places to fix something like that, Im not sure how to do it myself.

I only did this to that carb because it was way beyond repair. The top section of the body had sections broken off making the accelerator pump useless and had many other internal problems.

um, tap/die it?

jb weld would probley hold up as well

They do make a Helicoil repair for carbs. I don't know what size would be required. I have to look into it because I have a Carter Q-jet the the previous owner JB Welded. I'll find out more.

the jb weld would not be a good idea. doesnt allow for further maintenance on the carb. there is a heli coil kit offered for this as this topic was covered not too long ago. maybe last winter if im correct. can get it at napa i beleive. i think it can be gotten from classic as well in their carb section but not positive. someone mentioned a big parts supplier having it but id try napa first. if necessary to find out size/ takie carb off or find out size of tubing into carb and take it there when you go.

I know this doesn't fit your time table, but here are a couple sources to have it done

Carbs Unlimited

Sparky's Carb service

Take the carb to a local machine shop who has the helicoil taps and inserts. The next choice is ship it off and have this done by a reputable carb rebuilder. You can't glue your carb back together with JB weld where fuel is involved. That's just not safe.

They make a repair nut for just this problem. You can pick it up at any parts store. It'll cut new threads as you screw it in. Don't forget the gasket.

Robert

The repair nut makes a permanent visible alteration. Okay for a core carb, not for a numbers carb. I sent mine to Cliff for inlet repair with Helicoil. It's leak-free.

We've checked with a few places and there's a possibility that the inlet has been stripped and repaired at least once before. If it has, can a larger helicoil be used safely? I'd like to keep this original carb if at all possible. Shouldn't the rebuilder have checked this first before even starting on it?
Liz

Yes, the rebuilder should have inspected the inlet, as cleaning the threads is normally part of the procedure.

My carb had not been previously repaired, but it was cross threaded when I bought the car and seeped a bit. After a couple R & Rs it leaked noticeably. So in it went, and a helicoil repaired it. The steel threads are considerably stronger than the original casting.

If one of the oversize kits was used then the helicoil repair may not be an option.

A previous owner had a tap and die done on the inlet so the carb may be scrap now. Sparky's is willing to try to put a sleeve in it and see if it will seal. If anyone has a Rochester QJet #7028261 laying around that they don't want, let me know. I can see that it wouldn't hurt to have spare parts for this Bird.
Liz

Funny how things go. I glanced at this thread awhile back for one reason or another - but not because I had the same problem. I went for a ride on Saturday and my wife thought she smelled gas. I wasn't thinking much of it but when I got home, I took off the air cleaner and noticed some discoloration on my newly painted manifold. I started the car up and sure enough - drip - drip - drip. Turns out my inlet nut is stripped as well. I don't know what was holding it before - or maybe the leak was so small it was not noticeable. Anyway, took the carb into a local carb shop and he tried a repair nut but a pressure test revealed it did not seal. He said doing the heli-coil on the front inlet carb would almost certainly crack the housing. Yellowbird - you said you had success with the heli-coil with Cliff. Who is cliff and how do I contact him.

Garth
68 350HO convert

Cliff Ruggles, http://www.cliffshighperformance.com/

Likely the #1 Quadrajet rebuilder anywhere. He also has a good stock of replacement parts for both numbers-match and driver carbs.

However, lead time is considerable due to high demand, so either acquire a cheap rebuilt carb for the time being, or be prepared to wait a few months for its return.

Can Cliff properly apply the original metal passivation/anticorrosion treatment to all the parts? Can he straighten an overtightened housing, or is repairing these warped carbs a myth? I checked the Barker site for the repair fixture. Some of the links are dead now. Are they still selling the fixture and did it solve warped q-jet problems?

try using teflon tape with the repair nut if you just want to seal it.

When Cliff rebuilt mine he did fix the stripped/crossthreaded fuel inlet and warped base.

He's good.

But like Vikki said it's going to take him a few month's.

Yes, you can get the carb restored to new condition. Actually better than new, with internal components that can handle today's corrupt fuel blends.

I have one due back soon, and will post pics upon its return.