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

I am a purest...go with the Quadrajet! Unless your going racing.

theres a long recent thread on this subject....

here it is....quad jet is in there too....

https://firstgenfirebird.org/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=218673#Post218673

WK or YM block?

7028269 or 7028266 carbs are getting really hard to find.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1968-Pont...sQ5fAccessories

And when you do find them, they cost a good amount.

Can get another q-jet to use till he finds a correct #'d one.

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.

holley more reliable

69, SAYS YOU!!

Now that is funny.
I could always rely on my Holley to need constant work.

for 9 yrs now,or 30,000 miles +- , I ve had my Holley 650....no problems....even ran good up at 12,000 feet in Estes Park last August

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.

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!

case closed! lol

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.

Steve

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.