Monkeywrench

The ol' Qjet is runnig OK but it needs a good tuning. I rebuilt an old Toyota carb years ago and it turned out OK. I'm very mechanically inclined but is it worth my time to do this myself or should I pay Lars (the master of the carb) to do it for me.

I know it'll turn out better if Lars does it but should I just try it myself?


[Modified by Monkeywrench, 3:57 PM 2/28/2002]

Smokehouse69

Unless you have access to all the metering rods and associated stuff, I'd send it to Lars. Then instead of assuming your carb was okay, you would know it was okay.

Corellian Corvette

If you have mechanical ability, I would take Lars tuning paper, buy a good rebuild kit, and get to work. Lars is awesome and you can always send it to him if you get stuck.

After pulling my both my Edelbrock and my original Q-jet apart, I think that unless something is REALLY out of whack, you could get it running really well. Lars paper is very detailed. I would get confused if I was seriously having problems with all the external linkage, but it's really straightforward once you get into it.

Black68Vette

Any idea what Lars charges for that?

john's '81 mouse

If you give Lars your engine specs, along with trans, and rear gears and type driving you do, he can 'customize' the best carb setting for you, something that would be hard for the non-professional Q-Jet mechanic to do.

Believe Lars charges in the neighborhood of $100, plus shipping, assuming your carb doesn't need a whole bunch of stuff replaced, or unusaual work performed.

Black68Vette

Thats pretty good. Mine's an aftermarket holley, around 2-3 years old and in fine working shape, just seems to run either a)rich or b) not at all ;)

I can't seem to get the mixture lean enough to not smell like gas is pouring out the exhausts without it stalling... so its probably just jet sizes or something, but a little bit more than I can guess on myself

RMVette

Is that a true statement for most of our Q-jets that they tend to burn rich? I've found the same problem with mine, it seems to burn rich with a gas smell. I've checked the bottom of the carb where they tend to leak into the manifold and it's not leaking there. In fact I sealed it with JB weld to be sure it wasn't. Carb has been rebuilt with the same metering rods and jets. What are the proper metering rod numbers and jet numbers for a Q-jet from the factory? And what color float spring to use? (Don't bash me here guys if I'm wrong on my terms, I'm doing this from memory since I rebuilt the carb last year!) I wonder if the float level too high? That's a good question!

Robert
'70 350/350 4-speed coupe
'98 6-speed coupe

The Dude

Take a crack at it yourself first. It's a great way to learn something new. No downside, either:

If you get through it and it runs well you're that much farther ahead.

Otherwise it's no big deal--you stood up at the plate and swung at a strike.

Looks like a plan to me. Good luck.

Corellian Corvette

The Dude said it better than I did. Take the thing apart and get your hands dirty! It's fun!

I was scared but just did my own. I figure if I screwed it up I put all the parts in a bag and send off.

gerry c

I would send it to Lars and let him :smash:. You can probably rebuild it yourself, however with Lars you get it rebuilt and TUNED. If you want it to run fine, do it yourself, if you want it to run GREAT send it to Lars. That is my take from reading here.

tnt76vette

For me it's a "No Brainer" :crazy: : Just send it to Lars like I did, and spend your time on something else.....For what you get for the money, why would you want to tackle it yourself, and if you are not happy, he will make you happy. That was good enuff for me... :seeya

Kingt

If Michelangelo had never picked up a paint brush he would never have painted the Sistine Chapel!

Try it yourself first is my vote!

joeveto

Definitely try it yourself, first. What have you got to lose?

Steve Adkins

Hey Monkeywrench, I am in the same boat you are in. Who is this Lars guy and how do I contact him? I have a Holly 650 that needs rebuit and I am straddled the fence. I can't decide if I want to do it myself or have a pro do it.

Thanks,
Steve

Monkeywrench

Look at the top few threads in the C3 section. One of them is by Lars about Loaner carbs. Email him for more info.

Sean

lars

Monkeywrench -
I always recommend that people dive in and give it a shot themselves. Here's what I would do if I were you:

First, make sure you have a copy of my Q-Jet tuning paper. Among other things, it gives you a detailed step-by-step sequence for removing & installing the air horn - the most difficult part of the process.

Then, send me your carb number and the application for your carb (what you're running it on). Based on this, I can give you a pretty good recommendation for a setup and jetting combo. I can also walk you through the process if you need some help.

Once you get it done, if you're not happy with the results, send it on out to me, and I'll check your setup and tweak it for you if it needs it.

A couple of suggestions for you if you want to do it yourself:
The NAPA (Echlin) brand carb kits are about the best quality kits you'll find for a Q-Jet. I recommend these over the other brands. For Holleys, I recommend the real Holley kits if your wallet can handle the monetary impact.

Always replace the Q-Jet float with a new NitroFill float from Echlin. Don't use the brass floats.

Pay attention to how the secondaries open with relationship to the primaries: these are often adjusted so that they open over-center. This severely hampers performance. The secondary throttle blades should open just short of vertical in their max open position.

If your carb has been commercially rebuilt at any time, or you see evidence of some funny Bubba-stuff going on, pay very close attention to details or send it out to me so I can check it for you: some of these carbs have had some really funny stuff done to them over the years - I'm still amazed at some of the things I see..!

Contact me at any time if you need any assistance - I'm always more than glad to help out.

Monkeywrench

Lars, thanks again. As always you hav given out some great information. Iiut's not that I'm scred of diving into it it's just that I have to 100 projects on the car and time for about 50 of them.

I think I will give it a shot.

BTW, it shows some real class by Lars to suggest that someone try it themselves instead of telling me right away to send it in. I mean how often does a business turn down money? Thanks Lars, you are a true gentleman.

Thanks for everyone's opinions...


[Modified by Monkeywrench, 8:41 AM 3/4/2002]