Q-jet blues
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 397
Likes: 1
From: Heartland
Q-jet blues
I gotta replace the old carb. I don't have the time to rebuild it and it is summertime so ....I need to know if anyone has ever used the services of www.guaranteedcarbs.com ?
Thanks....Alex
Thanks....Alex
Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 14,356
Likes: 6,332
From: At my Bar drinking and wrenching in Lafayette Colorado
I've never seen a commercially rebuilt Q-Jet that was done correctly. Ever. If you find one, be sure to let me know... Whatever you do, do not get rid of your original one in an "exchange." You are far better off rebuilding original than using the commercially rebuilt stuff.
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
From: NC
I gotta replace the old carb. I don't have the time to rebuild it and it is summertime so ....I need to know if anyone has ever used the services of www.guaranteedcarbs.com ?
Thanks....Alex
Thanks....Alex
A commercial rebuild that I had was crap.
Lars isn't going to toot his own horn but I will. He has done 3 Q-Jets for me this year and they perform flawlessly. There are countless threads in this forum about his expertise if you want to search them. Hook up with Lars and you will be glad you did.
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 231
Likes: 41
From: Simpsonville SC
I used guaranteed carburetor back in January and have had no issues. Make sure you have the correct carb for you application. I figured out that the carb on my L-82 had been swapped some time in the past with the wrong one. The guys at guaranteed were easy to work with to ensure mine got properly jetted and setup.
Last edited by bytor; Aug 6, 2007 at 02:50 PM.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 14,356
Likes: 6,332
From: At my Bar drinking and wrenching in Lafayette Colorado
No, they're not. Holley cuts the bottom tips off the power pistons, resulting in a gross lean condition at idle and cruise due to the piston riding far too low in the bore. The last Holley-rebuilt Q-Jet I came across on one of the Tuning Tours was so bad that we could only salvage a few parts out of it and throw the rest away. We used the parts we yanked out of the junk Holley rebuild to repair the owner's original Q-Jet. This resulted in a car that ran significantly better than the "new" Holley rebuild.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,593
Likes: 103
From: Southern Indiana
No, they're not. Holley cuts the bottom tips off the power pistons, resulting in a gross lean condition at idle and cruise due to the piston riding far too low in the bore. The last Holley-rebuilt Q-Jet I came across on one of the Tuning Tours was so bad that we could only salvage a few parts out of it and throw the rest away. We used the parts we yanked out of the junk Holley rebuild to repair the owner's original Q-Jet. This resulted in a car that ran significantly better than the "new" Holley rebuild.
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,526
Likes: 2
From: Oak Ridge NC
If your qjet had a bog, then maybe it was not set-up correctly. Secondaries opening too quickly will cause a bog...easily adjusted.
My friend has Holleys in his rods and swears by them.
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Instructor
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 207
Likes: 0
From: Keller TX
A commercial rebuild that I had was crap.
Lars isn't going to toot his own horn but I will. He has done 3 Q-Jets for me this year and they perform flawlessly. There are countless threads in this forum about his expertise if you want to search them. Hook up with Lars and you will be glad you did.
Lars isn't going to toot his own horn but I will. He has done 3 Q-Jets for me this year and they perform flawlessly. There are countless threads in this forum about his expertise if you want to search them. Hook up with Lars and you will be glad you did.
Lars rebuilt mine....very happy with the carb. Not only that, he's spent a lot of time trying to educate me on timing, vacuum and my distributor. Very much appreciated. Do yourself a favor and contact Lars for a price list. Doug
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,593
Likes: 103
From: Southern Indiana
And the only reason I am running the quadrajet is to see how long it takes me to rip it off the car and throw it in front of a semi!
But its running good so it lives, right now.
But as soon as I have had enough, a 650 or 750 DP Holley will be nestled between the loins of the 350!!!!
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,526
Likes: 2
From: Oak Ridge NC
SOOOOO..... what are you saying????
And the only reason I am running the quadrajet is to see how long it takes me to rip it off the car and throw it in front of a semi!
But its running good so it lives, right now.
But as soon as I have had enough, a 650 or 750 DP Holley will be nestled between the loins of the 350!!!!
And the only reason I am running the quadrajet is to see how long it takes me to rip it off the car and throw it in front of a semi!
But its running good so it lives, right now.
But as soon as I have had enough, a 650 or 750 DP Holley will be nestled between the loins of the 350!!!!
Sounds like you've had some issues with Qjets
Thought you said that your rebuilt Holly Qjet threw you back in the seat and got you to 130mph instantly. So why are you going to throw it in front of a semi?
I have never used a Holly, but a freind of mine who has a 502 in his Nova who has been using Holly's for his rides for years swears by them. His Nova is primarily a strip car. So if you go this way, you should be happy.
I've run Qjets in both my vettes, an L46 and an LS5. I don't have the L46 anymore, but the Qjet ran flawlessly. My LS5 Qjet had some issues, but after I rebuilt it and tuned it correctly, it runs flawlessly with no boggs.
Last edited by SmokinBBC; Aug 7, 2007 at 09:47 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,113
From: Crossville TN
Just buying ANY carb in a store and expecting good results is a crap shoot. Lars is telling you the straight skinny. Any decent brand of carb which is properly set up will give you good results. Depending on the type of use you put to the engine, some carbs may be better applied than others. Q-Jets are well designed, efficient, and adaptable carbs. Whatever you buy will have to be tuned correctly to run well on your car. Just don't expect that when you drop your credit card in an auto parts store that the carb they give you will work well out of the box.
P.S. You best and least expensive alternative is to send your Q-Jet to Lars (if he has the time to get to it immediately). At least send him a PM and check out all your options. An e-mail can't hurt, can it?
Good luck, either way you go.
P.S. You best and least expensive alternative is to send your Q-Jet to Lars (if he has the time to get to it immediately). At least send him a PM and check out all your options. An e-mail can't hurt, can it?
Good luck, either way you go.
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 32,519
Likes: 1
From: central America
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
Another vote for Lars here.
I drove close to 400 miles (one way) to have Lars tune my car and it was worth every penny.
He'll treat you right, give you the straight dope and fix you up good.
And while you're at it, you might want to have him look at your distributor as well (if he's got the machine back online).
I drove close to 400 miles (one way) to have Lars tune my car and it was worth every penny.
He'll treat you right, give you the straight dope and fix you up good.
And while you're at it, you might want to have him look at your distributor as well (if he's got the machine back online).
Pro
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 525
Likes: 0
From: San Jose, Ca
Lars just rebuilt my Q-jet for me. I tried the aftermarket route and bought a Jet Performance rebuilt Q-jet on Summit for $400, put it on and it was way off. Not set up well at all.
I sent my original to Lars and was impressed with the amount of time and effort he spent on it. I popped in on the car this week. The thing runs better than it ever has. Lars did a bang up job. Feels like a new car.
I'm selling the Jet stage two carb if anyone wants it. Needs sme tuning, but was only on the car for 2 days.
If you plan on sticking with a Q-jet, then you should consider the L-man...
Regards,
Christ
I sent my original to Lars and was impressed with the amount of time and effort he spent on it. I popped in on the car this week. The thing runs better than it ever has. Lars did a bang up job. Feels like a new car.
I'm selling the Jet stage two carb if anyone wants it. Needs sme tuning, but was only on the car for 2 days.
If you plan on sticking with a Q-jet, then you should consider the L-man...
Regards,
Christ
Drifting
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,909
Likes: 6
From: Lake Arrowhead - Georgia > 72 Base Coupe & 74 BB Roadster
A commercial rebuild that I had was crap.
Lars isn't going to toot his own horn but I will. He has done 3 Q-Jets for me this year and they perform flawlessly. There are countless threads in this forum about his expertise if you want to search them. Hook up with Lars and you will be glad you did.
Lars isn't going to toot his own horn but I will. He has done 3 Q-Jets for me this year and they perform flawlessly. There are countless threads in this forum about his expertise if you want to search them. Hook up with Lars and you will be glad you did.
He has rebuilt 2 of mine. They are great. Now I can fix the other stuff on my cars because I don't have to screw around with the carbs anymore.