Search isnt working for me today, but I looked around a bit yesterday and couldnt find much. I am looking for a bit more info on rebuilding my carb. It's just for a 305 that will have some mild to medium mods. But I think I'm already leaning out at WOT, so I would like to put in slightly richer secondary jets.

Anyhow, How long would it probably take a first timer to rebuild the carb? It's just a stock non cc Qjet, but I dont know which kit to use or anything like that. Little help, please?

 

Take the part number stamped on the carb down to the parts store and tell them you want a kit for that model, they'll be able to look it up for you. While you're there, get some carb cleaner, preferrably the stuff in the 1 gallon metal can if they've got it. A spray can of carb cleaner with a straw can be nice for blowing out passages if you don't have compressed air.

Shouldn't take more than maybe a couple of hours of actual disassembly and reassembly, with some soaking and cleaning time.

 

Ok, I'll probably tackle this one in the shop at school. Something I was thinking of doing was getting one from the junkyard and rebuilding it instead, so then I wouldnt have to take the car off the road, as it is my daily driver.

Uh, so if I did that, should I just look for one in the yard with the same number? Or can I perhaps find one that's 'better' in some way?

 

"Close" would be good enough. As in, "looks the same".

To what Apeiron said I'll add: Have a clean workspace available for the disassembly and assembly. I put an old bath towel down on the benchtop and lay everything out as I take it apart, starting in the upper left corner and working my way to the right, starting another row on the left as needed, etc. Then, when reassembling, start from the bottom-right and work my way left & up.

I think I'd allow for more than 2 hours, though.

 

Ok maybe I'll tackle it during spring break then. That will allow me a LOT of time. So if it looks the same then it's ok? Like, there arent any major differences or anything? I dont want to get one inferior to the one I have now or anything.... Beyond that, I guess my only fear is pulling something off and having a spring shoot off into oblivion or something.

Thanks for all the help.

 

search through my old threads in the carb forum. You're me 3 months ago....

if you're going to pick-a-part, make sure you get one without the wiring going to the front top (forget what that's called), and with the fuel line as a side inlet, not front. aside from that they're all the same...

oh yea, all the rebuild kits are the same... as far as I know, Niehoff, at Can-tire is $33 or go to NAPA and pay $50 (no joke, I priced it out, same kit too...)

Just make sure you save your roll pin, they're surprisingly hard to get in that size. I have a trick for that... search for any of my posts in the carb forum....

I have some extra parts/tools if you need them let me know...

you planning on doing this at a high school shop? Which quadrant is that in anyway? -J

 

Ok, thanks. I will have to go next week or something.

As for doing it in a shop, yeah probably. But I am seriously considering doing it at home. I have everything I need here.

...aaaand I wont say what quadrant.

 

yea, just make sure you have decent lighting, and don't use a propane heater when doing it... (learned that quickly...)

suit yourself. I'm in the NW, northland mall area. I figured if you were in walking distance and you got stuck, i'd be able to help you out... by now I know a non-cc q-jet inside out and backwards...

plus, soon i'm going to need some tires removed from rims, and put on other rims, I've used a tire machine many times, I just don't have one.... my high school did, but since i'm not in highschool..... I figured we might be able to work out a deal...

Anyway, good luck with the carb... just don't bend your primary metering rods when putting back on the air horn... it's tricky... and so it getting out the choke air horn rod... or getting it back in... -J

 

Ok I'll remember not to use a propane heater lol. I'm not too sure what to do now though. I just went and priced out a rebuild kit today and it was fifty bucks, but the guy said it only came with the gaskets. So that would probably be pointless to me. I need it modded a bit because of what I've done to my engine. Considering just getting a holley or something..


About the tires, I can definately help you out there. I'm in real good with my shop teacher and I am certain if you came by and I said you were a friend, he would be cool. Send me a pm or something when you're ready and we'll go from there.

 

aces! I'm waiting to sell my knight rider wheels and get some formulas as trade... so soon as LG4Knight ships them to me i'm golden....

I wouldn't jump on an aftermarket carb just yet, five-7 kid will back me up here, the q-jet is quite nice, and from what I understand easier to tune then a holley... etc. etc..

yea, don't be surprised if the parts counter guy is clueless... They either charge lots, or know their stuff.. not both..


At Napa (16th ave), I forget the guys name, 20-ish, acne ridden, very nice guy, extremly helpful, he'll show you the kit and open it up for you, he'll need a p/n to find the kit though (then you/he finds out all q-jet kits are the same ). but they are $50.

He showed it to me and it contained exactly the same parts as the $33 Niehoff one from Can-tire. they always have them in stock, can't search based on carb # (they don't know their stuff at can tire usually, but they're cheap), so just search based on car.

you'll get gaskets, accelerator pump, needle and seat, fuel filter o-ring, etc....
no float, vacuum break or choke housing. They sell those seperately. easy way to check the vacuum break, float is a no-brainer...

I've read your mods, I don't really think it's enough to warrant upgrading anything on the carb, but they, sooner or later it will be, and you might as well test it... I forget how to check if your getting lean at WOT, or not... (I sent you a few articles on q-jets before didn't I?? I think I have more too...)
but either way, if you want different power piston springs, primary metering rods, jets, secondary stuff, go to Mopac (16th ave), and look for the Edelbrock:
http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive/...et_access.html
specifically the race calibration kit.... like a grab bag of those, then you can test each one to see which works best...

 

Sweet, looks good. I hope it doesnt cost much. I guess I'll go to can tire tomorrow or something and grab it. Thanks a lot of all the help btw.

Oh, and I was at mopac today, asking about carbs and shift kits and stuff, and I told the guy I had been considering a corvette servo, and he had no idea what the heck I was talking about.

 

Call Rick at Rick's Racing Trannys, 272-5880.

 

oh boy, don't get me started about the A**holes at mopac. I think I ranted about those jokers in another thread....

but yea, they do stock the edelbrock stuff there. so they're helpful that way,.... but they just want to BS with guys with old hot rods, and not actually help anybody out.... They looked at my 20yr old face, with a backpack, and just rolled their eyes at me.... had to wait 10 minutes just to get service, 'cuz buddy ahead of me was BS'ing about his holley carb...

 

When you deal with Mopac, try to talk to Kevin or Bill. Avoid dealing with Cal at all costs. Whenever you're dealing with any parts supplier, try to know exactly what you want before you go in there.

 

Yeah, that's for sure. I'm 18 and they ignore me the same way. What makes it worse is that is that one of the first times I went in there it was right after I had a filling done so I was talking with a lisp and he must have thought I was mentally challenged or something.

 

 

Again, shut up. Bastard.

 

last time i talked to you you were 17....lol....I think......weird.....I just turned 18 a few weeks ago....

But yeah, DONT GOTO CANADIAN TIRE........You were already screwed by them, I was too. They are one of the worst places for automotives you know that. Auto value

 

Yeah, they really are. But I think I can get that kit there eh? If it is the same thing but cheaper like Sonix said?

Oh and check my profile. I turned 18 in January.

 

Any parts store will be able to get a kit, from one manufacturer or another. I always had good luck with Auto Value.

 

MAKE SURE its right.....They have screwed me over so many times with different parts like Dist. cap and thermostat. trust a former employee (long time ago) its not a pretty place.

Give autovalue a call, they always have good prices.....and free popcorn

If that fails.....***shiver*** try canadian tire

 

I was going to get some of that potcorn last time but it was a little grody... And the lady there didnt speak enough english to know what I was talking about when I wanted that rad hose. And dont get me started on THAT fiasco again lmao.

 

"your hose is to short"

man thats priceless...hahaha

 

By the way, the best way to find most parts is to talk to Thomas at the parts counter at Jack Carter. In most cases you'll get an original GM part for cheaper than the aftermarket equivalent, or else he'll be able to tell you where to go for it.

 

How do you know so much about places in Calgary?

And yeah, jack carter is where I take my cars all the time.

 

It's not like I didn't live there or anything.

There's no better thing you can do to make working on your car easier and more fun than developing relationships with the right tradespersons and suppliers. The right dealer and aftermarket counterpersons, a machinist, a welder, a transmission specialist... anyone that can bolster your knowledge in areas that you're deficient.

 

In his case its EVERYWHERE

**ducks and runs**

 

Me? ooh I'm gon' kill you now boy!


Plus, you're the one running.

 

hahha

 

If you guys are having problems finding Q-Jet parts let me know, I have about a 100 cores and lots of gaskets, I am in Seattle, Wa.
As far as getting a core from the junk yard that will be the same as yours, if you don't get one from the same car it will probably have different size jets/rods and air bleeds will be diferent also.

If you want a little help give me your carb # and I can look it up.

Q-jets have many adjustments that a Holley doesn't, this is one reason they are discarded by many because they don't want to take the time and figure it all out. But once it's set-up correctly it will out perform a Holley in fuel mileage and performance. My feelings for what its worth.

 

I appreciate the input. Argh, I wrote down the carb number here somewhere.. But the thing is I think it's a junkyard carb anyway, so I dont know if even IT is the right one. It has some markings on it like when they write on stuff at the yards.

But we'll see. It's a 17059284. No idea whether it's open or closed loop emissions. Then again, neither did the NAPA guy.

 

If you don't have a computer, it's open loop.

 

The 17059284 is for a 1979 350 cu. in. engine. If you have a 305 cu. in. it will be jetted incorrectly.

 

This was "remanufactured". Hopefully they jetted it to your specs. but when you rebuild it, post the primary jets, primary rods and secodary rods/hanger. And suggestions can be made...

 

Yes, that is a good thing to look at when you take it apart. There will be other differences which may cause problems getting the 'perfect tune'. Size of the brass tubes and idle restriction plug that flow fuel for the idle circuit, size of the air bleeds for both idle and power circuit, ect.
There is a book out about how to rebuild and tune the Q-Jet, the author is Doug Roe and it should be available at Amazon.

My point is this carb has so many variables that the best way to start tuning is to have the correct carb for the motor size to start with. This is why alot of people gave the Q-jet a bad name, too many variables which cause headaches when not understood correctly.

If the performance from this carb is O.K. for you, buy all means use it, if you think your motor has more in it you need a solid starting point with which to start from and make changes one at a time.

Going to the junk yard and buying another one that looks the same will probably only cause problems down the road. But you may get lucky.

 

Oh jesus, that's just what I need.

I wonder what a junkyard carb would cost.. Or if I should just go get a holley.. Or get one from ebay that needs a rebuild, and rebuild it.. What do you think?

 

Rebuildman said he has about 100 cores. I'm thinking about asking him what he wants for one that is simular to my non CC 85 LG4. I am taking a trip to a big scrap yard tomorrow too, will see what they want.

 

Well I hope it's cheap. I'm on a highschool budget here, and I STILL havent gotten around to even buying those damn headers yet...

 

Ryan, pay attention.

Pick-a-part sells carbs for $15. that's where I got mine. After rebuilding it, got it to work. $15+$40 kit = $55. That's a lot cheaper than aftermarket. Also the features of a spreadbore are pretty sweet.
Rebuildman, keep in mind he's using a non-cc. I didn't think that used air bleeds.

It's not as hard as it sounds. You can rebuild a junk yard one (look for one off an early '80s full size GM car. they all had 305s, so the carb will be similar to what you want, mine was from an '84 Cutlass.) rebuild it. drop it on your car. if it runs, good, you have a basepoint... then you can start posting from there to tune it.

ie, if you have an off idle stumble, do this.... if you bog going into secondaries do this....

then you can fine tune it with primary rods/jets etc. That's harder, but can be done for sure.

EDIT: and if you screw up a junkyard $15 carb, no big deal... if you screw up a $400 holley.... you'll feel like a real tool. and it's über cheap experience to rebuild a q-jet, that's the best source of knowledge: getting your hands dirty and doing it....

 

12.99 plus 3.99 core...... getting mine tommorow

 

Hmm, I didnt think of it that way. I was thinking the main benefit of getting an aftermarket one was that it would already be adjusted properly and I would know exactly what I had, whereas a junkyard one could have had *** knows what done to it.

But I guess it's worth a shot. Much better than spending 300+ on an aftermarket one. I'll go get one on saturday or something then. Hope I can find one.


And again, thanks a lot for all the help.

 

All carbs have air bleeds.

 

Rebuildman - Can you tell me more about the one I have right now? Like what car it might have come from, etc. And maybe what I could do to it to make it work for a mild 305?

Or if I rebuilt my current one and bought a edelbrock race tuning kit for it, would that make it acceptable?

 

care to explain that part then? Where is the air bleed, and how can I tell it's size? I'm thinking about the round tube coming straight up the top front, on a cc-qjet it's capped, and non-cc it's not capped. I thought all were the same size though... (if i'm thinking about the right part...)

 

I hope I can get me one of them cheap carbs tomorrow. I bet I won't tho. I find scrap yards in my area (Toronto) a bit on the expensive side.

 

Yeah the one over here is getting worse. Much worse. There are never any good cars in it, and they are charging more and more. For instance, a complete set of 4 stock springs from them would be 60 bucks. And ppl on TGO GIVE those away.

 

they wanted to charge me 5 bucks for the signal switch handle thingy.....i just ended up jacking 2 lol. And they charge admission now, so evertime I go I get my dollars worth, even if i dont need anything. Combined me and a few friends got like 300 fuses

 

Have you ever tried pouring gas from a can without having a air bleed hole at the top? What happens? Fuel will not flow or pours erractically until its gets that burp of air right?
Same with a carb, size of bleed holes will have an effect on the flow of fuel, the big hole you see on the air horn is the vent for the float bowl, same principle, that is why it's so big, no restriction.

Did you know there are jets for the idle circuit on a Q-Jet? Where are they you ask! With the top of the carb removed look closely at the threaded screw holes in the center of the main body, holes for the two flathead screws under the choke blade.
Next to the threaded holes you see two drilled passages with brass plugs and drilled holes, one is just a cup pressed down in the hole, called an idle restriction, the other hole has a long tube about 2.5 inches long which draws fuel from the float bowl, at the end of these tubes is a necked down passage that is sized correctely and is the idle jet for your particular motor.

Ever have really crappy idle and you rebuild the carb and it is still the same? These idle jets are very small, if they get plugged no fuel to that side of the idle circuit, so how do you clean them out or resize them for bigger cams? Remove them and modify them so you can screw them out easily at any time.

You can also resize the idle down restriction cup but going back to a smaller size if you make it too big is a bit harder.
Also look at the top (airhorn) of the carb with it off, you will see the idle air holes that line up with the idle channel, some are just a drilled hole some have pressed in brass plugs that are drilled out, calibrated air bleed for you size motor!

What you guys should do is get a junk Q-Jet and take it apart to find all these items so you can really see how it works and if you screw it up no big deal. But you will have the knowledge it takes to know how to modify these carbs.

Try this with your junk carb, find the idle tubes and drill out the top 1/4 inch with a #21 drill that should release the tube from the carb so you can get it out. Now measure the tube diameter and drill a hole in a 10-32 setscrew just slightly smaller then press the tube into the set screw, tap the #21 hole you drilled out with a 10-32 tap now you have removable idle jets!
Make sure you tap the hole deep enough so the tube will reach the fuel level in the float bowl.

 

They didn't even have a carb at the largest yard in the Toronto area. Guy told me if there was one out there, it would be in his yard truck cause he needs one.

 

I have gotten off the path of the original question and am sorry for this. I replied to this thread because you asked about getting a carb from the junk yard and using it on your engine and someone replied that as long as it looks the same it would work because they are all the same. Not true.

The carb you have #17059284 is from a 1979 Canada only option Z-94 for 350 cu. in. Impala or Camaro with A/C and A/T.
The stock jetting for this is main rods #51 jet #77 power spring #7029529.
If you had the same exact year carb from a 305 cu. in. engine the stock main rods were #40 jets #71 pwr spring #7036019. Physically from the outside they would both look the same but as you can see inside they are different.

Can you make the carb you have work on your 305, sure I suppose you could, what all needs to be changed other than the three things I mentioned?

Does the carb you have now do what you want it to do? Are you happy with it? Do you think there is more? Do you have more time than money?
All good questions.

Good Luck and have fun, learning is part of hot rodding. Knowledge is key to a happy hot rodder!