so i have a 1982 Camaro Berlinetta, it was running sluggish and then broke down. long story short, im replacing the 305 with a rebuilt 350. What would be a good after market carb to put on for better performance? Or would the original carb be fine. My mechanic talked about putting a new Edelbrock 600 on the 305, but idk how that would work on the 350.

 

The Edelbrock would be fine, I have a 1405 on my 350.

The stock carb would be fine - it's a Quadrajet I assume - has plenty of tunability for the 350 and more. I have no idea personally about the Quads - but they are supposed to be the best according to many - better mileage and tunable for alot of performance - five7Kid is the Quad king and he'll chime in here I'm sure and tell you all the details!

 

Alright, I am a moron about engines and carbs so I cant say if its a Quadrajet or not. Im tempted to get the Edelbrock but I wasnt sure if it would help or anything.

 

they are both good carbs,i love a tuned q-jet.

the edelbrock is a very close second,but is better than a stock untuned q-jet.

your cfms are fine for a stock or near stock motor.

avoid holley carbs for the street.

 

why should i avoid a Holley?

 

An Edelbrock carb is for the ignorant or desperate. Since you have a factory carb, you shouldn't be desperate. Therefore, your mechanic must either be ignorant, or assumes you are.

The factory q-jet is hands down the better carb than any Edelbrock. The typical reason they have problems is having been worked on by those who think the Edelbrock is the best carb out there.

Get the q-jet working the way the factory intended, which isn't hard as long as you keep the ignorant mechanics away from it, and it'll be just fine on the 350.

 

I knew that was coming

 

"An Edelbrock carb is for the ignorant or desperate. Since you have a factory carb, you shouldn't be desperate. Therefore, your mechanic must either be ignorant, or assumes you are."

Yeah, I have no doubt that he thinks I am. Like I already said, im clueless on how to work on carbs. So i would have to learn quickly or trust another mechanic to make the carb run perfectly.

 

and the number of techs left who can actually service and tune a q-jet out there in any one state i bet could be counted on your fingers.

the edelbrock carb is a carter afb,its been around a long time,reliable,and very easy to set up.

if the <right person> sets up the qjet, its the way to go.if not you will wish you had the edelbrock........

but,if you take into consideration the condition of the average 25 year old qjet (throttle shafts worn,epoxy the plugs,rebuild,choke pull off etc. and finding someone to do it right,telling him not to go with a edelbrock to save him some lost time, wasted money and stress, is not a bad idea.

i have ran,and rebuilt both, and on a street driven ,stock car both carbs are fine.

 

i have, and would build the q-jet.

but thats not a option available to everyone.

 

Well my carb was just replaced about 2 months ago. After 25 years of it being driven in the middle of the desert it sucked up some dirt and my mechanic said he found 2" of dirt in my intake system that sandblasted the insides. Of course this is the same possibly incompetent guy that wants an Edelbrock on. Some other mechanics that are old and have been around long enough to mess with these cars a lot said that the stock carbs are known to have problems with the machinery. Thats why i was looking at getting an Edelbrock.

 

this can turn into a neverending argument,but bottom line if the quadrajet can be repaired and jetted properly for your motor it is the best choice.but chances are it is in bad shape.

but if its not practical to reuse the qjet,the edelbrock is not a bad carb,people will talk **** about it. they run good,dont leak or blow out powervalves,they arent expensive,they are a good all around replacement carb.there is a lot worse out there.

 

Ok, Well im no pro but im pretty sure that my carb is in terrible shape, so a replacement is looking like a sure thing. Is there any other, maybe better, carbs that would work?

 

sounds like someone starting a pissing contest

hows this:

carbs are for the ignorant and helpless,port fuel injection is the way to go.

im going back to the tpi board

 

for your motor a quadrajet or edelbrock.

i dont reccomend holley or any other,im speaking from what ive used and owned.

 

i agree..the q-jet or edelbrock is fine..stay away from holleys for regular street use...

 

Alright will do, thanks for all the help guys!

 

What intake is on the engine, or will be on the replacement 350? If it is a stock intake, the Edelbrock won't fit on it without an adapter.

What transmission do you have? If an automatic overdrive (i.e., TH700R-4), the Edelbrock throttle arm won't have the correct geometry for the throttle valve cable (if your mechanic calls it a "kick down cable", you've got a problem - he doesn't understand what it does, or how important it is to have the geometry correct). You need to install a "corrector bracket" on the throttle arm or the transmission could be damaged. Also, the factory computer operates the "torque converter clutch" lock-up, which will not work with an Edelbrock carb. Without it, you'll burn up the 3-4 clutch pack if you run above 45 mph on a regular basis. Kits that don't use the computer are available, but will have to be purchased and installed. The factory distributor will not work properly with an Edelbrock carb; you need a different unit with vacuum and mechanical advance built in. Your SES light will be on constantly, either remove the bulb or tape over the light. An Edelbrock is not emissions legal in any of the 50 United States.

Setting up a factory computer q-jet carb properly involves a few measurements (exactly two more than a non-computer q-jet), and some adjustments after the carb is on the car and running. You do need either a scanner (Auto X-ray works great) or dwell meter (not much other use for a dwell meter these days) to set the idle air bleed. The throttle position sensor requires a unique screw driver to adjust (I made one out of a cheap regular screwdriver).

Putting an Edelbrock on the car, and doing it properly, will cost more and be a lot more hassle, to say nothing of reduced fuel economy capability and being illegal, than doing whatever it takes to get the stock q-jet running properly (even if you have to buy a rebuilt q-jet).

You can stick your head in the sand and ignore reality, but that won't make reality go away.

(And I would do a Holley before I'd do an Edelbrock, even for the street.)

 

ahh................. more great advice,the car is a 1982, there was no 700r4 in a 82 f-body.

the carb adapter is $20

the tv cable corrector is $40

the car is over 25 years old - most states dont require the car to pass a tailpipe test.

the dist. is no big deal as is the engine light.

 

it should be the stock intake, i'm not good with cars and don't know enough about my own, so transmission wise all i know is its automatic. it sounds like no matter what i'm gonna pay a lot for this carb. of course the mixed feelings between you guys about which is better keeps me on the fence about what to do. I don't have to worry about emissions,my city, Colorado Springs, does not worry about it anymore. The lack of good mechanics that know carbs in my area is a deal breaker too. There is a local shop but only one guy knows how to work on one properly, other than that its at least an hours drive to get to some good guys.
Right now, especially with putting in a new engine, money is tight and I can't afford to be spending hundreds of dollars on just my carb so stayin stock is looking real nice right now, maybe just clean it up so it looks pretty at least. Either way, Im clueless with cars, and have a thing about not trusting mechanics a lot, so this is very helpful to me.

 

hi there, this is why some people where telling put on an edelbrock..if you can't rebuild your quadrajet because you have no one who can do it right ..then an edelbrock is a good choice,,,because it comes ready to install out of the box,,plus you can get technical support from edelbrock on how to tune and set it up right,,videos and helpful tricks etc ..for the price it is a decent carb ,,especially if you can't find anyone to help you with your q-jet in your area,,,edelbrocks are very simple carbs and are not very expensive...almost anyone with their dvd can istall and tune one ..with a few simple mods you can get it to run right...good luck.

 

Whether it's a 700 or a 200 it will still require an alternate method of engaging the torque converter clutch solenoid.

You can't really fault the mechanic(s) for wanting to install a new carb and dist. Both will come with a warranty that lessens his liability. Last thing he wants to do is fix your aging system then have you come back to him every time something 'else' breaks. I am constantly surprised that so many are apparently willing to violate federal emissions laws, though.

Once you add up the cost of the new Edelbrock carb/bracket/dist/etc. you'll probably be looking at more than a re-built ccc-qjet and new, stock dist will run. Either route you go, you'll still end up with a 28 year old car, with 28 year old parts and pieces. If you drive one of these you really need to learn to fix it yourself. Mechanics that are willing to work on it are going to be harder to find and more expensive-see above.

 

I am slowly learning how to fix the car, very slowly. Between finding a better job and school i try to tinker around and learn something new, but its a slow process cause i cant read a book and learn how to fix something, i have to be in there doin it myself. I know i replaced my dist. about a year ago so would that not need replacing again then? I am willing to put in a carb myself once i learn the basics of it, so if Edelbrock gives a DVD with the carb then i could be in good shape. Once my car gets back with the new engine i may check out a local strictly Camaro shop to see what they might say about the carb. The one local guy that knows carbs said that the Edelbrock 600 should fit right where the stock did with some help from a spacer or two. Would all those things like the geometry cable or whatnot come with an Edelbrock carb or is that seperate?

btw, sorry for so many questions and all, I have no clue what im doing and you guys seem to be extremely knowledgeable with the 3rd Gens.

 

most states after 25 years, the car is not required to pass an emissions test,and with antique plates the car does not even have to be inspected.............

headers and turndowns

 

You'll have to buy the adapter plate and cable bracket separately. You'll also have to buy a DIFFERENT distributor. Your stock one is computer controlled and won't work well with the stock computer carb gone.

 

That sucks, any idea how much this all could cost? Right now my parents said they will help with paying for costs to do repairs but since my carb was just replaced and we spent almost a half grand on it id have to pay for this new one alone. and right now I'm goin back an fourth between new a new carb or a set of headers and splitting the exhaust and all.