ChrisC

I got an add about a place in Pittsburgh,PA called Karb King and I found a couple of outsider reviews on them but I am curious to see if anyone on here has used them?

AutoRoc

iTrader: (1)

Never used them... why would they use a K? boggles my mind

I'm a Pro Systems customer, can't say enough about their service.

ChrisC

The real reason that I am considering their service is because sending them old carburetors for them to use as cores compensates for the cost of labor that they will do on your carburetor and I've got a ton of cores around my garage. I really want to get my carb flow benched, tanked, and re finished..What better way than to do it for a marginal cost of shipping! I just need some more justification before I send these guys anything

14bolter

I've gotten a couple of 2bbl Holleys done by them for my dirt car. Set them up real nice and inexpensive compared to other places I checked. Plus they're quick. I sent in a 2300 for a rebuild with my engine specs and got it back within the week. I'm gonna send in a Q-jet off my truck when I get some time. I think they were called Tri-State or something, cuz I did a search and found em on the BBB before I shipped off my first carb. A+ rating. Hope this helps.

ChrisC

Yes that helps a ton! Do they warranty their work? Say I get a carb back and it now leaks, are they pretty good about customer service?

14bolter

I had no cause to find out about warranties cuz they said they'd run right outta the box and sure enough if they did. We don't run chokes, but both of em took to idling no problem. No leaks, no nothin. I can say that a F*rd buddy of mine sent them a BG Demon and then changed cams mid-build. He called them and they jet it up and tweaked it with no charge or bother. I think that sez something for Karb King customer service anyways.

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

That's exactly the way Pro-Systems used to be.....I'll keep Karb King in mind!

ChrisC

If I end up using their services I will definitely post a review on here for you guys

bestracing

I'll be watching for this....

ChrisC

Little heads up on Karb King, I'll be sending them a 4160 to 4150 carb as of tomorrow. I'll keep you few posted!

bestracing

Cool!

ChrisC

So I got the carb back the other day, looks great! They even powder coated it free of charge. When I put the carb on, however, I ran into a snag. There is no pump shot from the accelerator pump. Although this kind of sucks, the people over there were excellent about it. They walked me through my options which were I could either try to fix it myself and they could five me a $125 credit or I could send it back to them and they would pay for my shipping. Their customer service has been great thus far and after some thinking I'm going to be shipping it back to them because a $125 credit will be useless if I never need their services again. Updates will follow.

bestracing

The way I see it, everyone makes mistakes every now and then. It's how you handle the situation afterwards is what says a lot about the company. Good deal on them covering the cost of shipping again. Post a pic when you get it back

14bolter

Karb King sent a tips sheet along with my Q-jet--powder coated too--that talked about bad gas and the importance of filters and the like. When I was hookin up my fuel line I saw there was no internal filter and called them. They said they remove them because they hinder flow in performance apps, clog easily, and are beyond the ability of some to replace cuz their in the carb itself. But they also said EVERYONE should run at least one inline filter after a rebuild to keep garbage out of the carb. I didn't at first, thinking the internal filter was takin care of it and had a similar problem like yours. They told me how to fix it and swore me to run an inline filter and I've never had a problem since. I'm on my third carb from them. Can't beat their prices and service.

No fuel going through the squirter sounds like garbage in the fuel that an inline filter could have fixed. Did you try blowing it out? Is your fuel old or tank and lines open while the carb was off? Minty rebuilds are super tight and even the smallest cr*p can clog a transfer tube and the like.

Keep us posted. And take the credit if they're givin it to ya!

ChrisC

I decided not to ship it back to them quite yet. 14Bolter, I am running an inline filter for that very reason and the fuel was new. From what I understand, the chemical agent that they now use to neutralize the gasoline before they are allowed to ship the carb via mail can sometimes cause adverse effects on needles, seats, fuel passages, etc.

I took apart the accelerator pump unit and realized that the umbrella check valve was ripped. I then took out the squirter and saw that the passage wasn't fully machined. I swapped it with an older one and was able to get a slight dribble of fuel through but still no normal spray. I talked to Mike earlier from Karb King and he verified the squirter issue. Out of their last batch of squirters from Holley, a few of them were not fully tapped for fuel to pass through.

He is sending me a new check valve as well as a new squirter and accelerator pump free of charge. He told me that if I still wasn't fully satisfied I could send the carb back for a free look through and rebuild and he would pay for shipping both ways. Oh, he also gave me a $125 credit toward their services in the future.

Bottom line, Mike along side the rest of the guys down there are awesome. I complimented him on their customer oriented business strategy and he told me not to until my car was running. I'll keep you guys posted when my parts arrive, hopefully by Thursday.

bestracing

ChrisC

So, I found the potential culprit to the lack of fuel issue--I've never seen this happen before might I add! The needle check valve for the squirter became lodged in the passage, creating a dam and allowing minimal fuel to surpass. I'm sending it back to Karb King in the morning and they're either going to attempt to remove it from the passage or replace the entire main body free of cost. Again, they've been awesome with their customer service!

If anyone wants to see pictures of the problem I can post them

bestracing

Yes, because I'm nosy that way

ChrisC

Here is a picture before I sent it back. It's a little blurry but you can see the top of the check needle way down in the passage. We talked on the phone last night and they were finally able to get the thing out but destroyed the main body in the process so they're getting me a new main body and doing the entire process over obviously for no added cost and not taking away from my $125 credit that I still have with them. It's the end of March now and I'm now a month behind which sucks. Everything was supposed to be painted by now but what can ya do.

14bolter

I've actually heard of that happening, but with the check *****, rather than the needles. The wrong sized ball goes down there and it's over. I don't think that's something that's actually their fault, so it just shows you they stand behind their work. I'm sure Karb King has tons of parts, but even a used body has to set them back. Especially on top of the credit they also gave you. They're very good people to deal with. Sorry your project is lagging, though--but good things come to those who wait!

ChrisC

And this crappy weather up here in New England is making it a little better! If it was warm out like this time last year, I would be kicking myself for not getting my paint done!

As for the needle issue, I don't think it's really anyones fault it is just a fluke. It had a needle in it when I shipped it with no issue and when they finished rebuilding it and ran it on their mock up motor it had no issue either otherwise it wouldn't have passed their test. It's just something that happened along the route back to me some unexplainable way and luckily they've been great guys to work with.

bestracing

Karb King has gone above and beyond what I would have expected and I give them two thumbs up for the way they have handled this. I haven't had anything like that happen to any of my carbs. Thanks for posting it up.

I know what you mean by weather. It was nice in the 50's here Friday and it has been snowing here since Sunday. I need to get my car ready for a show coming up in late April. The proceeds goes towards a dog rescue group called P.A.W.S. I actually have adopted a dog from them once and she's a real sweetie. She's Boxer Terrier mix with brindle coloring. It's really hard to get out into the garage with all this white **** coming down.

ChrisC

This past weekend I was spoiled by spending it in my buddy's heated garage. 70 degrees inside and less than 30 outside! They sent the carb out today so it will probably be shipped tomorrow and here on Friday-ish. Fingers crossed she fires right up but I'm very confident

dirty3rd

I just found a link to these guys on local craigslist and was wondering about them. Their site looked legit enough, so I'm glad I found this thread. What's the cost of the rebuild if you don't have a core to send? My Q-jet is pretty rough since the elec choke was removed and it backfired thru the carb on a cold start.

My brother in law claims that before he parked the car he took it to a local shop and they did the carb work. However, while I was redoing the top end of his Lexus, I watched him tip the heads (yes, BOTH!) and dump the valves out and put them back in random order. He tries.

Either way, I have too many projects and too few dollars and time to put in a kit or to replace the ignition system and put on a new carb. Plus a re-jet would be nice.

Chris, it sounds like the carrier "Ace Ventura'd" your package and threw it around or something for your needle issue.

Thanks again for the thread and the info guys!

bestracing

Is this an original computer controlled carb or has the computer been removed and this is an older carb? Either way I wouldn't trash that carb just yet. Here's a quote from their site which says they also rebuild/restore Rochester carbs.

For Reference

Here's a site with rebuilding instructions:
http://www.quadrajetcarburetors.com/...tructions.html

Here's an article about some of the tricks and issues when rebuilding a Q-Jet.
http://www.superchevy.com/technical/...ter_quadrajet/

ChrisC

I was in the same boat as you dirty3rd when I was first sending them my carb. I was going to use one of their cores because I thought mine wasn't worth the effort of even attempting to use as a core. Their 4 bbl Holley cores start at around $75. Plus the $125 rebuild process and shipping one way flat rate USPS of $16.85 large box (if you ship them your carb). If I were you, I'd send them the quadrajet. Worst case scenario they rule it too far gone (which I highly doubt they'd do) and then you use one of their cores. You'd only be paying the $16.85 extra for shipping if it didn't work out with the Quadrajet but if it does work out, you save the $$ for their core.

Want to go back to electric choke? Tell them and they'll hook you up. They put an entire remanufactured choke assembly on mine during the rebuild. The best part is you'll get much more than just a re jetted carb. They will build and tune per engine specific application. Keep us posted!

dirty3rd

Thanks guys! Yes it is the original comp controlled carb, I have a couple of pics, sorry the one is blurry. I actually do have the choke itself too, I found it in the console while digging for all the numbers for the car.

O'reilly says they can order a re-manned Rochester carb for $500! I don't think so. I could just get an out-of-the-box carb and distributor, etc and yank all the computer crap out for cheaper than that.

I would like to keep the electric choke and try to keep it original as long as I can since it only has 37,000 miles on it. I have a truck 350 but I have a lot of stuff to do before I dare put that in there.

I was skeptical about even sending a carb through the mail to be honest because of exactly the kind of problems mentioned above, but if they are that cheap it might not be a bad idea.

Thanks again for the info!

dirty3rd

I forgot to mention (got called away) that I was told both Demon and Rochesters are pretty much toast once they've been backfired through. Any thoughts on this? I've pretty much always used Edelbrocks or double pumpers, but I don't imagine that kitting a Quad is much different. Like I said before, I'd just rather not have to put a whole lot of money into this thing this year; I'd rather keep plugging away at the kitchen (keep the wife at bay) or put the money into one of the other vehicles that actually need body work now that it's finally warming up. $200 and no work on my part sure sounds better than the alternatives I've been given!

Thanks again!

ChrisC

Fill out one of their order forms and then shoot them an email explaining your situation about the backfire and about the fact that you want to retain its use when you do a motor swap in the future to a 350. They will give you all of the info that you are looking for and need. As for shipping, they do a great job securing the carb from harm but once it leaves their hands it all depends on USPS to keep it safe, which isn't a guarantee. Worth it though? Absolutely

bestracing

The Demon, or Holley for that matter, should have a back fire prevention check ball install so that would not be an issue and was only a problem for the Holley style carbs that were built in the 80's or earlier since they didn't have the check ball system yet. A back fire would damage the power valves in the older Holly style carbs. I don't think it would harm a Q-jet but I don't work on them so I'm not 100% sure.
I'd have to agree since I know most reman's from parts store have been questionable with working properly. I know a few people that have gone through 2 to 3 carbs off the shelf before finding one that works right (in the late 90's). I'm not sure if their quality control has gotten any better over the years or not but I'd rather have a known carb get rebuilt professionally than taking a chance on getting an unknown carb from Advanced or Auto Zone.

bestracing

Just as an FYI about making your car non-ECM controlled. You will need the following:

A new non-ecm carb. you can save some money by going with another q-jet
A new manifold or converter plate for Holley application(spacer can cause hood clearance problems).
Fuel line from fuel pump to the carb, if aftermarket style
A new distributor. The old one doesn't have provisions for timing advanced without the ECM.
Air pump valves won't work properly.

I don't know Mass. vehicle laws but if your car has to be inspected then this option will not pass inspection.

I had lots of parts laying around and got my Performer manifold for $25 barely used. So it was cheap for me to convert at first than buy a rebuild carb, plus my original carb was missing pieces too. Over the years I have swapped out parts and added new ones like I bought a new Holley 570 for looks and I wound up getting a Mallory distributor, HEI style cap and coil from the Mallory trailer at the US Nationals cheaper than just a new Mallory distributor from either Jeggs or Summit. I have all of my original parts including the exhaust manifolds (not exhaust pipe) so I can return the car back to original if I wanted to.
They are stored in 2 rubbermaid tote boxes

dirty3rd

I think I found a guy down in Des Moines that will do it for $50 and a 12 pack. He's gonna look at it. There are no emissions in Iowa at all. Just that if it came factory with a cat it has to have a cat for Midas to even touch it. Mine is gone and 2.5 pipe to a Flowmaster 80.

As for this setup, I just don't want to take on another major project right now. I need the hood, RS or Z28 bumper cover, headliner, guages and carb replaced. Then it's paint and out the door.

I've got a 327 and a fresh 350 with custom grind cam and flat tops. But I've got this 61 Apache to finish. This 47 Chevy to get done and painted. Plus I have to finish the house too. And now it's mowing season. Just too much. This Camaro has under 37,000 miles still, so why molest it?

To put either of these babies in there, it would take mods I don't want to pay for on a Sport Coupe, T-Top or not. That 350 should easily be 450 ft lbs.

I wouldn't be worrying about this Rochester if I didn't have to!

Pssst.. I'd rather have a TPI 5 speed Z anyway...

bestracing

I know what you mean about not having to modify too much so you can enjoy the car. I hope everything works out for you with the carb rebuild.

dirty3rd

Well, turns out I hit paydirt. Went down to Des Moines Friday night to see that guy about the carb, and took a case of beer and a bottle of Jameson. He said it needs a new one. No big surprise considering it burned off his eyebrows when I started it!

HOWEVER, he just had this thing "laying around", and after getting pretty well crocked, wanted to trade for my 2000 Grand Prix sleeper. I let him sober up and think on it, then took it down yesterday for him to drive. He loved it and we exchanged slips and receipts on the spot.

It's a Z28 with the 305 TPI has a rebuilt 700r4 with a strong shift kit and a 3800 stall. 97,000 original miles. It's NASTY! Here are some pics of it:

I know this is getting off topic now, and I apologize to the mods! Will start a new thread regarding this one and the other one, which is now for sale!

ChrisC

cool! If you wanted to still sell the other as a running car, in my experience theres no such thing as a carb that cannot be fixed. Either source a junker Qjet and do some swapping or what have you. Best of luck and post that build thread soon!

bestracing

Nice car. As much as I love 3rd gens, I wouldn't want to get rid of my 2004 Impala SS. Mainly because the Imp is my DD and it gets 25-27 mpg on average per tank as long as I'm not flooring it all the time and keeping it below 70mph :devil: I love the feel and power of the super charger on that car! Plus my Imp is an Indy 500 edition which is 1 of 4088 produced that year which comes with blacked out grill, gold bowtie, Limited Edition badge on dash and gauge cluster, embroidered floor mats of the Flying tire and race flags, embroidered head rest with the flying tire, flying tire fender emblems, low profile rear deck spoiler and special 17" chrome wheels. The wheels and spoiler became Std Options on all 2005 Imp SS cars later.

dirty3rd

I did leave the carb with him and he'll have it done this week sometime. A local guy has a 92 cavalier z24 he wants to trade for it, which from the pics looks immaculate and has 90k on it. Makes me not regret getting rid of my RS donor now! hahahaha

dirty3rd

I do love those Impalas too. They look tough. My Grandmother (76 yrs old) just got a 2013 SS and won't let me drive it! It has the most beautiful and unique red metallic paint I've seen on a factory paint job. Like you said, if you can keep your foot out of it, mpg is great. This Z gets better mpg than my Grand Prix did!

curlytexas

"the first amendment is why, with a topic like this one, gives the customer the attempt to help others who are seeking feed back about past experiences. the truth about how a business operates, is if they are successful by honest work or successful by unprofessional work to take peoples hard earned money. not to mention how their work can hinder the progress of a fellow vehicle fabricator that enjoys freedom of the gas pedal. all in all this special person can have the most faith to be the better man and change for the better of others. " quote from Phillip Tice

curlytexas

(gasoline+air) + spark / 4x4 = freedom for me

curlytexas

.

14bolter

I think curlytexas is looking to smear Karb King. I've had five Karbs--yes Karbs--done by them with not one issue. And the one time I called mid-rebuild because we went with another head intake and cam set up, they rejetted and retuned what was a completed Karb and didn't charge me a thing. I'm very happy with their work and think Mike and JR are great guys. I run demo derbys and their Karbs have lasted through two engines and four crashers with just a fresh filter and base gasket.

I suggest you call Mike and explain your position before publicly trash talking a good shop.

Or do it on a ***** board so we don't have to hear about your T*y@t$.

14bolter

PS see ChrisC's experience above. Totally positive with Karb King. Just like mine. You must be "special."

1redcar

I think I know curlytexas, he has a toyota. His supposedly defunct carb shouldn't be seen as a poor reflection on Karb King, but rather a reflection on his wrenching. In any event, I sent a holley to the King last summer for rebuild and was impressed with the results and customer service. They even send you a tip sheet for performance when they return it, I should mention that it doesn't indicate dismantling the carb prior to usage is beneficial.

Abubaca

iTrader: (3)

I think Carb is spelled with a C.

14bolter

Gotta love Abubaca!

I see someone changed their mind about trashing Karb King and is now waxing somewhat "philosophical" about things.

Regardless, as a very satisfied Karb King Kustomer, I emailed Mike the link to this forum and pointed out the comments--they've always done right by me, and I felt they deserved a heads up. While his reply didn't get into details, it did mention that they always stand by their work and offer to make things right, but some people can't be satisfied.

Amen to that. Just ask my ex.

Anyhooo, I invited Mike to the forum for Karb King's side, but also so The King could be a sounding board for any carb questions we may have. Those guys were actually alive when the Holley 4bbl came out in '57, and probably fiddling with em, too!

1redcar

You know, Mike and the guys at Karb King are here (in Houston) at the Springnationals with their Cobra this weekend. Maybe they can pay a visit to curlytexas and, um, help him, with his problem(s)

Tom_624

*EDITED* After a post in which I asked for Mike from KK to get in touch with me, he has, and we are working out an amicable solution. Out of respect to the process, I'll suspend commenting. *EDITED*

Thanks

Tom

Ps. Sorry for joining just for this purpose, I have a Chevy Nova but I have used this site MANY times for great insight and tips on Chevy engines in the past...I should have joined long ago.

Iowaguy

k

14bolter

I've been reading this thread with some interest as I've gone on record--as did 1redcar and ChrisC--about our excellent experiences with Karb King, and was concerned enough to let those guys know what's being said. I will reserve comment and hope the Mike weighs in and sheds light on things, without people basically blasting them with a biased point of view.

I will say that a big problem with shipping carburetors is the USPS, as echoed by ChrisC and Mike, himself. I've received two carbs that had minor damage that was solely the fault if the post office, but was limited to a crushed vent tube and, Iowaguy, a broken vacuum cap and manual choke retaining clip. This damage was clearly NOT the fault of Karb King, but the postal service, and although they had no reason to do so, Karb King sent me a new cap and clip with my next order, and that was that. Mike and JR have said that many carbs come in damaged and uninsured, and while they try to swap parts and repair things without cost to the customer, they've begun rejecting obviously damaged boxes that were uninsured.

I know, because a good friend and racing buddy I referred from Clarksville had his Holley returned in a bag--in several pieces--with a nice, apologetic, though ultimately unhelpful note from our USPS. NOT the fault of Karb King.

It sounds just like what happened to Iowaguy. I'm not sure what more they can do but offer to repair--which they arent obligated to do--and/or offer a credit for the customer's trouble. They're regular working guys like us and should have to give away their parts and services because carbs come poorly packed or are otherwise destroyed by the post office.

I also know that I often get their voicemail explaining they're busy or racing, but always get a call or email back within a day or so. I also know that they go to every NHRA date not only to race, but support fellow racers who are customers and use their carbs. I actually went to their trailer last month in Charlotte, met Wayne aka "The Jetster" and got a free shirt. Anyhoo, for all us people that are use to 24/7 Summitt or Jegs customer service and no question return policies--and huge support staffs, Karb King is the exact opposite. A small, family operation that may have problems meeting the perfect customer service expectations of today. Building carbs all week and driving thousands if miles on the weekends--and they're have been three weeks of Mello Yello drags (of which I believe they won their class in Houston (?) BTW--must be pretty hectic. But mistakes can happen. All I know is that Karb King always tries to make it right.

I don't wanna come off as defending them--ive had problems, too, as explained above--but I think some people become very opportunistic and loose with their biased tales, and don't see things for what they really are. It can really take its toll on a business run by a nice bunch of guys trying to do their best with what they have.

At the end of the day, trying to correct problems at their cost, including USPS-influcted damage, and offering full credits toward new jobs is a pretty good policy in my book. And I think those problems are few and far between and just happen to be posted in this forum because it shows up high in the search results for them. In reality, we all forget that the great majority of Karb King's products are excellent, problem-free, incredible values for the money.

I'll get off my platform. Mike, we're with ya at RPM Racing man--I hope you'll chime in the next time people try to dis The King!

And maybe some of you will think twice before unloading.