I have an 87 camaro. 305 /auto. H vin .. It had a qjet on it and i got sick of constantly messing with it so i got a 600 cfm edelbrock manual choke. My first question is, if i get an hei vacuum advance distributer do i run it off my factory comp or an aftermarket box or non at all? My second question is would it be more cost/labor effective to buy a msd box and get a vacuum advance dist. from the j-yard? I'm pretty lost with this, any help and insight would be very very appretiated. Thank you in advance.

 

also forgot to ask.... what do I do about the torque converter lockup????

 

I never had a q-jet, but members on here have alot of good to say about them.
Like any carb, if its rebuilt & // or set up correctly its a good dependable carb.

Vacuum advance to the distributor comes off a port of the carb.
IDK which port on a q- jet or Edelbrock, someone will be able to help you there as well as what to do with a distributor.

Welcome to TGO

 

You have to run a vac dist (HEI style or otherwise ) with a carb setup ,
the computer plays no part in engine management and does nothing , it can go in the bin
New vac dist gets hooked up with a single wire to the Ign switch , no box needed

 

With the computer gone you need some way of controlling the lockup.
Several options
read
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/carb...c-control.html

 

ok so i dont need anything "extra" to run a hei distributer. its kind of a all in one type deal....? also the qjet was having issues with its electric choke and i got a killer deal on the edelbrock for $50. so if i go to the j-yard and pick up a vacuum advance hei distributer then i should be good to go besides the torque converter? Does the trans also take a vacuum line?

 

Well I got the carb on after a spacer kit. and a choke cable. And I was actually able to use my factory distributer and coil. And as it turns out my trans dont have the electronic lockup, it has a kick down cable. Which of course was in plain sight but over looked due to my level of exasperation. Car is still running rough though, so I'm going to unhook my cat tonight to see if its clogged up some. Plus I picked up a set of new plugs. So we'll see......
Thanks for all the help guys.

 

One of the reasons the car is running rough is because you are using the factory computer controlled distributor. It will not advance the timing because there are no weights and springs in it and the computer will no longer control it properly because the factory carb and such is not hooked up. So whatever it is set at it will stay there all the time. Like locking the distributor on a race car.
Your trans does have an electronic hookup on the drivers side of it. That is to lock up the torque converter. If you do not hook this up as per the link in the previous post you will get terrible fuel mileage compared to before.
Also the cable to the trans is not a kick down cable. It is a tv cable and is what controls the line pressure for your trans. If it is not adjusted correctly with the correct bracket it will kill your trans in no time.

 

I would either rebuild your Q-jet or have it done. It would cost you a lil bit but would be worth it.

 

Yes you should get it rebuilt, unless you want to take it off later and have it done.

 

Well I got the hei put in last night. But can't figure out which is the factory tach wire. I haven't thrown the qjet on the scrap pile nor did I mutilate the factory wiring and such so it can all be put back on if I so choose. Also I adjusted the tv cable as suggested and have started gathering parts for trans mod.