I've got my 86 Camaro with a 305 all original motor complete with all the emissions and everything that makes a motor look ugly. Still have the qjet 4 barrel carb on it, but looking to replace it with an Eddlebrock 500 w/o all the connections for the air lines.

I know I'll have to buy a cover plate for the EGR, and plugging any remaining holes for the air lines. I also plan on buying an addaptor for the carb going from the spead bore to the square bore for the Eddlebrock.

I'm wondering if there's any other problems I might run into reguarding the stock intake or the distributor, or the engine in general after removing all the emissions.

 

Welcome aboard thirdgen.org.

If you use the factory distributor, the engine will run, but it won't have any power and gas mileage will be horrible. Figure on a new distributor that has vacuum and mechanical advance.

The automatic transmission has what is called a "TV cable" going to the carb, which stands for "throttle valve". It's NOT a "kick down" cable. The geometry for that cable needs to be correct, or the transmission will not shift correctly, and may even burn up the tranny because internal pressures are set by the throttle valve to correspond to throttle position.

The transmission also had a lock up torque converter that is commanded by the computer. Without the input from the carb and distributor, the computer won't know when to lock up the torque converter clutch. If you do a lot of cruising at speeds above where the computer would have locked up the TCC, guess what - you'll burn up the transmission. There are kits available that will perform the task without the computer.

Are you doing this for looks? Because the stock factory computer controlled q-jet is the best street/performance carb available, from the factory or aftermarket. You can do wonders cleaning up the routing of hoses and wires to clean up the underhood appearance without sacrificing performance or economy - and for a lot less money than a new carb and distributor. And, just changing the carb won't eliminate a lot of that stuff. If you are doing this for looks, IMO there is nothing uglier than block off plates and adapters. Just get an aftermarket intake manifold that doesn't have the EGR provision and doesn't need an adapter in order to mount a squarebore carb.

I ran the same '86 computer carb system on a 350 in my Berlinetta until I went EFI with an LS swap in '10. Admittedly I'm a function-over-form guy, but I still was able to clean it up from the way the factory had it.

 

Well the main reason I want to change out the carb is cause I have yet to find anyone who knows how to tune or work on a Qjet carb. Everyone I ask either tells me to replace it or runs the other way.

After hearing what you had to say on the carb/distributor/tranny communication issue, I probly will end up just leaving the qjet on for now, and just keep searching for someone to work on it. I do plan on sometime switching out my automatic transmission for a manual, which in that case could eliminate the computer all together, but I don't have the time or the money for that right now.

As far as removing all the emission stuff, most of it is gonna have to be moved or disconnected when I replace the valve seals and valve cover gaskets, so I figured this would've been an opportune time to just eliminate the EGR all together.

What I'm probly going to end up doing now is just removing the EGR and such when I replace the gaskets, and plug all the holes in my qjet while I try to find someone to work on it. Everything else I'll prolly just switch out whenever I do the tranny swap.