[d-man]

Hi, I have an 1978 Black SE T/A. It's a 403 auto. It currently runs a Spreadbore Vac Sec 650 Holley but that needs a rebuild. My question is whether to rebuild the Holley or change to something different. Some one told me that Holleys are good but use way to much fuel for very little power advantage. Some say I should go with a Quadrajet as these are far more efficient. Also, maybe I should change the Holley to a DP ?? What do you reckon ??

[2manyT/A'S]

If the majority of your driving is done on the street & your T/A is relatively STOCK,you will FAR HAPPIER with a original style quadrajet.
They CAN be set up to provide similar performance to a Holly,providing better fuel economywhile requiring FAR LESS maintenance & you won't need to have a Firetruck following you around while you're out crusing!

[d-man]

Thanks for the info 2manyT/A'S. I'll definately replace the Holley and see how it goes. It's a weekend driver and only for cruising.

[2manyT/A'S]

As an added BONUS,you can probably sell your Holly to somebody that likes having firetrucks around.

[Colin]

I would go with the Q-jet too. I had a spread bore Holley and it was a pain in the rear.........friend of mine had one and he had the same problems with his that I had with mine. Hard to beat a Q-jet..........especially on a street car.

[Grand73Am]

Also, a great book for learning about Quadrajets is the "How to rebuild and modify Rochester Quadrajet Carburetors" by Cliff Ruggles.

[d-man]

Thanks guys, looks like it unanimous. I'm on the hunt for a Qjet now.

[WarbirdTA]

D-man,
Do you know if your car was a California car?
I have a 1978 California 403 olds carb.

George

[d-man]

Hi WarbirdTA,

I believe it was a California car because the PHS doc says that the original owner had to pay $76 for the dubious honour of having the "Calif Emission Requirements" package fitted !! Lucky wasn't he/she ??

I would de interested in you carb unfortunately getting to Sydney, Australia might prove somewhat too expensive. Thanks anyway.

D-man

[lost nuts]

Just a suggestion but you should beable to get the best performance out of an edelbrock performer series carb. They are based off the Qjet and carter design and require even less maintenance than a quadro jet and don't have the built in defects that the quadro jet has. A quadro jet is an ok carb. but it has internal defects and unless you know an awsome carb. guy (that can solder real good) you will eventually experience the prob's of the defects. Anyone who really knows carb's knows what I'm talking about. And besides that, the edelbrock is far more adjustable and versitle. I agree with the others in doing away with the POS Holley!

[BR57]

I agree. I am a GM guy tried and true and spent the better part of the summer monkeying around with two Quadrajets, a 73 and an 85 on my 1973 LeMans GT. I love the Quadrajet but finally bolted on the Performer. The Performer is so superior in every way. I am so impressed with this carb that I even wrote Vic Edelbrock a letter telling him so. My car is a street cruiser and the car is so much nicer to drive than compared to the Quadrajet, better throttle response, better fuel economy and more power. It feels like the hood is being sucked in on the highway when you plant it. The carb looks absolutely awesome too. I bolted it on out of the box and never turned a screw, idled right and launched the car perfectly.

[Colin]

The Edelbrock is a good carb too...........I have one on a 400. I still prefer a good Q-Jet. Buy Cliffs book (Rebuilding and Modifying the Q-Jet....or something like that).......he is top notch on Q-Jets and gives a lot of insight in his book.
Q-Jets can certainly be a PITA......but if its working right there is nothing better on a street car in my opinion.

[Colin]

Originally Posted by BR57

I bolted it on out of the box and never turned a screw, idled right and launched the car perfectly.

If you bolted it on and never turned a screw then you got real lucky. I have had 3 Edelbrocks and probably a half dozen Carter's and never had one that was right straight out of the box.............nice when you get them dialed in though.
Holleys work nice when they are right too..................every one I have had requires too much attention on a street car. At least the Edelbrocks dont require tuning or replacing a part every month or two.

[BR57]

Originally Posted by Colin

If you bolted it on and never turned a screw then you got real lucky.

I wanted to start tinkering but my buddy who was helping or watching or drinking and eating, whatever we all do when someone else has a job to do, convinced me to leave it alone. I really wanted to screw those idle mixtures and fondle the idle screw but he implored upon me to keep my hands off. Four months later even after sitting for weeks now that the weather is crappy it starts great and jumps on fast idle until the electric choke drops off and purrs.

[Colin]

Originally Posted by BR57

I wanted to start tinkering but my buddy who was helping or watching or drinking and eating, whatever we all do when someone else has a job to do, convinced me to leave it alone. I really wanted to screw those idle mixtures and fondle the idle screw but he implored upon me to keep my hands off. Four months later even after sitting for weeks now that the weather is crappy it starts great and jumps on fast idle until the electric choke drops off and purrs.

wish I had luck like that.

[Ron Landis]

are no longer produced. The bodies were being supplied by Weber and they stopped production, hanging Edelbrock out to dry after paying GM for the rights to the design. Not sure where things stand now. Just FYI. Ron

[BR57]

Originally Posted by jegstek

are no longer produced. The bodies were being supplied by Weber and they stopped production, hanging Edelbrock out to dry after paying GM for the rights to the design. Not sure where things stand now. Just FYI. Ron

Watch e-bay, NOS Edelbrock Q-Jets come up from time to time.