[azmusclecar]

I got my OHC back together and was just cranking it not to fire but just to get oil pressure and so forth. And of course, the Holley carb 390CFM is leaking.

I am so tired of Holleys I really just want to go with the Edelbrock. I have had such luck with Edelbrocks but they were put on small blocks V8s. 600 CFM Edelbrock may be way too much for the OHC.

Anyone have any suggestions? I posted this here to get more accurate feedback on our OHCs rather than listening to members with V8s offer their opinions.

If anyone is running the Edelbrock, please help me before I throw $350 at it and find out it is overcarbed..............

I was so looking forward to getting this car on the road, BEFORE I DIE.

BTW, I did rebuild the carb with all new gaskets and O rings and so forth. I'm just tired of dealing with issues from flooding to backfiring to lean to trying to get the electric choke set. So I have tried with these Holleys but Edelbrocks to me, bolt on, small adjust and go baby go.

And just FYI, I'm at an elevation of 5000 feet here in AZ. So if any of you are aware of what that adds to the topic please, chime in.

[tom s]

Did not the Sprint come with a QJ?Why not do what the factory did?Tom

[azmusclecar]

Yes it came with the Quadrajet but I can't find one with the low CFM and to buy an OEM one............I would need to sell both kidneys.

[Aaron65]

They make a 500 cfm Edelbrock, but it's a bit more expensive. Used Edelbrock 600s seem to be pretty cheap and plentiful; you could always buy a used one and throw a kit in it. If it doesn't work out on your car, you could probably sell it for what you had in it.

[carbking]

English proverb - "you get what you pay for".

Modern paraphrase - "you DON'T get what you DON'T pay for"!

What intake are you using?

If the original manifold, and using a square->spread adapter, you probably will not be happy with the Holley or the clone. You probably would have better results selling the adapter and using a Q-Jet from an SBC (much as I hate to suggest anything bowtie for a Pontiac )

If you have a square-bore manifold and no adapter, either the Holley 390 you have (it didn't leak, it was just marking its territory ) or a genuine Carter 400 CFM (either 9400s or 9410s) would be superior to the clone.

OR

Do it right the first time, and spring for the original Q-Jet (they aren't THAT expensive!).

Jon.

[carbking]

Originally Posted by Aaron65

Used Edelbrock 600s seem to be pretty cheap and plentiful...........

I wonder why??????

Jon.

[azmusclecar]

Originally Posted by carbking

English proverb - "you get what you pay for".

Modern paraphrase - "you DON'T get what you DON'T pay for"!

What intake are you using?

If the original manifold, and using a square->spread adapter, you probably will not be happy with the Holley or the clone. You probably would have better results selling the adapter and using a Q-Jet from an SBC (much as I hate to suggest anything bowtie for a Pontiac )

If you have a square-bore manifold and no adapter, either the Holley 390 you have (it didn't leak, it was just marking its territory ) or a genuine Carter 400 CFM (either 9400s or 9410s) would be superior to the clone.

OR

Do it right the first time, and spring for the original Q-Jet (they aren't THAT expensive!).

Jon.

Originally Posted by carbking

I wonder why??????

Jon.

Jon, or may I call you KING JON?
I take it you didn't get the nickname Carbking by playing with transmissions.

Can you suggest a Qjet? AND a place to buy one? Reasonable.........I'm not cheap, but I am thrifty and wise....... and yes OLD

The intake I have is an original Sprint intake. Now the engine is NOT a Sprint engine so keep in mind we are dealing with stock numbers.

My first girlfriends name was Holley and she dumped me and it seems there has been a curse put on me that anytime I touch Holley, it causes me problems, issues, heartache.........( THIS MAY BE THE BEST COUNTRY WESTERN SONG YET?) Any songwriters care to collaborate with me on this venture?

I walked away from the car yesterday, and will tackle it with new eyes and mindset today, I have watched video after video on You Tube how to tune Holley carbs and to me..........I am not to have anything to do with the word HOLLEY anymore.

[694.1]

Yes, AZ, best to walk away some times and take a break. You raise a good point about altitude. In my part of the world, we don't deal with such things & a Google search may yield some advise?
If my test mule was home, I would rebuild & tune a carb for ya. Consider a trip to Norwalk next week & hang out with the OCH crowd & have some fun

[carbking]

The Sprint carb is basically an SBC carb with different calibration. These things are common as dirt at swap meets, and cheap, if you are not looking for numbers-matching! I would suggest one from an early1970's Chevy truck, but others may have other suggestions.

Find one of these locally, and get a generic kit, and clean and rebuild. (BUY CLIFF'S BOOK, and READ IT, COVER TO COVER!!!!!) (Cliff - that is another cup of coffee you owe me )

Altitude IS going to make a difference, BUT build the carb stock, and install on the car. With a stock carb, you have a repeatable "baseline".

Once you have the engine going, you can tune the carb to your application.

My guess would be you can probably sell the 390 Holley for more than enough to buy the Q-Jet core, the kit, and enough of your beverage of choice to get the job done. Use the remainder to take your lady out to dinner!

Jon.

[GTOWAGON]

I have a 68 sprint automatic q jet needs a rebuild and probably a new top as it is cracked by the air cleaner stud but the top it same as most q jets 75.00 plus the ride

[azmusclecar]

Jon,

Your line:

"The most expensive carburetor is the wrong one given to you by your neighbor".


This should be written on the board the first day of carb class. Oh how many carbs guys have given me that they removed and the engine was still running good.

Hmmmmmmmmmm............

Odd thing is I am very OCD, that's both bad and good when it comes to things like my car and carb. It frustrates me to no end to follow intricate detailed photos and written instructions measuring floats and checking vacuum and on and on and it seems like I could ace the written exam, put the carb on the car and it runs like crap and leaks and just ruins what was to be that DIY feeling of enjoyment.

I even took a carb rebuilding course at the local community college.

Thank you for your kind suggestions, and all I can say is before you tell me I will have enough to take the lady to dinner, you better know how much she eats.

Some places have an : ALL YOU CAN EAT..............misread as: YOU NEED TO EAT IT ALL.

But I love her, for no other reason than she has more of my money than I do.

[Jeff Hamlin]

This late '67 OHC Q-J could be a contender;
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rochester-Qu...19.m1438.l2649

[azmusclecar]

Originally Posted by Jeff Hamlin

This late '67 OHC Q-J could be a contender;
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rochester-Qu...19.m1438.l2649

Thanks for the lead Jeff..........I'll send an offer................

[george kujanski]

If you have the '67 style manifold, (don't know about the other years) it had an exhaust track in it and you needed a stainless plate at the bottom of the carb to spread the heat and seal the base. Crappy design. Anyway if you are using the same stuff maybe the holley doesn't like the xtra heat on the base.

back in the day, not knowing what I know now, I put a 650 CFM ? double pumper Holley on my Sprint...ran well, don't remember what i did about the dreaded stainless plate thing.

George

[azmusclecar]

Originally Posted by george kujanski

If you have the '67 style manifold, (don't know about the other years) it had an exhaust track in it and you needed a stainless plate at the bottom of the carb to spread the heat and seal the base. Crappy design. Anyway if you are using the same stuff maybe the holley doesn't like the xtra heat on the base.

back in the day, not knowing what I know now, I put a 650 CFM ? double pumper Holley on my Sprint...ran well, don't remember what i did about the dreaded stainless plate thing.

George

Actually George the carb is sitting on a spacer.........now that you mention it.

I'm taking a break from the car so to speak. I'm at the rear now working on getting ready for new rear boxed control arms and sway bar installation.

When one end makes me mad, I go to the other end. It's like when my wife and I argue, I always go to the opposite end of the house to sulk and brood and usually sleep. My dog is usually already ahead of me waiting for me. It's like she knows the routine.

[vetty]

I'm running an edelbrock 550cfm and runs great.

[azmusclecar]

My engine is apart right now waiting for parts. Once it is back together, I will address this carb issue.

Thansk for the post and info.

[george kujanski]

Since the Sprint came with a Qjet, as carbking says get the SBC Qjet, clean it up per Cliff's book. It won't be overcarbed and if you are worried, disable the secondaries, (that's where the high CFM flow occurs), and in the meantime you run on the economical small primaries.

If I recall, you have the manifolds but not the Sprint head or cam, correct?

Get an inexpensive Qjet, clean it up, put it on and drive it while you consider spending money on something else. You may even get to like the Qjet. I did the Cliff mods on a Buick Qjet on my 455, runs nice.

I put a Holley spread-bore double pumper on the Sprint back in the day........ran VERY well. modern Holleys....don't know, not hearing good things.

George

[azmusclecar]

Thanks for the post George...........the carb issue will be coming up soon if I can get the cam cover housing back on and get the car to run atleast in the garage.

I guess I'm gun shy when it comes to buying other people's used carbs.

I've bought enough bad ones that I may as well thrown the money to the wife to spend.

I'm not confident in building carbs I know that. I have rebuilt the 2 Holleys I have here and neither one of them seems to be much good. They are 390 CFM.

I've always been lucky in love and never in carbs. You know even I don't believe that.

I guess I am looking for simplicity. Buy, install, tune and go. The $300 I spend could be used to buy, rebuild and then HOPE the Qjet works...........and if not, then it's more money to fix the problem.

I'm both ignoring it and thinking on it..............if that makes sense but you can only kick the can down the road for so long and then you need to pick it up.

To young whipper snappers that last sentence may not make sense.............

[carbking]

Originally Posted by azmusclecar

I guess I am looking for simplicity. Buy, install, tune and go. The $300 I spend could be used to buy, rebuild and then HOPE the Qjet works...........and if not, then it's more money to fix the problem.

How much do you figure on spending for the clone, the tuning kit, the Carter donor to get the correct air valve, and the countless hours trying do dial it in???? Only to find out the square-bore is NOT going to work well with a square->spread adapter on an engine that size, and you need to have a new square-bore intake manifold fabricated! On second thought, maybe fabrication might not be necessary; I seem to remember Clifford Research produced a square-bore manifold for the Sprint, but not certain.

Were you able to kick the can at the same time you rolled the back wheel off of your parted out tricycle?

Jon