[Greg Reid]

X3 on the Q-Jet. Cliff Ruggles' book is worth 3 times the cover price as it's the first book I've read that explained in everyday language how it works...Once you understand how it works, you'll understand why it doesn't work for so many hobbyists out there.
They were each manufactured to work on one specific, STOCK engine. If you change the engine you have to change the setup on the carb to work with it. You also have to insure that these 40+ year old carbs are airtight, fuel tight, mating surfaces are flat, etc.

[3 Deuce 64]

Guys the Q J may be the best carb out there I'm not going to argue the point. In over 40 years of driving GM I've had some good and some bad Q j . I've just never really liked to work on them , it's not that I can't I just would rather not and having not worked on one in over 20 years I just didn't want to touch it . Last year I actually paid a guy to rebuild the QJ on my one boat . Well I'm going to have to take that one apart too . That's one of the bad ones . we bought the boat with 50 hours on it and the Q J has never been right . I've been running an edelbrock on the Pachanga since 97 and have never had a problem with it .
Well anyway I've got the Q J on the Bonne working like it should . Yesterday I drove out to Karen & Joes house and took Karen for a short ride in her baby . We even tickled the Q J a bit . I asked her if she would like to drive the ole girl again but she declined but sent me this note later : " Don, I want to thank you again for coming up and giving me a ride in the "Ole Gal"! Brought back happy memories. Great fun! Karen "
That's part of the fun of our hobby bringing back Happy Memories . Talked some more with Joe about the car . They ordered the car and the reason it doesn't have power brakes is because at the time their other car didn't have power brakes so they didn't want one car with and one without but Karen remarked she had to always use two feet on the brake to stop . It always pushed hard . I'm hoping that with new shoes that will change some . if not I did save the power booster unit off the other 70 bonne I stripped . I think I still have the cruise control and switches and carb brackets also .

[3 Deuce 64]

I'm really enjoying the Bonne , I've had it to several shows and cruise ins in the past couple weeks . This past Sunday a gentleman spent a long time looking and walking around the car several times. then he comes back to talk with me and asks if I'm going to restore it because it is so deserving of it . I told him it might be a possibility but right now I'm just enjoying driving it .

[hoosierGP]

I've enjoyed following your thread and watching the progress. I'm still working on my Bonneville convertible too. At least you are getting to drive yours as you work on it. I got mine in November and have only driven it 2 miles from the delivery point to my home. Right now the engine is sitting on a stand waiting to be rebuilt (Winter project) My seats are at the upholstery shop, my bumpers are at the platers but if it all comes together as planned, I'll be on the road the middle of next summer. We have our last local cruise in Thursday and I'm not looking forward to putting the toys away for the winter. Keep posting your progress.

[David Brown]

Glad to hear you are enjoying yours. My restoration is coming along. I drove the car around my property and street over the weekend. This is the first time since 2003 that it's been driven. It started making a terrible clunking from the rear end that stopped me in my tracks. After I thought about it, the new limited slip unit had been filled and the additive added, but I needed to do a few figure 8s to get the additive circulated onto the clutches. I don't have the fenders or bumpers on, and will wait until I paint it, but it sure felt healthy and very responsive at slow speeds. I used a Summitt 2802 cam, 6X heads street ported by Jim Butler and long branch manifolds, and have 9:1 compression. The wheels and tires are just rollers, I have better ones I am restoring.

[Ben M.]

Originally Posted by 3 Deuce 64

then he comes back to talk with me and asks if I'm going to restore it because it is so deserving of it . I told him it might be a possibility but right now I'm just enjoying driving it .

Not sure I understand him, it's perfectly presentable now. Why would you restore it? Enjoy the heck out of it for a good long while!

[David Brown]

Restoration means different things to different people. Some say wash the car, buff the paint, tune it up and install new tires and it is restored. Others rebuild and replace and refinish every nut and bolt on the car, and put it in a trailer and never drive it again. And lots of levels in between.

Mine is pretty extensive restoration, and since I am actively involved in AACA, I'd like to earn the Junior and Senior awards, and maybe the same in POCI while it is fresh. But my real intention is to have a like new car that I will be able to drive all over the country from my current age 65 until my son says I am too old to drive and takes away the keys. Maybe over my dead body!

[71GP76TA]

When one of these "restorer" guys asks me when I'm going to restore one of my cars... I ask them... "why would I take apart a perfectly good running car?"

[David Brown]

If you can't use them for what they were intended, driving, what good are they?

[3 Deuce 64]

I agree guys loving the heck out of it almost ready for another oil change 2500 miles already since the new tires and got it trustworthy . I think now the next major expense is going to be a new top . Well after I buy the trunk lid . Some of the guys were busting on at the cruise in tonight when are you going to paint it . . I need to get my 65 and 67 GTOs back together before I start another paint project. I backed the 69 bird out of the garage this week first time in four years . Took it down and got it inspected . I never got the Rambler out this year either . I definitely need to thin out . I think I have my keepers pretty much picked out though and this Bonne is one of them

[3 Deuce 64]

Originally Posted by David Brown

Glad to hear you are enjoying yours. My restoration is coming along. I drove the car around my property and street over the weekend. This is the first time since 2003 that it's been driven. It started making a terrible clunking from the rear end that stopped me in my tracks. After I thought about it, the new limited slip unit had been filled and the additive added, but I needed to do a few figure 8s to get the additive circulated onto the clutches. I don't have the fenders or bumpers on, and will wait until I paint it, but it sure felt healthy and very responsive at slow speeds. I used a Summitt 2802 cam, 6X heads street ported by Jim Butler and long branch manifolds, and have 9:1 compression. The wheels and tires are just rollers, I have better ones I am restoring.

looking good Dave

[3 Deuce 64]

Saturday night cruise in at Barns & Noble

The guys are asking me where're the GTOs ? Resting I'm enjoying the Bonne .

[77 TRASHCAN]

Got anything going on a replacement trunk lid yet???
Don't worry about thinning out the herd! Do it the way YOU want to do it!

[3 Deuce 64]

Yes , I have one lined up . I may also have a tank and sending unit , waiting for information .
As far as thinning out , I have too . We are all getting older and health has been debilitating at times .

[3 Deuce 64]

I picked up the trunk lid yesterday . Bought it from Steve Barcak shipped Greyhound to Binghamton from Phoenix . I was a bit nervous when I saw the box because the front edges of the deck lid had broken through the box the corners were rubbed a little bit but I think all in all it's ok . Definitely better than what I have . This has been a long drawn out process mostly on my part trying to get the money together but Steve was patient and worked with me . So another hurtle behind , now a new top then to paint or not to paint .

[David Brown]

Glad to hear you are progressing on your Bonne. Mine went into the paint shop a week ago and I am excited to get that phase rolling along. It should be ready the early part of January. I have accumulated a bunch of NOS parts over the past 20 or so years, and they are all going on, including front and rear valances and a urethane rear bumper insert. It is too bad that NOS or even good used parts are almost impossible to find anymore. I need to get on to getting my Rally IIs sandblasted so I can refinish them, then the seats go to the trim shop to be redone.

[3 Deuce 64]

Glad for your progress , that thing will look so sweet when its all done .

[hoosierGP]

Sounds to me like we will soon have three '70 Bonneville convertibles back on the road. You guys are making great progress. David yours will be better than new and I really like the color combination of the 3 Deuce convertible. I hope to get my engine rebuild started in January and then it's just reinstalling that and putting the front clip back on. The seats should be done anytime, I just reassembled the front bumper and the new plating looks fantastic. These are money pits I must say. Just have to plug away at it a little at a time. If all comes together I'll be cruising by early summer. Let's keep each other updated as we go along.

[David Brown]

I hope to be back on the road by March. I want to enter it in an AACAA national show in Naples, FL March 19, about 125 miles from me. While it is fresh, I want to win the national awards, but I plan to drive it for tours, trips, vacations etc., for years. No trailer queen aspirations here!

[3 Deuce 64]

Originally Posted by hoosierGP

Sounds to me like we will soon have three '70 Bonneville convertibles back on the road. You guys are making great progress. David yours will be better than new and I really like the color combination of the 3 Deuce convertible. I hope to get my engine rebuild started in January and then it's just reinstalling that and putting the front clip back on. The seats should be done anytime, I just reassembled the front bumper and the new plating looks fantastic. These are money pits I must say. Just have to plug away at it a little at a time. If all comes together I'll be cruising by early summer. Let's keep each other updated as we go along.

When I first saw the car I knew I had to try to save it . I was wondering for awhile if we were going to do it, at least now it's to the point If someone really wanted to restore it should be a bit easier since it's been running and driving. It's really not a bad driver at this point . need to get a sending unit , top ,some new bushings for the cross member . I had to repair both ends but the rubbers are pretty bad . Some one repaired the brake lines at one point and it's the typical corner garage repair . The line aren't run in the original spots and they just look bad . so at some point I'll correct that . the to get the blower fan running but we all know what a pain that is . Radio quit working the last couple weeks of summer so I need to fix that now . With the Ca fender skirts and Az trunk lid that takes care of the major visible rust . I have the material to cut out new trunk liner . so I may just do a quick driver paint on it so I can concentrate on the GTO again . It would be neat to get together sometime but we all live so far apart . Same problem with the guys in the 64 registry .