edelbrock vs quadrajet

I'll vote for Qjet... super reliable.

Doug Roe's book is all you need to rebuild them.

https://www.amazon.com/Rochester-Carburetors-Revised-Doug-Roe/dp/0895863014

They are more complex than a Holley or Edelbrock (based on Carter), but I've had nothing but great luck with them. I have rebuilt 6 in all and never had a problem. In the early 90's you could still pull them for about $10 used. :)

I have tons of used parts (secondary rods) which helps in tuning them. Also, if you like the secondaries to come on fast, you can play with the mechanism, etc.

Bottom line is they don't leak, and you can make good power with decent economy depending on how you set them up.

+++++++++

Having said that, and with the proviso that I have little experience with Edelbrock, I have lots of buddies that love them, too. Simpler than Qjet and supposedly reliable.
 
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The book I have is by Cliff Ruggles and it appears to be very good. Haven't got all the way through it yet, but he covers everything that I can think of. The man has 40 years experience with these things.

Now when GM was starting to put the Q-Jets on everything, Rochester couldn't keep up with the demand. So the General went to Carter and had them make enough to keep up. Other than the name on the side, the carbs were the same.

There are minor size differences in some of the venturi's and air horns for the bigger displacement motors and of course any number of different metering rods and so on. But the basic carb remained unchanged for all those years that the Q-Jet was in use.

Too bad I didn't stockpile a few at your $10 price tag...look and see what they are gouging for a running Jet these days.
 
Corsair said:
Cocobolo
I have a big box full. If you need one for rebuilding, let me know.
Click to expand...

I have one on the '33, which is very obviously in dire need of rebuilding. I do have a rebuild kit for it, just need to find the time to do the job. Until I take it off the car, I won't know what is wrong...but I suspect that the linkage on the side isn't working, among other things. It is a delightful shade of black.

If you would like to send me an email at keithelliott123 at yahoo dot ca, that would be great.

Unfortunately, time is in short supply with all the house rebuilding that is going on here. Still too many things to do before the snow flies hereabouts. I think I saw the first dusting of the season up on top of the mountain behind us a couple of days ago, so that means about 6 weeks before we get snow on the ground here at the house.
 
Cocobolo
I will do that. I have some notes that I made a few years ago. I can scan them and send them to you. Foolproof condensed notes for rebuilding a Qjet. (If I can do this I think most people can).
Give me a couple of days to dig em out, I think they are in my old PC at work!

Snow? Check - we had some yesterday which melted immediately.:)

Cheers
 
I would be interested in buying a couple from you. If you can dig up the numbers on the side of the carbs that would be most helpful. The rebuilding part I think I have covered. Many thanks.
 
Kermit said:
And if you need a well plug kit for a quadrajet I have the fixings for you. Bought a couple years ago but never used.
http://www.cliffshighperformance.com/parts.html#a

And of course it's 'Free to a good home'!!
Click to expand...

That's a deal a guy could hardly refuse! Cliff Ruggles is the author of my Q-jet book, same guy.

One of the issues with my present Jet is that I think the gas is draining out of the float bowl over a period of a few days. It starts instantly if it has been run a day or so earlier. Leave it for a week or two and it needs cranking over for 15-20 seconds before it will catch.

That tells you that it has the stock mechanical fuel pump, an electric would eliminate that little aggravation. That could be coming in the very near future.
 
To all,
I've located and posted my notes for Qjet rebuilding in the Reference section under "Induction". These have been used by me for over 15 years and they are great notes. The author is Dorian Yeager.

It'll save you buying a book.... also I am open to suggestions for tuning ideas.

Corsair
 
uderstand Edelbrock compared to Q Jet

But if it is OK will add the Demon 625 in my area a speed shop sold 6 and got 6 back so he doesn't sell them .And I got a new one on my T Bucket and ran so rich ,even after setting timing [to specs] and new gas new plugs . So took the new carb apart to find flaws in main jet area. So thought would share my deal thanks .And my brother has a 600 Edelbrock that has worked perfect for 5 years
 
I know this thread is a bit old but I read through it and didn't see any reply from the OP (nomadsland71). I was hoping to find out what carb he decided to go with.

FWIW, I also think the Quadrajet is a better carburetor than the Edelbrock Performer / Carter AFB. For the OP's 454, a 750 CFM QJ still has way more capacity than what his engine requires since a 454 only draws about 560 CFM @ 5000 RPM with 85% VE or 660 CFM with 100% VE. Higher flow ratings provide lower manifold vacuum at full throttle which gives a slightly higher volumetric efficiency. If the OP is more interested in taking his car on long drives than racing, having a carb that isn't oversized would be more beneficial.

While tuning parts for QJ's are not as common as they used to be, primary jets are still available and there's a lot that can be done with the primary metering rods that the carb is equipped with. For ease of tuning, I would go with a later 170-series QJ (1975+) with the newer-style APT (Adjustable Part Throttle).

For street-driven cars, I don't think air-gap manifolds are ideal. Intake manifold heat is extremely important because the hot-spot under the carb reduces flat-spots by vaporizing any fuel that falls out of the air stream. The hot-spot also minimizes engine wear and gasoline dilution in the engine oil. See Rochester Carburetors by Doug Roe: page 26 - Intake Manifolds and Carter Carburetors by Dave Emanuel: page 64 - Heat.

I've had an 9625 AFB on my slant six since 1987 and upgraded it to a Quadrajet in 2004. I found that the QJ is easier to tune than the AFB. The only thing I don't care for about the QJ is the ease in which the power valve piston sometimes pops out of position when I reinstall the air horn assembly.

I also use my car for long drives (once drove 8000 miles on Rt 66 out to California & regularly take 500+ mile trips to Kingston) and I've found that both the AFB and the Quadrajet both give better fuel economy than the OEM Carter BBS 1bbl carb. I wrote about my experiences here: Quadrajet Upgrade & Quadrajet Tuning.
 
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