Where to get quadrajet rebuilt?

[yellowdog5]

Where is the best place to get my quadrajet re-built?I have had it done twice in the last several years and it's still not right

 

[Longbed'78]

What is "not right" with it?

 

[yellowdog5]

I have to prime it when it's cold. And now recently it started running rough, I tuned it up, didn't help much even though the distributor cap was shot. I had a guy look at it, he thinks it's the carb, wants to rebuild it but I've had local guys rebuild it twice before and it ran ok but still I have to prime it or pump it 80 times (no exagerration) when it's cold.

 

[Longbed'78]

I have to prime it when it's cold.......but still I have to prime it or pump it 80 times (no exagerration) when it's cold.

I had a shop for over forty years and rebuilt many Quadrajets. It sounds to me like the issue could be one of two things; the fuel pump, it's not holding pressure when you shut the truck off. The other common problem with the Q-jets is the well plugs in the bottom of the float bowl are leaking, which allows all the gas to run down into the intake manifold overnight. You van check the fuel pump with an inexpensive vacuum/pressure gauge. Disconnect the inlet and outlet from the fuel pump. Crank the engine for a few seconds to get all the gas out of the pump. Connect the gauge to the inlet side of the fuel pump and have someone crank the engine while you watch the gauge. It should build up vacuum and hold it after they stop cranking. Next, connect the gauge to the outlet side of the pump and again have someone crank it for several seconds. You should see ~6-8 lbs. of pressure on the gauge. The key is when they stop cranking, the pressure should hold for a couple of minutes. If it slowly drops off after just a few seconds, you have a bad fuel pump. sorry for the long response. Hope it helps.

 

[Bextreme04]

Where is the best place to get my quadrajet re-built?I have had it done twice in the last several years and it's still not right

The absolute best place IMO is the man himself, Cliff Ruggles. He is the author of pretty much ALL of the go-to books on rebuilding and modifying quadrajets. You can order rebuild kits for your specific carb number, get the entire thing rebuilt, or even just get specific questions answered on the forum on his website. Cliffs High Performance has been the go-to for quadrajets for decades. https://cliffshighperformance.com/

I get all my parts either from him or from https://quadrajetparts.com/. I rebuilt my factory quadrajet with a kit specifically for my Carb number from quadrajetparts.com and added an electric choke conversion and the hex head idle mixture screws. It has worked flawlessly since then. Make sure you follow the setup and adjustment instructions included in any rebuild kit to dial in hot idle, cold(fast) idle, choke setting, throttle setting, etc... after the rebuild is complete and reinstalled on the vehicle. Mine takes a single pump of the accelerator, even if it has been sitting for days and maybe two cranks before it fires right up on days when temps are down to 30 or so. Colder than that and it usually takes two pumps and same thing. If it has been sitting for a week or more I need to give it about 2 seconds of cranking to get fuel into the bowl before a single pump of the pedal and then fires right up.

 

[squaredeal91]

There's a place called quadrajet power that is easy to search on google. I tried to copy the link. Also @82sbshortbed Has someone else he's referred others too for quadrajet stuff.

 

[Bennyt]

I use Carburetors Unlimited in Peoria, AZ. 90% of his business is Quadrajets. He built a half car/ half truck carb for me about a year ago. Everything is pre-run on a motor. If you do use him, send your distributor in at the same time and he'll recurve it to match your motor/ vehicle combo.

 

[Bextreme04]

There's a place called quadrajet power that is easy to search on google. I tried to copy the link. Also @82sbshortbed Has someone else he's referred others too for quadrajet stuff.

I got an APT adjustment tool from them a year or two ago. They sell stuff on amazon and ebay as well, seem legit. They are a bit harder to find a correct rebuild kit for, or at least it was harder for me to navigate their website... might have just been me

 

[Doppleganger]

Mountain Man Fuel - I read all the car sites and they sing high praises to him - said his specialty is q-jets and they come back ready to bolt on and go. Couple guys with big blocks both said their mileage went crazy good too.

https://www.mountainmanfuelsystemsllc.com/

I sent mine there, then went FI. Before/after.

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[Copymutt]

Many years ago I dug in & learned the zen of just how Quadrajets work and their common issues. I never considered jobbing out something that you could learn & do yourself. No dealing with getting screwed. No question about what was done & good insight to any remaining issue. It’s called a man card. Sometimes revokable by marriage. If you have more money than time then you need to factor in the above downsides & spend time dealing with others lack of credibility.

 

[GTX63]

I also use Quadrajet Power for rebuild kits. They have always done me right.
I rebuild my own. If you have never done one before, there are enough books and videos out there that, with a handful of small tools, a clean table and good lighting, you can do it yourself.
Please note, that a properly tuned carb can be an exceptional device, but it is not the same animal as fuel injection.

 

[bucket]

@Quadrajet Power is a member here too. Haven't noticed him around recently though.

 

[Matt69olds]

Cliff doesn’t rebuild carbs anymore, he retired building. He does sell parts.

Before doing anything, buy cliffs book. He describes a procedure for verifying the needle/seat actually seals, and if it doesn’t how to fix it. If the needle has a slight leak, it’s possible the float bowl can slowly drain back thru the pump.

Lastly, the first design of the Q-Jet did suffer from main well plugs leaking. The first design plugs look just like tiny freeze plugs, almost everyone of them leaked. Rochester redesigned the plugs in 71 (I think) it’s a much better setup. The new design is basically a solid aluminum slug that’s driven into the hole, and then peened over the main body. The new design RARELY leaks, but still gets blamed. The myth refuses to die!!

It’s easy enough to check for main well leaks. Remove the carb from the engine. Use a couple 2x4s to elevate the carb above your work bench. Use a scrap piece of fuel line bent at a 90* angle, thread it into the fuel filter housing. Tighten the line so the bent end is above the carb. Carefully fill the float bowl thru the vent. Put a piece of clean white paper under the carb, and let it sit a few hours.

If the paper is clean and dry with no indication of fuel, the well plugs aren’t the issue.

 

[Vic Araujo]

Where is the best place to get my quadrajet re-built?I have had it done twice in the last several years and it's still not right

The carb shop. Think they are on the west coast. LA area I think. Rebuilt mine. 66 cadillac many years ago. Still works perfect

 

[Off-Grid Hwy]

Cliff doesn’t rebuild carbs anymore, he retired building. He does sell parts.

Before doing anything, buy cliffs book. He describes a procedure for verifying the needle/seat actually seals, and if it doesn’t how to fix it. If the needle has a slight leak, it’s possible the float bowl can slowly drain back thru the pump.

Lastly, the first design of the Q-Jet did suffer from main well plugs leaking. The first design plugs look just like tiny freeze plugs, almost everyone of them leaked. Rochester redesigned the plugs in 71 (I think) it’s a much better setup. The new design is basically a solid aluminum slug that’s driven into the hole, and then peened over the main body. The new design RARELY leaks, but still gets blamed. The myth refuses to die!!

It’s easy enough to check for main well leaks. Remove the carb from the engine. Use a couple 2x4s to elevate the carb above your work bench. Use a scrap piece of fuel line bent at a 90* angle, thread it into the fuel filter housing. Tighten the line so the bent end is above the carb. Carefully fill the float bowl thru the vent. Put a piece of clean white paper under the carb, and let it sit a few hours.

If the paper is clean and dry with no indication of fuel, the well plugs aren’t the issue.

Who is cliff and where do I find his book?