I have a 800cfm Q-jet off of a '73 Riviera on my 401 Nailhead and am looking for a choke that will work with this setup. It's my understanding that the '68-'77 Buick q-jets had a divorced choke with the thermostat mounted on the intake manifold. Since my manifold is for a '66 401, it is not set up for a divorced choke. Can anyone point me in the direction of a solution? Thanks,
There are electric choke conversions, but most of them only have the electric coil, and not the "bowl" it mounts in, or the choke pull-off diaphragm. Unless somebody here knows of a *complete* swap kit, I'm afraid that a wrecking-yard is your best bet - but be careful, because many of the GM electric choke housings won't fit on an old Buick carb (I haven't found one for my car yet, btw). There's always the manual choke route, but...
I recently did an electric choke carb for that intake. I used a chevy carb (750 cfm) that had the fuel inlet facing the passenger side of the engine like the original carb did. This carb also had the large bowl on the passenger side for the heat operated spring that uses a tube from the intake manifold to supply heat to operate the choke. I removed the heat spring from the bowl and installed an electric choke spring in the bowl. If you want 800 cfm you will need to obtain a carb from a 1975 or 76 455 Buick that used the large bowl with a heat activated spring and install the electic spring. Be sure to check for fuel line clearance since this is a front fuel inlet carb. You will need to plug the heat riser passages in the manifold that run directly under the carb to eliminate a potential exhaust leak. I used a pipe plug and JB Weld to help hold them in place. You will need to get a carb base gasket for a 1966 425 with the Q-jet. I will see if I can get pictures from the person I did the carb for.
Thanks for the tips guys. Right now I have the carb installed on the car, and the heat riser issue is taken care of. I am just looking to avoid the cold starts and warm up time in the morning. I think I have found a solution from Performance Years, a Pontiac parts supplier. They have a setup that should work for my situation. Item: RPE405 Description: 68-72 ELECTRIC CHOKE Excellent for aftermarket intakes. Easy 2 wire connection. Hot lead and ground. FOR 73-79 USE RPE405A
That looks like the Standard Hygrade EC3 that you may be able to get from your local parts store. The tough part may be mounting it on the intake manifold.
