I know allot of guys have their carbs rebuilt using their own cores. However, does anyone have an idea what a 70's 4bbl re manufactured "Buick" carb with no exchange would go for?
Figuring that a quality rebuild on a Q-Jet is around $250. Whats a typical Q-Jet core worth these days? $50-$100? So $300-$350 maybe? o No:
The price doesn't matter, if you can find a commercially "remanufactured" Buick carb from any Auto Parts store, it isn't worth the fuel cost to go get it. The quality of those units is PATHETIC these days, don't expect it to work correctly anyplace, if it works at all!.......Cliff
A carburetor that is poorly remanufactured without regard to any metering components or matching of proper rod and jet sizing will set you back at least 250-300 including core exchange. They usually charge 50 for core from parts store. As previously mentioned these carburetors are mass rebuilt with random jets and rods, nothing scientific about it. It will not operate correctly without huge amounts of recalibration in just about every circuit you can imagine (qjets have many circuits, most i've ever dealt with). With this being said, your money is best spent purchasing a "#s matching" or close to original #s matching carburetor for the engine of choice. The carburetor needs to have never been "remanufactured", and preferably never "rebuilt" either. A lot of these turn up on EBAY from time to time and it takes consistant searching over a month or two to turn up the one your looking for. Look for original zinc chromate finish (gold color) on body of carb without any signs of rebuilding. These original units are the best bet for a properly rebuilt carb as a starting point. Once in your hands purchase a book on the subject or mail it off for rebuilding. Only consult with a individual who is very skilled on these particular carburetors, preferably specializing in Buicks. They may charge an additional 300 over the core cost. This should achieve near perfect Driveability, Power, & Economy. No other carburetor can match the Q-jet in all 3 of these categories if properly calibrated and rebuilt. Hope that helps! Jacob Morse
There will always be exceptions. Glad you were that lucky. It isn't uncommon for parts store carburetors to have mismatched parts. They build them from piles of parts from disassembled carburetors.
Since they're built to a generic list of specs then it would stand to reason that when they're put on a car that is close to those specs it'll run just fine. Like making pants to a certain size and then they fit fine on someone who just happens to have those same measurements. The trick is to take a few apart and find out which company is using which specs. Then you'll know that the Napa ones fit these cars and the Summit ones fit those cars and so on.
TechG8 rebuilt one for me and it KicKs Azz. I didnt have a core to send and I think he charged less that 250.00. It was bolt on and go. I later found a 430 Q-jet core and sent it to him. Everydayperformance.com
Reason I posted the question is that we all know how difficult it is to find a Q-Jet with the fuel line up front. Summit and other vendors deal mainly in Chevy versions of the Q-jet with the fuel line at the side. That said you can't use many magazines for price checks.
Contact Tech 8 on this board he rebuilds Q-Jets. I am sure from reading that he has cores on the shelf and will build to your specs..
I just got 2 cores off of ebay for about $50 each. One was completely pristine...looks like it was recently rebuilt and not used for very long. Factory inlet and primary rods, no varnish or pitting in the bowl at all. Only problem was somebody scratched their name into the secondary air valve plates...but I can change those out easily. Rebuilds are normally $250-$300, but it's tough to find one with the exact application for your engine. Mine is tough, since it's a specific AIR-equipped California engine with divorced choke.
Re: Going rate for rebuilt 4 bbl q-jet The price of a rebuild kit. I purchased 2 kits today, two because I couldn't get one and tried two suppliers and they both ended up getting the last one in Canada.:laugh: NAPA kit was $23.00, Canadian tire kit was $16.00 and has more parts in it. Bruce
Unfortunately my 72 core was not usable. After I bought it and the manifold from e-bay I learned that it had sat out in the rain causing pitting in the inside. Despite cleaning it up and using what I believe were the best rebuild parts it never ran the way I wanted. Been trying to find a local reputable re-builder here in Central Fl. First one built me a unit which was worthless. Gave them two tries to correct with no luck. Am trying one I saw at the Daytona Turkey Run last year. Cost quite abit more but trying to save money just isn't working. Hopefully, things will work out otherwise I'll just have to use my old standby and live with its short comings till I find something better!
I understand being short on cash, when possible I would get ken G to build you a carb... He did one for me and it looks great and runs perfectly! He was even nice enough to find me the carb number I needed and rebuild that for me... This saved me cash for only having to ship one way.
As stated before, Best source for correct carburetor is likely EBAY. search for a few weeks until it shows up. I do this for a living. It takes time to find the right #s matching part from 40 years ago. If you cant find the right year model I can always find one from a year or two up or down for same engine and transmission. Such as, 7040244--- I will use this 70 carburetor on any 350 buick from 68-70. I would use a 7042244 on a low compression 350 buick from 71-72, etc. In other words, Use similar carb from same application for best match to engine and vehicle. Once you have a good old core then rebuild it or mail it to someone proficient with QJETS. Should run around 300-400 bucks all done! Install & Adjust as needed. Any route that you take around what is mentioned above will likely result in a "remanufactured" core with generic metering components. Components which dont even have any #s to measure them by. Blank Jets, Blank Rods, Random Air Bleeds, Etc. This is the worst possible core to start with and while it may work to the liking of many people, anyone who understands how this carburetor works will tell you its far from what it COULD be and is DESIGNED to be. Dont fall for the talk. GM was picky enough to change carburetor metering for small differences in vehicle/engine combinations including A/C options, Transmission Choices, Final Drive Ratio, Vehicle Weight, Etc. All of these have a direct effect on carburetor calibration, even having the same exact engine. This indicates the precision to which original Q-jets were calibrated.
Just installed a RQ 7044266 on my mild Buick 350 rebuild. Used this particular model as it had the electric choke set up and mounted pretty close to the stock one I had. Got it from All American Carbs here in Fl. Cost me $340 shipped but looks as new and so far has no issues. My old core was pitted and worthless for a second rebuild. Two carbs I bought from National Carbs also located in Fl were about $100.00 bucks cheaper but were junk!
No doubt about it Cliff builds some of the best Q-jets around, the waiting list sure proves it! But is it possible to build a Q-jet to suit your needs without it being a numbers matching carb and without being an expert? One of these days I want to sit down with my Quadrajet and rebuild it with a good Q-jet how to book and a full adjustment kit and just see what works and what doesn't.
