Can't find a carb!

[Astre-mutt]

Bill, I really think is would be a good carb for your car. It's a Holley model 1154 650cfm spread bore carburetor. This carb is a direct bolt on for your Q-jet manifold. As I said before this is a really easy carb to work on. Looking at the photo. You can see that the Idle mixture & Idle speed adjustments are done with your fingers. The jets are under the top lid that is removed with a star driver. Removing 8 screws gives you clear axes to the primary & secondary jets which change with a flat head screw driver. I know you don't have a lot of experience with carbs, but this is a great one to learn on. It is so easy to tune because it's a simple design. All you need is a Star driver, Screw driver, and smaller Holley jets. I say smaller because the carb comes pre-jetted for a chevy 350. You can test drive your car, pull of the side of the road, and change jets in a few minutes. Then test drive until you get the right settings. Don't let the 650cfm bother you. Because it's a spread bore it has really small primaries, and large vacuum operated secondaries. This gives you the best of both worlds. The small primaries give good throttle response with good fuel economy. The secondaries won't open until if, and when there needed at wide open throttle for performance. This would be the last carb you would have to buy, because no mater what up grades you decide to due to your car. This carb will work. And they sell for around $200 to $300 new.

[Sirshredalot]

that type arent made any more.... with the one piece lift off lid.
there are half a dozen of them for sale down at a local speed shop though.

the 4175(style) is what would be looking for if you choose to go that route.
its a spread bore carb that will match a quadrajet manifold...they made them in 600cfm and 750cfm...
I think they might have even made an 800....dunno....the one that I have is a 750...I think....I dont remember.

other (better) options are going to be the newer style list-8007 which is 390cfm vac sec, a list-9776 which is a mechanical secondary 450cfm, and my personal favorites, the list-6299 vacuum secondary 390 cfm.

the 6299 is no longer made but i think its the best alternative to anything else....also the 9776 is a good carb for a manual transmission car because it is mechanical secondaries.

bad thing is, is that the 390 cfm carbs new are very expensive...like $400...and theyre hard to find used...at least for what i think a used carb should go for.
the 450 cfm carbs are less but still around $218 new.

carburetors are VERY easy to rebuild....especially holley's. If you wanted to you could get a used carb and buy a book on how to rebuild holley carburetors....there are alot of publications out there.....also...if you didnt want to drop the coin on the book....just ask and I will walk you through it on here.....if you want to do it yourself.

rebuild kits and parts usually equate to about $50-80....thats if you buy it in a kit....somtimes you can get the parts cheaper if a local speed shop has them in bulk.
The "quick" kits that alot of parts stores sell dont always have all of the
parts that I like to replace...like needle valves and quirter gaskets, as well as the check balls for them.

good luck and God bless
-Shred

[Astre-mutt]

I guess they never really caught on. Must be why your speed shop still has some. Don't look enough like a Holley I guess. Your right Shred, mine is a 600cfm. Just found the old box.

[Monzadude]

Here's a pic of the intake before I cleaned it up. So far it sounds like the Holly is the way to go. I've had no luck finding a Q-jet so far but Hollys are everywhere.
We really don't have a local speed shop but there's a few larger cities not too far away. I might have to fine one there and see what they can get. If all else fails I could order one online. All we have around here is parts stores and dealerships.

From what Shred said it sounds like maybe the Holly 600( 4175) is my best bet. Yes?
Unless I should look for the 450 mentioned but I haven't seen one yet but I've found the 600's on-line.
I was hopeing this would be simple and it sounds like the Holly is going to do that for me. So far there's $300 in the carb fund so if I could get one with that it would be great.

[Sirshredalot]

even though theyre vacuum secondaries, the 4175 carbs are still a bit big for a mild 3.8....just my opinion.

id try to find one of the 450cfm or 390cfm carbs and use an adapter plate.
some of the marine holley carbs on the ford 302's are about 390cfm also.

the list: 6299 isby far the most tunable in my opinion and i think youd have alot more tunability and throttle response from the smaller carb.
the list: 8007 holley is more of an emissions carb....the 6299 carb is what all the jeep and toyota guys use when they convert to 4 barrels and I really like them for street manners on a tunnel ram.

If youre interested....I can rebuild the 390 carb that i have and put a new throttle arm on it...itd be alot cheaper than buying a new one too.
Id have to have $20 out of the carb plus whatever the cost of parts are and shipping.
youre in canada right?

Lemme know
God bless
-Shred

[Monzadude]

Hey Shred, I'll sent you a PM. I'm thinking your carb might be the easiest way to go.
Bill

[turbo3.8monza]

I had a edelbrock 600 on the same factory intake with out an adaptor plate but it involved porting the crap out of the plenum and then it had to be an edelbrock because you had to use the inner set of bolts. I didn't have any problems other than the throttle blade interfernce (that why I had to port the plenum). But I found a Kenne Belle intake so now I'm running that for now.

[NixVegaGT]

Wouldn't the Holley 600 spread bore be too large? I guess if it works on your 4.3L though…

Just to toss in my 2¢ I'd go with the Q-jet or the spread-bore Holley like Scott's on that manifold. I'm not a big fan of adapter plates though. It just looks wrong relocating the barrels like that.

Scott, is that spread-bore Holley on the same Q-jet manifold like Bill's?

David, are you talking about using a square flange 600?

[mldeolde]

NICK- MY NOVA HAS ABOUT ONE INCH OF SPACER AND CONVERSIN PLATE FOR THE EDELBROCK 600 EMISSIONS CARB I HAD TO CONVERT TO INSURE I WAS SMOG LEAGLE . HAD TO GET THAT MUCH CLEARENCE TO GET ABOVE THE EXHAUST GAS RECIRCULATION VALVE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. WE KINDA TURNED A LOW RISE FACTORY MANIFOLD INTO A POLISH HIGH RISE THAT WAY BUT SEEMS TO HAVE GOOD RESPONSE AND IT WAS AGREEABLE TO THE EXHAUST SNIFFER. EASY IS FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T ENJOY GETTING FRUSTRATED AND THEN WORKING THRU THE PROBLEM. OVER THE YEARS WE'VE GOT GOOD AT THAT...

[NixVegaGT]

Found a couple like Scott's on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Holley-C ... 0232266406
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Holley-4 ... 0216592521

[peterpan]

http://www.partsamerica.com/productdeta ... 26&PTSet=A

the link takes you to a parts web site to a search result for a 86 chevy half ton with a 4.3 v6 with a 4 barrel carb for under 300 bucks remanufactured

its for a 4.3 v6 but i think it would work on your 3.8 231 and it should be a q-jet

i have a 4.3 out of a 86 half ton thats why i thought to look it up it has a q-jet on it but i'm saving that motor for a future project so mine is not for sale

[Monzadude]

Thanks for all the help. I'm getting a re-built holley 390. It was more in my price range. I looked around and kept coming back to the holley. Also the Holley being easier to find,it'll probably be easier to get parts for if I ever need them. If I find a q-jet later on I might scoop it up but for now I think this will do.

I've been reading about carbs a bit trying to learn a little more about them. They can be kind of confuseing if your not sure what your looking at. I know more then I did but still a long way to go. I'll get there some day. If not I always have you guys.

Bill

[231-v6]

You can buy a remanufactured carb that would be the correct Q-jet carb for your intake at http://www.carburetorexchange.com/ You want one that fits a 1982 Buick Regal 4.1 They have good stuff.