Lars obtained one and dissected it. Considering the time spent and what was needed to get it working OK one could start with a clean virgin core and build two or three of them with the same effort.
I'd note here that there are PLENTY of 1972-1978 Chevy divorced choke Q-jets still readily available and many have never even been apart. It was very common in that period to yank them off of engines before they reached their first birthday and install an aftermarket aluminum intake and shiny new carburetor. The factory was hit HARD with tightening emission standards and those carburetors were super lean and difficult to make work correctly, not to mention the engine they were sitting on had LOW compression, tiny retarded event camshafts in them, and other emission control devices to choke those engines down pretty hard.
Edelbrock in particular targeted that market pretty hard and sold millions of carbs/intakes. The advertising was so good that folks jumped all over that deal with just about every 350 SBC engine that left Detroit in that period. With all the promises of improved performance, fuel economy, etc, etc, they talked a LOT of folks into going that direction.
Lucky for me I grew up a dirt poor farm boy and couldn't afford any of it, so I spend my time working with the factory parts instead. When I did dabble with aftermarket carbs and intakes I was ALWAYS very disappointed in the end results. About all I saw was INCREASED fuel consumption for "normal" driving, worse ET and MPH at the track, and some "cobbling" involved with making those parts fit. Talking about it decades later I can say for sure the ONLY statement they made to get folks to buy those parts was that it took some weight off the front of the vehicle.
Back then virtually NO ONE tested anything, they just removed factory carbs, intakes and distributors, bolted on aftermarket stuff, put the stickers in their windows, jacked their cars WAY up in the rear, installed loud as hell glass packs and cruised the streets at night. If they could do a decent burnout leaving the High School parking lot after a ball game the parts made the grade.
I was already drag racing my car and had it well dialed in. Every single time without exception I removed a very well dialed in factory part with something from Edelbrock, Holley, Mallory, Crane, etc my car slowed down at the track. The funny part was that many of those parts I installed "felt" stronger on the street, especially the big intake manifolds and larger camshafts. I lost count of how many times I'd install a part and street test it leaving a BIG grin on my face and fully expecting to run a full second quicker at the track the next outing, then get my time slip after the first run with the new part and NEVER went quicker.
What I was experiencing with many of these parts was a "shift" in power, not making more of it. Big intakes and camshafts shift power to the upper mid-range and top end often killing off low end and average power. Without other changes like gearing and looser converters the vehicle will run worse more times than not.
Anyhow, back on track and I'll say here that unless one of those Chinesium pieces of bovine excrement fall in my lap it's unlikely I'll ever see the inside of one or waste my time messing with them for pretty much the same reason I avoid anything commercially "remanufactured" like the plague......FWIW.......Cliff
