General Category > Quadrajet Carb Talk and Tips

Remanufactured Carburetors

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Cliff Ruggles:
I get a LOT of calls to the shop after someone has purchased a "remanufactured" carburetor.  The owner doesn't understand why the "new" carburetor isn't working well.  They say a picture is worth 1000 words so I'll put some pictures up here of one I took apart yesterday. 

This carburetor has not been in service that long but you'll notice heavy rust on the metal parts.  This happens because all the zinc is stripped from them during the rebuilding process.  They also mix/match components.  This carburetor has a 1972 Chevy center section, Cadillac baseplate and Buick top.  The choke parts on the side are 1970-71 Chevy.  It has been "hacked" internal in a lame attempt to make those parts work together but is WAY off the mark as far as being able to work well on anything it would end up on.

For example, the upper IAB's are .099", the lowers have been smashed down smaller and the DCR's are the largest I've ever seen in a Q-jet at .090".  The bypass air is blocked with lead plugs.  The Power Piston hanger arms are bent and spring is missing.  The PP spring is not from or for a Q-jet, it looks more like something you'd find in a ball point pen.  It has multiple other issues as seen in the pictures.......

Cliff Ruggles:
More pics....

Cliff Ruggles:
This carburetor was being used on a 1970 454 Chevy LS5 engine with a manual transmission.  It has recently went across the auction block at one of the big auctions and was sold as "numbers matching". 

I guess it ran long enough or they pushed it across the stage so they could complete the sale.  It was put in a trailer and delivered to the new owner and it would not run well enough to even take a test drive and refused to idle or stay running.

Two out of the four main bottom plugs (one front and one rear) are leaking like Niagra Falls as the cheap epoxy they dabbed over them had already failed so it's probably a good thing they didn't continue to use the carb and "wash" the engine.

Folks this is what you are buying no matter where it's sourced out at and many are worse than this one........Cliff

Brian B.:
It makes you wonder whether the people that manufacture these things are completely inept or just don't give a damn.

Cliff Ruggles:
In order to sell them one unit has to be able to cover a wide range of applications.  They aren't taking specific part numbers, rebuilding them, and selling them for someone looking for that number.

To meet the needs of potential customers they instead build "generic" units with pretty much the same thing done to every one of them.  They are built from mixed/matched parts, "butchered" up internal and assembled with cheap parts.

Then they sell the end result to cover a broad range of applications.  This carb in particular is something  you would get ordering a replacement carburetors for any 1970-1971 Chevy application that originally used a Q-jet.......

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