Cliff's Quadrajet Parts and Rebuild Kits

I used a 1977 Pontiac Q-jet on five different engines that powered my 1973 Ventura and didn't use the clip on the needle or plastic filler in the aneroid location.  I logged at least 100,000 miles on that carb and thousands of drag strip runs, with PLENTY of hard braking and power stops and never once did I experience a flooding scenario, and the float was set at 9/32".

I'd add that I used as .145" fuel inlet seat and 8.5 psi fuel pressure.

Even with that said I've had a few complaints over the years where folks experienced momentary flooding when hard braking or panic stops when they left the plastic filler cup out, so if you have one I'd certainly put it in the carb as there are no negatives that I know of from using it.

I've also had a couple of complaints when folks left the clip off the needle that it got "glued" in place when the carb dried up.  Makes me wonder what type of fuel they were using that left sticky residue behind to cause that, but for sure if you use the clip and adjust it correctly that's not going to happen if/when you leave the vehicle sit for weeks and months at a time.

Anyhow, adding bowl volume is a complete waste of time/funds and that would be the only reason I can think of to leave out the plastic up on a later carburetor.  In any and all scenarios you simply need to keep the bowl full.  This means paying attention to fuel delivery and fuel inlet seat diameter not adding more fuel to the bowl......

Too Much Information. 😊
Not long ago I bought an all original, number matching 1968 Firebird 400. One of the earliest projects was to rebuild the original 7028265XF QJ to address a few obvious carb issues. This was in the summer of 23. I hope to wrap up the bulk of the restoration soon and focus on optimizing the performance. The first thing I would like to do is verify the carburetor is performing as an OEM should.

On this forum I recently read that someone addressed the fumes smell after turning off the car by switching to Shell Nitrogen infused gasoline.  (I do think this made a difference, Thanks)
I read about how the carb bowl can boil away the gas requiring the pedal be pumped more than a few times to fill the bowl.  After two days, I do have to pump the gas at least 1 time, and it will often start in the second try.  After a week or more it may take 3 possible 4 tries to start. Is this indicative of the fuel having evaporated or leaked?  (I did epoxy the well caps during the rebuild.)
I installed a “Narrow Band” A/F mixture gauge in the car, but haven’t installed the correct O2 sensor just yet.  Will that be of use, or should this really be a “Wide-Band” gauge?  How can this be used to make adjustments or improvements in the QJ?   Or should I rent a tailpipe A/F gauge?
I think I also read somewhere that I can spray something on and around the manifold and carb to indicate possible vacuum or other leaks.  What was that spray? I would like to confirm there are no hidden issues.
And finally, since the QJ is 57-years old, and about 100,000 miles, are there physical items that may have worn away that I might want to consider replacing.

Try cupping your hands over the carb while it's idling. Slowly close your hands to restrict airflow and see if the idle picks up and smooths out. If it does you probably have a vacuum leak and it's sucking air from somewhere. Spray carb cleaner (careful, flammable) around the base,vacuum lines and where the intake meets the head while it's idling to see if it picks up also.

Looking for an Original 7027263 this is for a 1967 GTO with Manual 4 speed. Thank you.

One thing I've witnessed reading these forums over the years is some are very jealous of you and your high level of skill. Instead of learning, they try to wreck everything and ruin everybodys good time.

 I was in the garage with my number one grandson the other day. He's 12 years old, almost six foot tall and weighes 240 pounds.
 I showed him how to open rivets up with the drill, so he could take his Hot Wheels cars apart to customize them.
He was so proud of this one car, a 62 Bubble Top Bel Air. He painted it a flat Deep Purple and put the car close to a Suburu he was painting Gold so the over spray would get on the Chevy. Dude, it looks fantastic!!!  I found a small bottle to put the car into, it really turned out nice.

 He coundn't wait to show his friends in school. So I had a little talk with him. I told him there might be some who will reveal there true selves and become jealous of you and your work. Instead of trying to figure these people out and what you did wrong, dismiss these people from your life as fast as possible because you did nothing wrong and there taking up space in your life reserved for real friends who want to see you go far and do well in life.