I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

I had a hesitation/throttle stumble under heavy acceleration so I figured I'd rebuild the carburetor and buy a new accelerator pump. The fuel line is a little cumbersome and tedious to loosen up so when I went to hook the Q-Jet back up I stripped out the fuel inlet because I'm impatient and make good decisions. I tried to re-tap it with a kit from quadrajetparts.com, and it seemed to hold the nut (that's what she said). When I hooked it back up the engine ran for a few minutes (although poorly with some skipping), but by the time I got around to the engine bay it started to throttle down and there was fuel spewing out from the fuel-line inlet. So I now I am faced with a dilemma. I am at my wits' end with this Q-Jet. My buddy has an edelbrock 1404 which I haven't seen any info about on any forums anywhere. I bought an adapter ($16 off ebay) for the intake that will fit either a holley or an edelbrock but I don't know if that 1404 will work or if I should just purchase a 1406 from Advance and be done with it. Is there any hope at salvaging that Q-Jet? From what I've read, it's a great carb when tuned properly, but it seems to be an eternal debate on here vs. other aftermarket brand carbs... To be honest, I'm ready to have a ceremonial funeral pyre with that Q-Jet and just go back to coloring with my crayons and helmet. Any help and advice would be much appreciated as always as it's starting to get nice and I want to get that sucker running. Thanks.

Re: I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

Edelbrock 1406 is a really good carburetor for mild performance street use. It is by no means a Holley 750 double pumper, but that is a totally different beast to begin with. I sell a BUNCH of the 1406 carbs here at the parts store I work at and they are a fine product.

Re: I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

The 1406 carb is a very nice setup until it needs rebuilding. The Holleys floods a lot. I just purchase a QJ that will be going in my truck. The 1406 has been on the garage rack for 2 years and the Holley will be joining it.

Re: I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

I'm running a 1406 on my 402 with ZERO problems. Got QJs and Hollys on the shelf. :lol:

Re: I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

The 1404 you speak of is a 500cfm with manual choke carb versus the 600cfm with electric choke of the 1406.

Re: I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

So it seems like trying to salvage the Q-Jet is a lost cause at this point...?

Re: I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

Never a lost cause!
You can buy new fittings that self tap into the stripped ones.
Look here in the quadrajet parts section.
http://quadrajetparts.com/

Re: I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

I have replaced many Quadrajets with Carters (Edelbrock carbs are exact copies of the 1960's Carter AFB). The quadrajets are great when they are put together correctly with the small primaries for good low end and mileage and the large secondaries for power when you need it. The problem with them is I have never seen a rebuilt quadrajet that ran well. they are a source of endless frustration unless you can find someone who knows these carbs inside and out.

The carter platform is a great carb, it is easy to tune and makes good power the only complaints I see consistently is from off roaders complaining about the carb starving for gas while at an extreme angle for long periods of time which never comes up on normal roads.

For racing I do like Holley carbs and feel that the double pumper if tuned correctly will outperform most of the competition but for the price and practical plug-and-play installation the edelbrocks are hard to beat.

of course you have to remember if you ask this question of 5 mechanics you will get at least 6 different answers so your mileage may vary.

Re: I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

I always give this advice to people asking carb questions, if your gonna race, get a Holley. If your gonna ride around get a Edelbrock. Jim

Re: I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

I don't like my edelbrock at all and can't wait to get a Holley on there.

Re: I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

I have an edelbrock on my 68 impala and a vac sec 750 holly on a 454 in a 71 pu. The 71 was a daily driver for many years. If you want them to run properly any carb will need a little tuning.

Re: I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

Why does everyone hate on the Q jet? They are just not that complicated.
I thought they would have little demons inside of them when I got mine, and that is just not the case.
I say fix the striped inlet like Geezer#99 said and then tune it up.
You need a timing light, tach, and vacuum gauge.
hook everything up, set timing, hook up vac advances, and adjust idle mix for best vac going back and forth to adjust the idle. Pretty simple and the same thing you need to do for any carb.
when you get out on the road, If it stumbles when the secondaries kick in, check the secondary butterfly spring tension. Adjustment is on the choke side, small allen head screw and a small flat blade. Loosen the allen head screw and turn the spring tension till there is no tension, then tighten the spring one full turn and lock it down. Go for a drive and see how it does. If no stumble, loosen the spring 1/4 turn. If stumble comes back give it 1/8 turn tighter... 3 or 4 drives and you should have it dialed in... There really is not much else to it.
Qjets like to bog when the secondaries open because the butterflies swing open and then bounce closed for a second causing a rich bog. Once the butterflies stop swinging like a saloon door the engine will take off. Just need the right amount of spring rate to cushion the swing when they pull open. Done.

vac gauge
http://www.harborfreight.com/automot...ter-93547.html
tach
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Actron-CP760...b2aac6&vxp=mtr

Re: I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

I have a good 750 cfm holley someone can try fs

Re: I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

Oh, I'm not hating on the Q-Jets. It ran great up until I started mucking with it. The fault is entirely my own. Thanks so much for all the replies and advice. Especially Mr. Handy, I will definitely get the vac gauge and the tach. Thanks!

Re: I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

Go for it! I have a holley on my bench I plan to take apart and see how it ticks, but I am really happy with my qjet. And it seems perfect ilon my 283.

Re: I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

I love my Edelbrock 1406, where I used to hate it. It's such a misunderstood carb, much like a q-jet, but for different reasons. It's only fair to say an Edelbrock doesn't run right out of the box unless you have the proper fuel pressure, and make sure the carb stays cool. Once that's taken care of, it's the closest thing to fuel injection a carb can get, albeit still a large gap. Nothing wrong with Holley, except fuel mileage. It's a great performance carb that circumvents carb boil and over pressure issues from edelbrocks, but doesn't dial in for cruising quite as well as an eddy. Your end - goal and requirements for your truck will dictate which carb you use. As long as you don't over-carb, you'll be in good shape.

Re: I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

As you can see, lots of different opinions. I just wanted to say... Welcome to the board and please post up some pics of what you are driving.

Re: I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

Must be a lot of idiots around, then, since so many have done the same thing.:lol: Your local parts house should have a self-tapping repair kit for your carb & can be installed even while carb is still on the car--for price in the teens. Care should be used when installing it, tho', . What you want to do is to tighten the thing about a 1/4turn at the time and then back it off. About every 3rd time, take it all the way out and clean the metal chips out of the threads. Keep doing that until it's fully seated, then remove it and clean all the metal chips out so they don't get into the internals of your carb. (If your fitting uses a shorty filter inside itself, toss it & install an inline one so you don't have to bother your repair again.) These repair kits work well when installed with care & caution. If you use an adapter to go from fuel line adapter to flex-line to pump, might be good idea to install the adapter first.
Sam.

Re: I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

Holleys flood a lot only when they aren't set up correctly. Set the floats correctly and they do not flood, but they do run like a raped ape..

Re: I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

What is your goal? Are you trying to get away from the q-jet? You could get a new/used q-jet main body and then rebuild the carb. While at our local Pick-N-Pull today I came across 2-3 q-jets. They sell them here for $30-40. I would think cheaper for just the main body. There not hard to rebuild at all and there a good design.

Good place for parts and Cliff will help you along the away.

http://www.cliffshighperformance.com/parts.html

Re: I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

I second the Cliff's repair kits- fixed up the leaky Q-Jet on the '71 Cheyenne, mileage got slightly better, started better, no complaints. They are a finicky carb to work on or set up, but they work great once done right.
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Re: I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

Another vote for Cliff Ruggles....

That Q-jet is a great carb. Don't give up on it cuz you stripped it. Like Gezzer says, it can be repaired. And Mr Handy gives the quick and dirty on tuning...then you're back in business.

Re: I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

Some good advice here with respect to 'keep going' and SierraMtns point about simply finding a donor quadrajet to strip out the main body is a very viable option and it wouldn't take too long to do.
Coley

Re: I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

Q-jet are great. I have built many over the years for myself and others. They came on a myriad of engines from 250 to 500 cubes. Therefore a common problem arises when people obtain one of unknown origin and do not address the metering rod changes properly for their particular application.

Re: I'm an idiot and stripped out the fuel inlet on my Q-Jet
 

It's a GM truck, so it needs a Quadrajet period !