Safe Horsepower

[MrSony]

Rebuilding a Quadrajet is something I still haven't done and I've been messing with cars for over 15 years. I've got 2 at home that I'm probably gonna tear into when I get settled into my new place. I might run a Q-jet on the Vortec.

Do it! It's so worth it. The only things to really watch out for is the primary metering rods on the power piston bend easilly. Hardest thing about the qjet for me at least is putting the damn power piston back in and not having it pop up when putting the air horn back on. And you WILL break screws. I suggest grinding the backs off of the throttle blade screws (and others) since they're staked from factory using a bit of heat and trying to work them out. If all else fails, brake em all and have the holes drilled to 6-32. Quadrajetparts.com sells those panhead low profile flathead screws in packs of 20 for like 5 bucks. One last thing, use a finish nail and a small hammer to knock out the roll pin for the accel pump arm, but place a thin washer or a dime inbetween the airhorn and the roll pin. It gives the pin enough room to slide out and free the arm while giving you enough room to pry the pin back in with a flathead screwdriver. Check if the airhorn and main body are warped. Easiest thing to do is take it all apart, take the gaskets off, put the airhorn on the main body. If you see a gap thicker than the gasket, it may not be worth rebuilding. It's a lot of words I know, I just love qjets. lol

 

[bob64]

Matthew the cheater kit you are looking at is to big for your engine. There are smaller ones, an there cheaper.
As some of the Gentlemen have mention, Nitrous is dangerous this is true. A good Nitrous pop can but your whole top end laying on the ground beside the car and nothing on the engine is usable again, including the carb, hood an windshield are all possible for destruction.

I get it, your excited about playing with your car and its great to see. I get a kick out of it as it puts me back to when l was young an learning.

You need to look, read an learn all you can an then some. Knowledge is power an one day someone maybe asking you about how to do something on a vehicle.

Cheap power is Vortec Engines, for under a $1000 you can change them over to carb. A 305 Vortec is 240hp an a 350 Vortec is 275hp. If you use the cam that's in it you'll have to change distributor(your 305 one) an the gear on it, everything on front of your 305 will fit on vortec, buy intake, throw carb at it an drop it in. If you change can your looking at more HP. Vortec's you can find cheap.
Don't need a engine lift , we used 3 wooden post or trees chained together and a $20 come along when l was young.

Just some thoughts for you to think about.

 

[Opie Knievel]

Do it! It's so worth it. The only things to really watch out for is the primary metering rods on the power piston bend easilly. Hardest thing about the qjet for me at least is putting the damn power piston back in and not having it pop up when putting the air horn back on. And you WILL break screws. I suggest grinding the backs off of the throttle blade screws (and others) since they're staked from factory using a bit of heat and trying to work them out. If all else fails, brake em all and have the holes drilled to 6-32. Quadrajetparts.com sells those panhead low profile flathead screws in packs of 20 for like 5 bucks. One last thing, use a finish nail and a small hammer to knock out the roll pin for the accel pump arm, but place a thin washer or a dime inbetween the airhorn and the roll pin. It gives the pin enough room to slide out and free the arm while giving you enough room to pry the pin back in with a flathead screwdriver. Check if the airhorn and main body are warped. Easiest thing to do is take it all apart, take the gaskets off, put the airhorn on the main body. If you see a gap thicker than the gasket, it may not be worth rebuilding. It's a lot of words I know, I just love qjets. lol

I've got a rebuild book for when I decide to tackle it. When are you gonna dive into your TH350? I got mine working.

 

[MrSony]

I've got a rebuild book for when I decide to tackle it. When are you gonna dive into your TH350? I got mine working.

As soon as I get my broke *ss a job. 😛 800 bucks plus fluid and a good TC is gonna be a ways off in my budget. As pasty as the bottom of the pan was, it's safe to say almost all the clutches are now steels. It's gonna be a hell of a job. I might get around to it this summer/fall if the money and time is right. I will do it eventually though. I did get another BOP TH350 a while back I was running that went pretty good. Shifted smooth, doesn't leak. Gonna put a shift kit in that and maybe a new pan gasket and a pan with a drain plug and call that one good.

 

[pontiacgp]

Hardest thing about the qjet for me at least is putting the damn power piston back in and not having it pop up when putting the air horn back on.l

there is a new ring that comes with every rebuild package so the power piston will stay in place and it even hard to remove.

 

[MrSony]

there is a new ring that comes with every rebuild package so the power piston will stay in place and it even hard to remove.

It might just be my big dumb fingers then. I always get it, just takes a few tries. That ring sure helps a lot. I remember having to throw one together with no new parts at all for a buddy so he could get home (his carb caught fire and melted a little. Was a bad time.).

 

[Opie Knievel]

As soon as I get my broke *ss a job. 😛 800 bucks plus fluid and a good TC is gonna be a ways off in my budget. As pasty as the bottom of the pan was, it's safe to say almost all the clutches are now steels. It's gonna be a hell of a job. I might get around to it this summer/fall if the money and time is right. I will do it eventually though. I did get another BOP TH350 a while back I was running that went pretty good. Shifted smooth, doesn't leak. Gonna put a shift kit in that and maybe a new pan gasket and a pan with a drain plug and call that one good.

For $800 doing the labor yourself you should be able to build a bulletproof transmission. I didn't spend anywhere near that much.

 

[pontiacgp]

For $800 doing the labor yourself you should be able to build a bulletproof transmission. I didn't spend anywhere near that much.

bulletproof huh?....we tried to rebuild a powerglide and we couldn't even get one of the 2 gears to work after we did it....I will stick to a manual transmission....😵

 

[MrSony]

For $800 doing the labor yourself you should be able to build a bulletproof transmission. I didn't spend anywhere near that much.

I do tend to overestimate, worst case scenario. I do have my eye on a kit though that is 650$, just factoring in any of my screw ups in the budget. I will be getting a low stall speed tc, but not as low as factory. Factory is 1100, I'd be fine with a 1500-1800, if they make them.

 

[MrSony]

bulletproof huh?....we tried to rebuild a powerglide and we couldn't even get one of the 2 gears to work after we did it....I will stick to a manual transmission....😵

Builder error 😛