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I am looking at buying a new carburetor for my 76 firebird, it will be
going on the original 400 and replacing the factory q-jet. I was wondering
if you guys had some suggestions about what brands, models and sizes of
carburetors I should consider. I am planning on rebuilding this engine into
a high-torque/high-power motor sometime in the future (cam, lifters, etc)
and would like to be able to keep the same carb.
stuffusbus
Whta do you mean by ?
Do you mean you want a very steep power curve from idle or you want the
power curve to maintain an healthy +ve derivative further into the rpms?
Wally
stay with the q-junk untill you build your engine. it doesn't make sence to
put a carb for performance on untill you know what the engine is capable of
producing.
glagon1979
It also doesn't make sense to get rid of the Quadrajunk if you want a
performance engine. A properly tuned Q-Jet will give you the best of both
worlds... Good mileage and great throttle response on the primaries and
big power when the secondaries open up. The only people who don't think a
Q-Jet is a great carb for the street, simply don't understand them.
Now all we have to do is break the code so everyone knows exactly what the
cryptic "high-torque/high-power motor" means. I was also wondering from
the description if the current engine doesn't have lifters. If not, adding
some would definitely increase power. :roll:
vwhobo
Well right now everything on and in the engine is stock. But my "plan" is
to maybe stroke it to a 455 with a 455 crank and some connecting rods.
Along with this would go some new lifters, rocker arms, camshaft,
carb/intake, fuel/oil pump and who knows what else (in reality most of this
probably wont happen because of money). I also don't know much about tuning
carbs, so it would be easier for me to just buy a new carb. And besides,
shouldnt I be trying to get rid of the old heavy intake?
stuffusbus
I still marvel at how guys spend a fortune stroking engines for a 10% gain
in displacement. My favourite is seeing guys stroke Ford eights to 347
cubes and Dart this, forge that, flow this, carb that and all for only
A$25k. In the end they have the bestest engine that ever woz, but it's like
my Grandad's axe, which was the best he ever bought only having five new
handles and three new heads in it's lifetime.
Then us observers have to endure bragging posts of how great the torque is
because it's a stroker and how many more ponies it makes. When someone
points out that the build cost is $555/cu in there is invariably a flame
war, especially if the branded parts are the same as the forum oracle who
has the undisputed rep for the finest full house blinged engine ever made.
Twelve months down the track when the ambitious dyno graph has been
discredited by someone who knows that fuel can only release so much energy,
some riceboy has blown him off at the lights in a Suzuki hairdryer and the
anticipated 9 second quarter is off the mark by 4 seconds even with the
Gtech, the car is listed in the for sale section by the now bowser
impoverished member.
I guess I'm trying to say tinkering with engines is a money pit and the joy
of the extra performance is only fleeting. Unless you intend to gain a full
knowledge of what works and what doesn't, you will be pulled pillar to post
by people with great ideas and their hand in your pocket.
Wally
so what you're really saying is that "you're better off not f*cking w/ it
too much until you know enough about it to form an opinion of your own" ?
:wink2:
dodger65
now why didnt we just say this in the first place? lol
Andrew0261
Gosh, I don't know moron, why didn't you? BTW, good job dredging up an
almost two month old thread. :banghead:
vwhobo
