[Ruin]

Hi Everyone,

My Corvette is finally finding her way home in 9 days! I'm terribly excited and can't wait... but will have to, seeing as I won't find my way home for another 26.

Anyway, I'm looking for a bit of help. I'm not an engine pro, and want advice from those who are.

The only thing wrong with my Vette ('69 350/350 4-Speed), aside from the hole in the gas-tank, is that it lacks a carb.

I'm trying to find a decent, cost effective replacement to slap on there to get her running some for the summer. I'm not overly concerned with performance (just so long as it's not going to hurt it) seeing as I leave for Ft. Knox for 4 months in August (lots of 4s in there). I just need something to get her running on a budget - after that, I'll be back and will need more help... :devil:

Any suggestions?

Thanks for looking!

 

[OldVetteFan]

Does your car have the stock intake manifold on it, or has it been changed?

The stock intake is cast iron, and the original equipment carb was a Rochester Quadrajet.

However, many owners later, the intake may have been changed to a wide variety of aftermarket aluminum intakes.

Assuming that the stock intake is in place, then you can run a Quadrajet, Holley Spreadbore, or a Carter.


The key here is to take a look at the intake, and it will help you determine what you need. The stock intake will have four holes - two small ones in the front, and two large ones in the back. If so, then you need a spreadbore carburetor.

If it has four holes of the same size (or a combination of one oval hole and two holes of the same size, or one big square opening), then you can use a "square bore" carburetor.

There are also adapter plates that allow you to run spreadbores on square intakes, and vice versa, but I'm not certain that you have sufficient hood clearance for that (you might, but I don't know for sure).

How big is your budget? Do you have any background in rebuilding or tuning carburetors?

Let us know!

Steven

 

[Ruin]

Thanks Steven,

I'm really a body-man - I stick to paint and bondo, but do know some basic mechanics. I do this just to see if I can, so with the proper guidance, I could do this myself (unless I need some ridiculous tools, which I doubt).

All I know about this Vette:

It was a 427 originally, I don't know the exact technical term for the hood, but it's, what I consider, the classic Stingray hood, with the opening facing front and a long pointed part sticking out... errm, I'm not a writer.... okay, like this:

Thanks 76 sting!

Anyway, the 427 was replaced with the 350 after some genius mechanic left something loose (many years ago) and it fell *in* the cylinder and blew the engine. This car has been sitting in a garage after having the rebuilt 350 put in it for about 5 years now - it was running when it was parked. However, my uncle has a Camaro he was trying to get running, so he took the carb, haha. He's the reason I'm getting this car for free, so I'm not going to push it.

That's all I know for certain about it. I'll have to wait until I'm back in NC to actually look at it... but, for the time being...

What do you all recommend for either type of carb?

Oh, a budget... well, I'm going to sacrifice buying that Aimpoint ML2 I want... :laughing: So, under $500, if this is possible? The cheaper the better, but at the same time, I don't want to do her any harm.

Thanks again!

 

[OldVetteFan]

OK - here's the deal.

If you just want to buy an "out of the box" solution, go to Summit or Jegs (or your favorite performance parts store), and get a Holley spreadbore or square bore.

In my opinion and experience, the Holley is significantly easier to use out of the box than either a Quadrajet (spreadbore) or a Edelbrock (square bore).

If your engine takes a square bore, then a BASIC easy to use Holley would be something like this one from Summit ($240) ...

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=HLY-0-1850S&N=700+4294919007+115&autoview=sku

If your engine takes a spread bore, then a BASIC easy to use Holley would be something like this one ($385) ...

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=HLY-0-9895&N=700+4294919007+400178+115&autoview=sku

You could ask your uncle if he knows what carburetor was on the car - if you can narrow it down, I can help you select what would be an exact (or at least CLOSE) replacement.

If you think you could rebuild a carburetor, then you can find them on ebay for decent prices (along with the risk of buying a used carburetor, of course!).

Steven

 

[Ruin]

Thanks Again Steven.

I'll give him a call tonight and see if he knows. Here's to hoping it's a square bore... then maybe I can get that Aimpoint. :devil:

 

[tjhuyser]

Thanks Again Steven.

I'll give him a call tonight and see if he knows. Here's to hoping it's a square bore... then maybe I can get that Aimpoint. :devil:

Don't overfuel it either...if it's a 350 rated motor you could probably run either a 650 or a 750...I believe the 650 will give you more midrange power and the 750 more upper rpm power...however I will defer to oldvettefan for confirmation/correction as he seems more knowledgeable than I:cheers:

 

[OldVetteFan]

In general, that's true. A big carb can be made to perform very well on a mostly stock 350, but it takes a lot of tuning to prevent low RPM bogging.

In his case, if we can find a basic carb to fit his engine, we can narrow down what he needs in terms of flow capability and performance later.

Steven

 

[tjhuyser]

In general, that's true. A big carb can be made to perform very well on a mostly stock 350, but it takes a lot of tuning to prevent low RPM bogging.

In his case, if we can find a basic carb to fit his engine, we can narrow down what he needs in terms of flow capability and performance later.

Steven

Heck i got a Quadrajet sitting he can take and put on to see how it runs...I'm only a couple hours north of him...this way he can get that scope. (He must be in the army, no self respecting Marine would use a scope untill he was shooting 1000+ yard):rolling:

 

[OldVetteFan]

There ya go, Ruin - the man's got a carb for ya!

Steven

 

[Ruin]

Wow! Thanks for that tjhuyser! I'll be in touch.

National Guard... well, soon. Doing some paperwork right now. Don't see any reason I'd be DQed, so I'm off in August. And I'm looking for a red-dot (I'm also a hobby shooter) which is why I'm stuck trying to decide between an Aimpoint or EOTech.

I appreciate all the info guys. The good news is that everything is finally completely 100% squared away *knock on wood* and she'll be home this weekend.

 

[tjhuyser]

Wow! Thanks for that tjhuyser! I'll be in touch.

National Guard... well, soon. Doing some paperwork right now. Don't see any reason I'd be DQed, so I'm off in August. And I'm looking for a red-dot (I'm also a hobby shooter) which is why I'm stuck trying to decide between an Aimpoint or EOTech.

yeah , yeah. last qual in the Marine Corps, I hit 9 out of 10 in the black on silouette targets a 500 yards open sites

 

[Ruin]

I've got an AR15 at home that I love - I just want something different from ironsights, to work on speed shooting. Also, Army qual is done with an Aimpoint, so I figured I'd get some practice in over the summer. Or I could just be looking for an excuse to buy one, haha.

Anyway, a related question - because tjhuyser asked me, and I'm clueless...
Can I use one that has an electric metering valve?

 

[Ruin]

Just an update...

I came home last night and just got back from inspecting the Vette.

I open the hood, remove the air-filter, and (for whatever reason) look on the passenger floor-board and discover that I have both a square and spreadbore carburetor already!

Now, I think (by your description) what I need on the engine is the squarebore.

There's duct tape protecting the intake for right now, but I lifted it up a little and saw four holes - two sets: one oval shaped one and one rounded one. Is this right?

 

[Gunn]

If it's orange/a cast intake, you want used Quadrajet 650. It's simple, all you need for what you want... it doesn't sound like you want a 750... unless you like sending more money to buy, time tuning and pulling up to the pump more often. (someones going to comment on tuning... it's not magic, it's skill and feel). A properly tuned Quadrajet will stay in tune for several light duty years.

If you have to pay more than $100 for this, I'd shake my head at the seller. I pulled the Holley 750 double pumper off my 350/350 in place of a Quadraject 650... it tuned easier, sounds and runs great, I get better mileage, as much hp as I know I need... I paid $20 at a swap meet for it. To be perfectly honest, I also bought a parts carb for $5 to make it period correct (although not necessary).

Good luck.:thumbsup:

 

[Ruin]

Thanks Gunn, but I already have two different Carbs. I just want to confirm that I do indeed need a squarebore. Also, I have an Edelbrock intake .

 

[Kid Vette]

Just an update...

There's duct tape protecting the intake for right now, but I lifted it up a little and saw four holes - two sets: one oval shaped one and one rounded one. Is this right?

Got any pics? This is a spreadbore manifold:

And this is a squarebore:

 

[Ruin]

No pics of the manifold, only the carbs themselves. But, the holes on my manifold match those of the first picture. So then I'm actually looking at a spreadbore?

I'll shoot some pics of the manifold tomorrow - when I have duct tape on me and can retape it after I'm done.

 

[OldVetteFan]

No pics of the manifold, only the carbs themselves. But, the holes on my manifold match those of the first picture. So then I'm actually looking at a spreadbore?

I'll shoot some pics of the manifold tomorrow - when I have duct tape on me and can retape it after I'm done.

Technically, if your manifold is like the first picture, then you can run either a spreadbore or strait bore carburetor.

This is because the first manifold pictured has two threaded hole at each corner - and that allows you to mount either kind of carb.

The second picture is ONLY for a spreadbore type carb, and the third picture is ONLY for a square bore carb.

Good Luck and let us know if you have any other questions!

Steven

 

[Ruin]

Steven, thanks for the info.

To run either one do I need a converter plate, or is it a simple bolt-on application? Is there one type better than the other? What about brands? The squarebore is a Rochester Quadrajet, I'll have to check on the spreadbore tomorrow.

Looks like I'll need to find an "Idiot's Guide" to help me figure out how to install this thing. It would be easier if I took it apart, but I didn't, so I'm not sure what hoses go where etc...

Same thing for my trim pieces, but that's another thread.