carburetor rebuild?
 

has anyone here done this? i have a '68 impala that was sluggish all last summer & the choke didn't work, so i'm thinking of taking this job on. any hints???

thanks in advance!

Be sure you have no slack in the throttle body. I had one rebuilt with slack in the throttle body only to end up with the same problem. I have tried rebuilding a carb myself but had no luck. (had to get some skilled help to get it back together)

Spend the money and buy a GOOD repair manual that is detailed on the carb. If not buy a book on that model of carb, quadrajet, etc....If not find a good rebuild place, (they are kind of scared nowdays).

If you are mechanically inclined, it isn't that bad. The thing is there is more to it than taking it apart, cleaning it and putting it back together. As someone said, get a manual if you have not done this sort of thing. There are adjustments such as float height accelerator pump stroke, etc. that need set. I'd bet that maybe some of those specs may be online these days.

Why not buy a new carb? 4barrels can be really cheap, if you buy low CFM's:)

I love rebuilding and tuning carbs. I bet your 68 has a four barrell Rochester. They look pretty complex but if you have any mechanical aptitude you can do this. Keep track of all the small stuff. Get a carb rebuild kit for your carb, and when you dismantle it, get everything as clean as possible. Most carb kits have exploded diagrams and good instructions. Don't get in a hurry and be meticulous about getting all the settings correct.

You can't beat the feeling of bolting the thing back on and tuning it to a knats ass of perfect. You may be amazed at how well your old engine runs after carb rebuild. Let us know how it goes.

you are correct, sir!

sent away for the rebuild kit today & hope to be working on it this weekend.

thanks for all the input, gearheads.........

holy crap does a quadra-jet have a lot of parts!! it's hard to believe that a 2-ton car has a few parts that are this big: ~ . and these tiny frickin' parts matter & need to be cleaned.

bolted the thing back on last night & took it out on a warm chicago evening with the top down.....nice big half moon in the sky..........it has never run this smooth since i bought it 5 yrs ago.

totally worth the day & 1/2 of work & skinned up knuckles!

thanks for the encouragement.

Glad it worked out.

Man the good old days were something. Car won't start? Check for fuel and fire. Ain't got fuel nor fire? Fix it!

Nothing like the feeling that you did it yourself. Sure makes a hell of a difference in how the old machines run. Been fixing my own cars since my first one. Except now I can't do it as easily and need some pretty strange tools.

You should ask one of those mechanic places, you know like tune up masters or something, what a carb rebuild would cost. I bet you would be suprised at how many bucks you just saved. That is if you could find someone that would be willing to do it.

I'm glad it worked out for you. Sure beats spending big bucks on an aftermarket carb/parts to hook it up properly and then trying to tune the bejeezes out of it. The quadrajet is a hard to rebuild carb, yet one of the best carbs in my mind.