[ScumOne]

I've had a lot of health issues over the last two years since I joined this forum, but now it seems I'm finally turning the corner and can get back to my project 69 Firebird 400 restoration.

Now that the radiator is replaced, and tranny cooling lines aren't leaking, I've had the car tuned up. It's gone from 97 RWHP to 235 RWHP, so that's nice, but the carb is still giving me issues, runs ok, but not great, throttle response is slow.

I'm trying to decide whether to replace it with a rebuilt carb, or take it to a mechanic here in So Cal that has experience with Q-Jets. My feeling is it needs to be rebuilt, maybe rejetted, but I don't want to throw out the numbers matching carb since it's a numbers matching engine/tranny, etc.

Are there any decent carb mechanics in the So Cal area (closer to Whittier, CA the better) that anyone here on the forum have used and been happy with? Let me know if you have a recommendation, ok?

The car is a 1969 Firebird 400 400 V8/TH400 trans..Rochester Q-Jet, which has had an electric choke added to it.

Thanks in advance,

Jim Seavall (aka ScumOne)
Any advice, please post here, or email me: sales@scumbackspeakers.com

[ponyakr]

"...Any advice, please post here..."


SMI, in Huntington Beach. They can rebuild yours, OR you can keep your numbers matching original, for possible future sale, with car, and buy an 800cfm Olds carb, with the APT feature, to run on the car now.

https://www.smicarburetor.com/produc...ID2/86/sfID3/9

https://www.smicarburetor.com/produc...D2/9/sfID3/100

Don't know of any other good builders in CA. But here's a good one in TX. Slightly more shipping cost.

https://www.quadrajetpower.com/online-store

If you decide to go with a '71-'79 Pontiac Q-jet, keep in mind that they have the big "smokestack" vent, which requires a hole for it, in your air cleaner base. SMI probably has plenty of good '76-'79 Olds & Pontiac cores, on hand. Good quality '69 Pontiac cores are probably scarce & expensive. If you prefer the older look, but want a cheaper core, Cliff has said that the early '70's 800cfm Buick models are good cores for rebuilding. There are probably lots of 750 & 800 Buick cores still available. The throttle linkage is different, but you can easily rig up your cable to work with it. Hey, it's just an option, in case you decide not to have your original rebuilt.

http://www.everyday-performance.com/

[Hikin Mike]

Originally Posted by ponyakr

... Cliff has said that the early '70's 800cfm Buick models are good cores for rebuilding. There are probably lots of 750 & 800 Buick cores still available. The throttle linkage is different, but you can easily rig up your cable to work with it. Hey, it's just an option, in case you decide not to have your original rebuilt.

I've been using a 800cfm '71 Buick on mine for years.