NTX5467 Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 (edited) Admiring the great lines is one reason you wax the car a lot in the off-season. Feeling the magnificance as you also look for spots missed or which need more work. Static artwork. Inside and out. NTX5467 Edited April 17 by NTX5467 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadpurpledog Posted April 17 Author Share Posted April 17 Nothing like them. Beautiful from every angle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 It is the polishing of the body shape I find most satisfying. The razor edge tops of the '64 Riviera are like nothing else. #34's of my garage floor has vinyl flooring for peaceful warm afternoons of barefoot polishing. One quarter left for "hard" work may get a cheap sheet of expendable vinyl for oil changes and brake jobs soon. I guess I'd call that retirement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 "Barefoot polishing"?? (Gasp!!) No flip-flops which are "garage only"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XframeFX Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 On 4/16/2024 at 3:16 PM, LarryDolphins said: Do you happen to know any Qjet experts in the Los Angeles area ? Carburetor Exchange and Carburetor Center are now one and the same in the LA area? Carburetor Exchange quoted an in-stock 1966 Q-Jet, a 7041309 I think for <$500 a few years back. Last August, "DowndraftDan" at Carburetor Center quoted $950 +$500 for a Core I do not have. So, $1450! That amount will take me well into an FI swap. https://www.carburetorcenter.com/product-page/1966-buick-rochester-quadrajet-carburetor-remanufactured 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
65VerdeGS Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 Ever since I've had my '65 Gran Sport (41 years now) it has been a bit 'balky' to start after having been left sitting for anything over two weeks. This behavior remained after I had the engine and both Carter carbs rebuilt in 2005. The car is 100% stock. I have to pump the gas several times to get enough fuel up into the carb(s) to start the car. Is this something to do with the fuel evaporating from the float bowl? Or to do with today's ethanol blended gas? Would the car have had this problem when new? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tenugent Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 5 hours ago, 65VerdeGS said: Ever since I've had my '65 Gran Sport (41 years now) it has been a bit 'balky' to start after having been left sitting for anything over two weeks. This behavior remained after I had the engine and both Carter carbs rebuilt in 2005. The car is 100% stock. I have to pump the gas several times to get enough fuel up into the carb(s) to start the car. Is this something to do with the fuel evaporating from the float bowl? Or to do with today's ethanol blended gas? Would the car have had this problem when new? You may look into a electric fuel pump with a on and off switch.I have one I like so I can turn the motor over to get oil pumping through the motor so I dont get a dry start.As Tom T said I'd rather change a starter than a motor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 9 hours ago, 65VerdeGS said: Is this something to do with the fuel evaporating from the float bowl? Or to do with today's ethanol blended gas? Would the car have had this problem when new? That hot soak re-start issue would have depended on where it happened. Phoenix in the summer, probably. Phoenix in the winter, probably not. Even with the gas the car was designed for, when it was a "used car" or over 1 year old. Pumping the accel pedal just put fuel into the intake manifold, not "gas to the carbs". NTX5467 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 12 hours ago, XframeFX said: Carburetor Exchange and Carburetor Center are now one and the same in the LA area? Carburetor Exchange quoted an in-stock 1966 Q-Jet, a 7041309 I think for <$500 a few years back. Last August, "DowndraftDan" at Carburetor Center quoted $950 +$500 for a Core I do not have. So, $1450! That amount will take me well into an FI swap. https://www.carburetorcenter.com/product-page/1966-buick-rochester-quadrajet-carburetor-remanufactured I know that carb kit prices have increased a bit, depending upon the source and quality thereof. I can understand an increase in labor rates, to an extent. I can understand environmental issues with cleaning fluids. For THIS price, I would expect above perfection. Even a full re-cast with all design issues fixed and finessed beyond perfection. Even a stainless steel sleeved power valve bore and thick secondary air valve cam! Neither of which are mentioned! QJets have always been more expensive to rebuild than an AFB, but that price can get close to TWO NEW AFBs. Wonder what he pays his employees, to justify those prices? NTX5467 NTX5467 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telriv Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 Even when new IF they sat for awhile, a week or more, you would have to crank them for awhile. Way back when they were a newer car & more than likely a daily driver so you didn't run into these problems. AGAIN, I would rather crank it over for awhile to get oil flowing RATHER than a dry start. Todays fuel with alcohol evaporates even faster with the normal heat of the engine. The cure install an electric fuel pump or fuel injection. Now we're back to the dry start situation. Which would you rather have??? Tom T. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr914 Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 fuel injection, disc brakes, quick ratio steering, and bilstein shocks are certainly the way to go if one wants to do worthwhile modifications for better driving and performance and handling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 I looked at that carburetor re-manufacture service that was $450 after deducting the core charge. Kits are about $50 on the low end. That leaves $400 in the rest of the job. Those carbs did not come with throttle shaft bushings that I know of. That is some machining there plus fabrication of the bushes. A test run on an engine to set it up is added labor. Usually something like a small displacement Chevy small block is used. General shop rates around here are about $175 and it is hard to get 100% billable time. The minimum income for an employee to rent a single apartment around here, backwoods New York State, not city, is $50,000 per year. And the rental people know who can't make the rate. I see it as a reasonable deal. I would never even consider providing the service. Not enough margin and the expectation of the customer would likely be that bolting that carb on would cure all their ills. I wouldn't touch any implication like that. That is the kind of deal you recommend to the worst playing, most annoying person you have tried to work for. "Here, buy a carb from these guys. They look good. And it has a guaranty!" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 17 hours ago, NTX5467 said: "Barefoot polishing"?? (Gasp!!) No flip-flops which are "garage only"? I have never been one for hard or dirty work. And the climate doesn't breed crawly things. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telriv Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 Even when new IF they sat for awhile, a week or more, you would have to crank them for awhile. Way back when they were a newer car & more than likely a daily driver so you didn't run into these problems. AGAIN, I would rather crank it over for awhile to get oil flowing RATHER than a dry start. Todays fuel with alcohol evaporates even faster with the normal heat of the engine. Tom T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telriv Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 On EVERY carb. I rebuild they ALL go through a process. Reason many of my re-builds seem to be costly. Re-bushed throttle shafts IF NEC. In MANY cases only the primary shafts need to be re-bushed. Seldom the secondary's, BUT sometimes also. Seized up throttle shafts, etc. Rusted linkage beyond recognition. Water intrusion corroding internally. EVERYONE is installed on a running/driving '64 Riv. I have & use for this process. DON'T need a problem with an overseas carb. as shipping back & forth can get to be quite costly. Ask those I've done rebuilds for & ask them/those questions & whether satisfied or not & their impressions. Tom T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbking Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 (edited) Interesting comments about the price of that Q-Jet. I have been out of carburetor restoration now for 12 years, so I have no dog in this hunt. We did cosmetic and mechanical restoration to each carburetor. Early on, I tried doing rebuilding, and the carbs looked so bad that I ended up restoring about half a dozen that I had quoted rebuilding, and shipped at the quoted price. But I wasn't ashamed at the way the carbs looked. The blurb as posted does not state all of the work that was done, and the linkage does not look like it has been electroplated (perhaps it has). 12 years ago, once we had totally disassembled the carb, and cleaned the castings, and useable linkage pieces; these would be sent to a metal laundry company to do the zinc chromate conversion on the castings, and the yellow zinc electroplate on those steel items requiring yellow zinc, black oxide on those items requiring black oxide, and Teflon coating on the few linkages that required this coating. Average cost to us, 12 years ago, was $250./carburetor. Add to this the cost of a kit (12 years ago, about $80. for a good Q-Jet kit with jets, springs, secondary cam, etc.), a set of primary bushings (about $10 then), the machine time to install the bushings (not going to add the price of the milling machine or the cost of fabricating the fixture) roughly 1 hour machine shop time ($125./hour), roughly 2 hours shop time disassembly ($75./hour), roughly 2 hours shop time assembly and adjustment ($75./hour). Figure 95 percent of Q-Jets with 60k miles are going to require primary bushing. Now, we have to consider incorrect metering rods (many are NLA and must be fabricated), and hangers ($15.), a brass float, a new choke pull-off (some of these can exceed $100. if you can find one). Anyone ever tried fabrication a metering rod on a lathe? Put all that together and adjust for 12 years of inflation, and that $950. doesn't look too bad IF the carburetor is being restored. AFB's are considerably cheaper, as Carter didn't use a foam float that failed as often as a politician tells a falsehood ; the Carter brass floats are generally reuseable, and most do not have a choke pull-off. The major problem with the floats in the AFB was a previous "rebuilder" "one size fits all" attitude. Carter used at least 5 different floats in various AFB's, and they are different for a reason. Also, the AFB's only required body recoloring on the choke housing and pump jet housing. I believe Tom does about the same. Quality work costs premium money. Jon Edited April 18 by carbking (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XframeFX Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 (edited) On 4/17/2024 at 10:20 PM, 65VerdeGS said: I have to pump the gas several times to get enough fuel up into the carb(s) to start the car. Alex, here in Western Canada, Princess Auto in the "Farming" Section has at least two Electric fuel Pumps to choose from. If using just to prime on start, make sure it's the type that flows thru when off which most do. Everyone should install a 2-Pole Oil Pressure switch in the Block's 1/8" NPT Oil Port. The 1st Pole switches to ground like a conventional switch. The 2nd Pole are dry contacts for if you want to switch an electric fuel pump, electric choke or in my case, a relay to power a sub-4-circuit fuse block. So, I have three 12V paths 1) Start 2) Accessory/Ignition and 3) Run/Ignition https://www.partsking.ca/Product/BLU//PS133 On 4/18/2024 at 9:08 AM, dr914 said: fuel injection, disc brakes, quick ratio steering, and bilstein shocks are certainly the way to go if one wants to do worthwhile modifications for better driving and performance and handling Except for disc brakes, this was my plan, especially bolt-in Bilstein Shocks. Add to that for those of us with '63s: Dynaflow to an OD or at least a more responsive transmission. I've done none of that. Too busy troubleshooting the Nailhead. Soft & Spongey Motor Mounts on my list too. Edited April 21 by XframeFX (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jframe Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 I can attest to Tom T's work on carbs. He did a correct AFB for my '65 some years ago, and it's still running strong, and looked great out of the box to boot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 Maintaining a collector car: "Just a wave of the hand and another ten minute job". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XframeFX Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 (edited) 14 hours ago, jframe said: He did a correct AFB for my '65 some years ago, and it's still running strong, and looked great out of the box to boot. My retired AFB rebuilder did a "Quick-and-Dirty" on my AFB in his trailer park garage for $400. Should've DIY in hindsight. Edited April 20 by XframeFX (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
70rivme Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 @Deadpurpledog, I love the fact that you injected your '67. You did what a lot of people think about including myself. What other kind of mods had to be or were done to your Riv to accomplish this? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadpurpledog Posted April 21 Author Share Posted April 21 Thanks 70rivme! Can’t take much credit. Spent a lot of time and money trying to get the carb to run reasonably while stopping the fuel smell. Also, was considering switching ignitions. As I’m about to explain, and as many more here like EmTee already know, I don’t know squat about the mechanical side of cars. Maybe less. Tony, with Carbuerators and More said he could fix the problems or, for another $1,800, he could fix all the issues permanently and my Riviera would run a whole lot better. I opted for Door #2. Believe the conversion included ignition, fuel pump, all new lines, risers for my air cleaner to fit and maybe more. Driving it for a few weeks with computer attached to learn how I drive. Will return soon to have it calibrated to match how I drive. sorry I can’t tell,u more. Surely many here will be able to tell you more. 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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