or am I a dreamer thinking some older store (can't find any via the usual suspects, Summit shows on that looks about right, and they should be able to ship it right out...mid September :/ ) Meanwhile, I stupidly thought that I could rebuild the carb yesterday on my 1977 Regal (why oh why get a 350 2 barrel new, when you would get better mileage and performance with a 1-Jet? No, if I buy one with a 2 barrel, I'll get better mileage for sure! ) before the Tropical storm rolled in...nope. While I have rebuilt many Q-Jets through the decades , I only rebuilt one 2 barrel before (on an Olds Omega, 15 years ago) remembered vaguely not liking that Accelerator pump because of the right angle in the shaft. Really, really, really wished that I had ordered one with the spring and retaining clip already on it (all kits come have one without the spring and retainer) My Dad and I fought with the old one forever til we had to basically destroy it to get the spring off (there must be some trick to these and apparently I did it somehow, 15 years ago) so, went to put the new one on and...no way . Spring has amazing tension on it, and trying to hold it down, while putting the clip on...my hands could hold the spring down for say 30 seconds, then no more. finally tried without the spring, and the retainer clip wouldn't even start to go on. Looked for videos, and very, very few for the 2 barrels. One showed replacing the "skirt" and the spring inside it on the same "unit" but it was too late for that...the 2 seemed... the same size, but on the new one the spring seems to bind on the white plastic and that aluminum piece below the shaft. Filed and filed the retainer clip til I could get it on, but with the spring tension, even when I could get it to get on the shaft, and passed the bend, couldn't get it to go down to where it should look and the spring seems way too long now...so, long story long, instead of trying somehow make this work, seems so much easier to just get a new one, right? I'll just go to....umm, someplace and what year do you think this is dude? 1986? you can't just get a simple part like this locally! (that's what a few folks locally told me) seems to me, there'd be some place I could BUY A STUPID LITTLE CARB PART THAT TAKES UP SO LITTLE ROOM ON A STORE SHELF, OR IN A DRAWER! Hey, relax dude, it's like you have your car half in, half out of your garage, thinking if it took a little longer than you thought, you could still put the carb one once it started raining, right? Oh.... Any suggestions in and around Atlanta? If not, any carb parts places that can get me something before the weekend? thanks.....
here are some pics, the bottom one is with the original one before I removed it. (Q-Jet has a straight shaft, that the tip comes right though the top of the carb, this just seems like such an archaic design!) in the other pics the new one, the spring just seems way too long, and binds on the plastic , no way to get that retainer clip down to the notch below. Thought before that they were pretty much the same size.
not sure, if he offers priority, 2-3 days? I just hate to have it half in half out like this, but probably no other option at this point. Thanks, I'll contact him
Any parts store should be able to order a kit next day from a warehouse. Here’e Rock Auto’s list of kits. (For a long term fix you’ll probably want a kit from Greg, Ken, Cliff or similar that’s ethanol resistant, though). https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/buick,1977,century,5.7l+350cid+v8,1014040,fuel+&+air,carburetor+repair+kit,5964 These guys may be able to help. I don’t know anything good or bad about their work. https://www.manta.com/c/mt7hdwh/carb-junkys-llc Patrick
Scroll down to the bottom of the page, there are complete units depending on carburetor number. Greg sells everything he needs. https://quadrajetparts.com/accelerator-pumps-c-72_76.html
Yes, I realize he does and exactly what the op needs. Just pointing out a standard rebuild kits does not have what he needs
thanks everyone I ordered one from Greg! Really hope it doesn't take 3-4 days... (glad I didn't wait to see if someone knew of a hole in the wall store somewhere in the ATL I could get one off the shelf. I know, I'm a dreamer )