The 4bbl intake and q-jet I had on it were from my '72 parts car that also had a 350 in it, I rebuilt the q-jet myself with a little help from my automotive instructor and a machine shop to install the bushings in the throttle plate, it ran great, just had the same popping problem. The number on the q-jet is 7042244.
Where in MI are you? I have a friend who might be able to help you sort out your car, he is in Belleville.
Well I think I found my problem, I just went out and pulled the rocker covers off and cranked the engine. 2 flat exhaust lobes. :spank: Assuming that is my only problem, other than the cam, what do I need to replace? Will the TA212 work?
that would have been the very first thing i would have checked for. very common to find this when popping through the carb on acceleration
What in the heck is it with all these flat lobes in these Buick motors? Why does this seem to happen to so many people? Just wondering...
And from this point forward you're going to have to run a low-detergent motor oil with a high zddp content, or add a zddp supplement to keep the next cam from going flat. Leave the one quart of mystery oil on the shelf. There's absolutely no reason to use that much of the stuff at any time, buch less at every oil change. Devon
non adjustable valve train has nothing to do with cam lobes going bad. Once a lifter or lobe starts to wear to the point of needing additional adjustment it is only a matter of time until cam failure. Buick and other manufacturers have been using non adjustable valve trains for many many years and hundreds of thousands of engines went well over 100,000 miles on the same cams and lifters without losing a cam. the problem is the new oil.
Adjustable roller rockers is the way to go unless you want to measure each using an adjustable and order according to that. I blame the non adjustable valve-train. When my 76 Buick Century was at 70,000 miles the original owner (Kay Mcenzie) brought the car in due to a "noise that has developed" in the top end the engine. The Buick 350 was inspected and deemed fit for duty. Kay returned the next day and said, please take my engine appart. The next bill reported that ALL 16 pushrods were replaced. For 10 years after that there were no complaints just regular services and exhaust and brakes I obtained the car when it has 80,000 miles on it and it was dead silent in the valvetrain and is the sole reason I still collect Buick 350 powered vehicles to this day. I drove it till 86,000 where I spun a rod bearing at 6800 rpm with open headers on the freeway with a 2.56 rear gear. A 80 Buick 350 replaced the 76 promtly untill the 71 engine came around. I have ordered custom pushrods for all my 350s using adjustables to measure all 16 before I order. I have never had any trouble with valve-train noise or damage even with worn steel rocker arms. My point is that over time and wear and tear the surfaces wear away. If you can not adjust for this over time then you need to buy new pushrods. Most shops not like to remove the intake manifold so that they could remove the old lifters, and pushrods and install custom length pushrods.
This is a great time to set up your 350 right. What I suggest is to buy a full engine gasket kit (add on the intake gasket), neoprene rear main seal, TA 212 cam kit that has lifters, new timing set, oil pump rebuild kit, adjustable oil pressure regulator, and a new water pump. If you do not have a degreeing kit then hire someone to degree your cam at his/her shop. Because you have to remove the cam, the timing set and front cover have to come off. If you want to be safe order 16 adjustable pushrods so you can adjust each independently to keep all 16 happy. Before you remove the intake manifold clean the intake, the heads, and especially the point where they meet. This reduces debris getting into the valley of the engine when you remove the intake manifold. If you are doing this all at home ask lots of questions before you try anything so we can further advise.
It'll take me a while just to afford the cam/lifters, let alone all of that stuff, can I not just replace the cam/lifters and the timing set and call it good for now? At least until I can afford to get everything else? :eek2:
Yes, you can... Sorry to suggest so many parts it is just a nice proven combo. I am sure you can just replace the cam, lifters, and the intake manifold gasket.
If it hasn't been said already, take the time to use some fresh oil and filters to remove as much of the metal that came off the parts in question as possible. I hear that Germany is hard over on frequent oil changes, and that it is difficult or expensive to get rid of oil. Also, I would pull the oil pan and clean the sediment off the bottom. I'm willing to be there is some in there.
