TOPIC: Let me help you build your business grooving

Email me your names and address and phone so when I talk to people on I 70 and they are from your state or area I can give them your name and address phone no. I see lots of travelers fueling up and I hand them my card but they are usually in a hurry,this could be a great chance to build up your business. We all know this works. So lets get this machine growing help Collette as she is trying to keep this site going,dont let her down. We all can make this grow by leaps and bounds and with just alittle help from each other!!!!!!!!!!!!


Dan Merrick Gadgetman Mo.

Hi folks, my name is Lloyd my ph# is 403-843-3922 I live in Rimbey Alberta Canada I am a new member and am enjoying all the comments on the forum. So far I am an outside backyard beginner, so with that said we still are having snow and colder than normal weather. as soon as things warm up I am going to get on some of these ideas and will probably be asking many questions. I do have my personal licence. Keep up the good work folks. Thanks all. Lloyd B

Welcome Aboard Lloyd! Glad to see new folks here we will be here when you have Q/A!

Tracy G

Thanks for the kind welcome everyone. One question I have is, it seems, from some of the comments that I have read, it is difficult to groove a rochester carb. I have one of these on a 1982 class C motor home with a 350 chev motor. I would like to swap it out for an after market one. Does anyone have any ideas for a decent replacement that can be grooved, and give better fuel economy?
Thanks
Lloyd B

get a half inch spacer for bottom of carb and groove it close to butterfly opening the groove will work

Hi Dan
I will try the spacer trick when I get going on my project.
Thanks again
Lloyd B

Couple thoughts for you Lloyd. For a Grooved Q-jet, you need a spacer with the same primary bore size not just close but the same pri. bore size, and the spacer will need to be coupled to the bottom of the Q-jet so it doesnt shift around. A Groove will occupy both parent metal of the AFB AND the spacer material. Havent done this, but I think it could be done by using small dia. roll pins. Clamp the spacer to the Q-jet TB base in exact position,w/a real thin gasket between?? Drill holes thru base/spacer/gasket combo then tap in small dia. roll pins to couple all together. A 1/2 inch thick phenolic plastic or one of those brown layered looking fiber/phenolic heat insulating spacers. I'd use a drill press if I was gonna do this. Spacer needed cause there is almost no bore left under the Q-Jet primary butterfly blades. Many carb spacers I've encountered w/ individual bore holes not open center, can have different size holes than the carb barrel bore diameters.

Thing is w/ Q-jets-I've rebuilt a couple dozen. The top airhorn casting typically gets warped from heat/age and clamping force of the 2 long bolts in front. I've solved this by double gasketing and even gently sanding the bottom of the top casting. Second- Q-jets always have throttle shaft vac. leaks. I have a pro carb rebuilder where I live and he can re-bush Q-jet throttle shafts very nicely. Third- getting rods/jets to tune these, there may still be sources for those, Edelbrock made their version of Q-jets for years but have discontinued them. So a Grooved Q-jet IS possible, if you really want it...

An easier option is convert to Edelbrock Performer or Carter AFB. I've Grooved one on my Dodge 383 truck engine, Ron grooved one for a freind w/ a Ford 460 w/good results. Those are easy to Groove,common, and are very forgiving compared to Q-jets, and rebuild kits AND rods/jets are easily available thru Summit Racing and others. Q-Jet is spreadbore, Performer/AFB is "squarebore" carb. Myself I'd use an Edelbrock Performer intake man. as they will accept the AFB style carb Or the Q-Jet. For the AFB type, a thin metal plate adapter w. gaskets is used for good seal to carb base. W/ stock Chevy iron int. manifolds, they are made for the spreadbore Q-jet only, and most 4-hole adaptors to drop the AFB on the stock manifold have a weird dogleg in the pri. bores- though they will get you by.

I and others have figured out a simple way to calculate the rod/jet combo's for Performer//AFB carb's. I sent a Performer to Ron 2 yrs ago for his Ford 460 Motor Home when the Holley was giving fits w/ blown power valves etc. He Grooved the Performer and had good results.

My 3 cents Lloyd!

Tracy G

But it would be interesting to see/hear about a Grooved Q-jet!

Hi Tracy G
Excellent note. Thanks. I will keep this in mind when some of our snow goes away, still under a couple of feet or so and more coming today,. I am leaning towards a swap out because of very small distance between the top of carb and the bottom of the hood. This is a van type body. I tried to put a larger air cleaner(larger in circumference but thinner) hood would not close, so seems I am going to have a challenge no matter what.
Thanks again Tracy G
Lloyd B

sure Lloyd! Maybe a remote air cleaner might work in your case. I hate to do free advertising for others but here's a link that could give ideas for that.

Just to give ideas of what's out there. I've toyed w/ idea of remote filt. for my Weber, cause w/ those you have a hose/tube between filt and carb, and that gives ability to add nipple taps to add other things to intake airstream separate from carb/intake man.

IF you had a snow blower maybe you could Groove it! BTW, when you post about whatever you're working on start a new thread in appropriate category, GM vehicles, carburetors, etc!

Tracy G

Thanks again Tracy G
I think there is an opening beside the rad that I thought would make a good spot for something, just never thought of an air intake. Thanks for that.
Lloyd B