StingrayL82 wrote:
I know opinions about carbs are like posteriors.. I’ve pulled 1406 Edelbrocks out of the box and they leaked like sieves, so that’s my experience with them, plus I’m a fan of putting OEM carbs on these engines. I know people hate the ThermoQuad, but my experience with them has been trouble-free.
As for the BBD, they are notorious for needing to be rebuilt on a yearly basis. The tubes clog up, requiring paper clips to be run through them. AMC/Jeep used them in ‘78-newer CJs and other models. Most Jeep guys throw them in the garbage and replace them with Weber’s. It’s just a urine-poor design.
Yes, there has been at least one period when Edelbrock was experiencing problems with quality control. Blame the pencil pushers and penny pinchers. Some of the problems were due to casting and machining problems, resulting in dimensional issues. Most of the problems were traced to using inferior gaskets and seals. I heard corporation overrode engineers, purchasing gaskets and seals that
appeared or were certified to meet specifications but cost 75 percent less.
Interesting this is decades earlier Chrysler Corporation went through a period of identical problems with the Carter AFB. Descriptions of the problems and apparent causes were so identical it appeared someone had merely reprinted decades old text. (Or, someone had used a time machine to grab text from the future.)
In both cases, likely causes were:
1. Use of casting molds past accepted lifespan.
2. Use of tooling dulled through overuse.
3. Use of gaskets and seals that did not meet specifications.
Both companies tried to keep this under wraps but people talk and very capable mechanics can see things. (Gaskets that are little more than thick paper and seals that fall apart when you touch them are easy. Dimensional problems take a bit more work.)
I'm not familiar with the ThermoQuad so I have to rely on people's experiences described in this thread and elsewhere. Unless I'm confused most problem center around the phenolic plastic float bowls. Heat apparently causes the bowls to warp or occasionally crack. The bowls are no longer being made so the only option is to find a good one off another ThermoQuad.
The elevated temperatures inside engine doghouses aggravate this problem.
As for the Carter BBD ... I think I said clearly having to rebuild the one on my '77 B200 was my own fault, due to ignorance.
Our 1969/70 Explorer Class A had a BBD on the 318 engine. It work just fine when we bought the motorhome ... no leaks, no problems. It continued to work just fine for years. The only things I did to that motorhome was routine maintenance, new brakes, and advanced the timing a few degrees.
We left the motorhome sit unused for several years. One January evening with temperatures below -40 degrees F, Pat left work and couldn't get the van started. (Someone had turned off the outdoor outlets.) At home thirty miles away, I couldn't get the Bronco started. (Even after a hour of trying with a plugged in battery booster and starting fluid.)
In desperation, I turned to the motorhome. Because of how long it had sat unused, I had doubts. A splash of gasoline in the BBD and a fully charged battery. It started right up and was idling smoothly in less than a minute.
I know of only two vehicles, without a block heater, that would start right up at temperatures below -30 degrees F. One was driven daily ... the motorhome had been neglected for years and had been sitting, in the open, for over a month of seriously subzero temperatures.
(This is why Pat and I decided to use the motorhome as a basis for resuming pursuit of my lifelong dream.)
