New Mechanic Seems" to know his stuff.

[D_E_Bishop]

About four years ago our 454 Chevy was beginning to loose power, miss and in general run badly. It failed smog and I took it to a place that was highly recommended for a complete tune up after the carb and timing were tweaked to pass smog. Not much improvement even after the complete tune up. Things got worse and spark plug wires had to be replaced on warranty. Things were never the same. Finally had a 'expert" rebuild the quadrajet, no improvement, replaced bad vacuum hoses, more carb work, distributer adjusted, finally one guy got it close but not perfect.

Time to smog it again, took it to a new place, he ran a exhaust pipe test, dirty, dirty, dirty over the entire range. No way to adjust to pass. Mechanic recommended a new guy. Okay, I'll try before I junk it. Well Gary (new mechanic) gave me the mandatory estimate, $350 plus $101 for smog. Leave it I'll get to it next week. That was last Tuesday the 30th. He called yesterday, Friday the 3rd. Not bad news but not too good. Carb is really messed up, high speed jets were completely closed and...

Well the estimate if they have to completely rebuild the carb, another $400. Good news is he feels that because it was rebuilt recently they won't have to do a complete rebuild.

I ask about replacement, his response was not available and that if done right, they are bullet proof.

He ran a complete check on the distributor and the vacuum advance works perfectly as do the mechanical weights. Nothing to do there.

Gary the new mechanic said he has a Southwind on a 1989 Chassis like mine and he loves it and insists it will run like new when I come pick it up next week.

I am sitting here with sweat running down my back and also into my eyes worrying about the cost and if Gary really knows what he's doing. If he fixes it, I will have saved a few hundred buck from the quote I was given at Blair's Speed shop in Pasadena. Blair's has been a go to place for not only fuel dragsters but any engine with a carb and vacuum advance distributer.

If it is running like it was before the tune up five years ago, I don't think I can sell it and buy a newer rig until I drive it for a year or two and use up some of that repair cost.

I'll report back hopefully by Friday on the results and the costs.

[D_E_Bishop]

I'm going to wait until I get my rig back and then I'll comment on Gary's work. Right now I have been to a few ASE Certified mechanics and in my opinion, if it doesn't have a computer attached, most mechanics don't know how to work on them. The recommendations I have followed were from friends who had excellent results from shops or "really good" shops that don't do tune ups. Things are higher here in California and while it irks me, I can't and don't particularly want to leave. My grandkids and their Mom(youngest DD) and eldest DD live nearby. My eldest has been fighting stage 4 cancer for seven years and is at least even with the crap. The youngest DD and mother of our DGKs is a single Mom now and while we don't have to help financially, we do help with caring for our teenage and absolutely fantastically beautiful grandkids. I have been retired for 19 years, my wife for 16 years, I will no longer travel by air so we will never get to visit Africa. We have been to not only the other 6 continents but all fifty states so I have done pretty much all I want to do but live to see my DGKs graduate from college and married. I have had at least four cancers, three BCCs removed and had radiation for prostate cancer, I'm pretty happy to be able to pay our outrageous prices here and go out and travel.

So please give me a little leeway in this problem. I would like to find a new mechanic with the skills my Dad taught me, but, there aren't many people left who know about this naturally aspirated engine. By the way, I have advanced stenosis and arthritis in my back and have to have lumbar epidurals in order to walk, so doing my own work is out of the question. I have been assuming that I have a quadrajet carb, if it isn't it is the std carb that was on the 1989 era Chevy/GMC 454 engines, I'm sorry correct me and until the work was done at ----'s Automotive in Simi Valley it ran good and my mileage pulling a towed was above 8.0mpg. Not bad traveling over and back and forth across the mountains in the western USA.

I'll up date as soon as I get the Bounder back and get it to Canyonlands and back.

PS: If you know someone who can absolutely fix my rig and is local and you will back them up with your wallet, let me know, I only posted this because I'm hurting a lot and wanted to vent.

[RJsfishin]

To a shadetree, $400 may seem cheap.
There is nothing bad about a QJet carb.
And if you were trained to overhaul them, they are not hard to work on. I agree w/ the commercial site prices below.

Labor:
Rochester Quadrajet carbs:
Rebuilds start at $150.00
Restorations start at $295.00
Basic parts prices:
-Kits: Prices vary from $29.95+ depending on application

jplante4 wrote:
I've rebuilt more than a few Rottenchester Quadrajunk carbs in my life and $400 is cheap, believe me.

[jplante4]

I've rebuilt more than a few Rottenchester Quadrajunk carbs in my life and $400 is cheap, believe me.

[RJsfishin]

Quote:
Carb is really messed up, high speed jets were completely closed
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I have to wonder about "Gary" ! If this were true, you would have never been able to drive it to the shop,.....believe it.
And $400 for a quadrajet clean ?? I would stay away from "Gary"

BTW, I have overhauled many QJs in my day.

[Gulfcoast]

$400 to rebuild a carb is just not right... glad I live in the deep south.

[cpaulsen]

Edelbrock makes a CARB approved carburetor and it would be a lot cheaper then rebuilding that "quadraleak carb" again. We usually ran the gas tank down and added 16 ounces of Berryman's Carb Cleaner.....drive it least 15- 20 miles and made sure it was very warm at the check station. Passed everytime.

[TEXAS]

That is cheaper
than the folded green handshakes. I have seen around Texas.

[westend]

darsben wrote:

westend wrote:
If Gary owns a 454 and seems to love it, you'll be fine. He will have a work ethic above what you can get elsewhere.

I don't know if Californians are unaware of the nuances of smog tests, the testing must be similar to other areas of the country. We had mandatory annual testing in MN until the populace got disgusted with the scam and it was abolished. During that time, myself, and every other backyard mechanic, discovered how to make even the worst oil-burning V-8 pass emissions testing. Here's the recipe: Change oil and filter, run gas tank down to 1/8 of a tank. Add a quart or two of isopropyl alcohol into the tank. Drive to the testing center. I have seen vehicles that were unable to pass emissions testing even after a full tuneup, pass with 0.0 on the test readouts after the alcohol addition.

90% isopropyl not the 50% that is common

Yes, it was at least 90%. Thanks for following up on that.

[MrWizard]

50% ISO is 50% water

i keep a pint of 100% denatured around here for clean up work (not engines)

[darsben]

westend wrote:
If Gary owns a 454 and seems to love it, you'll be fine. He will have a work ethic above what you can get elsewhere.

I don't know if Californians are unaware of the nuances of smog tests, the testing must be similar to other areas of the country. We had mandatory annual testing in MN until the populace got disgusted with the scam and it was abolished. During that time, myself, and every other backyard mechanic, discovered how to make even the worst oil-burning V-8 pass emissions testing. Here's the recipe: Change oil and filter, run gas tank down to 1/8 of a tank. Add a quart or two of isopropyl alcohol into the tank. Drive to the testing center. I have seen vehicles that were unable to pass emissions testing even after a full tuneup, pass with 0.0 on the test readouts after the alcohol addition.

90% isopropyl not the 50% that is common

[westend]

If Gary owns a 454 and seems to love it, you'll be fine. He will have a work ethic above what you can get elsewhere.

I don't know if Californians are unaware of the nuances of smog tests, the testing must be similar to other areas of the country. We had mandatory annual testing in MN until the populace got disgusted with the scam and it was abolished. During that time, myself, and every other backyard mechanic, discovered how to make even the worst oil-burning V-8 pass emissions testing. Here's the recipe: Change oil and filter, run gas tank down to 1/8 of a tank. Add a quart or two of isopropyl alcohol into the tank. Drive to the testing center. I have seen vehicles that were unable to pass emissions testing even after a full tuneup, pass with 0.0 on the test readouts after the alcohol addition.

[darsben]

I have a Southwind on an 89 chassis as well.
Yours will be fine and then you will not want to get rid of it ever.