UPDATE: My ‘71 J Code Convertible…

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7173Vert

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Location
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My Car
1971 Convertible, 1973 Hardtop
A quick update as this car has sat the last four years while I tried to figure out the Q-Jet Carburetor issues. Long story short; I sent it down South of the Border a second time to see if it could be fixed. Ray Klemm out of Ohio graciously ( he did not charge me for his time) offered to help me correct the long standing idle issues. Happy to report that he was successful and the car now has a proper idle circuit operation on the Q-Jet. I was very fortunate that the carb wasn’t severely damaged in the return trip back to Canada, as the box looked like it had been kicked all the way back home(((. There was some minor damage to the carb, but fortunately I was able to fix it. Now I can move forward on completing the car to my personal standards. It does need a new AC compressor clutch mechanism (engagement) replacement ( you can hear the whine of the bearings in the video). Also, some basic belt tightening, etc. I’m a very happy camper today, steadfast perseverance has paid off today.  
 

https://youtu.be/Sg28B3oU9o0

 
Ken,

Glad to hear that you have finally sorted out the Q-Jet issues. Have you ever thought that your beautiful 429 is rejecting the GM carb.....

Thanks, Jay 
Definitely… The car God’s are not pleased but don’t take it out on me, should have sent a bolt of lightening to the Ford Engineer who came up with the cost saving measure back in 1970 when they first started installing these on the 429 car’s… They are very finicky carburetors but once dialed in are pretty reliable. A big Mustang show here on the 29th so I will be aiming to bring it to its first show there, weather permitting. Cheers

 
Nothing like a properly tuned and running carb to get the beast ready to roar!

Glad to hear you folks are getting the opportunity to finally participate in a show.  Looking forward to pics from the event....weather permitting.

 
It looks and sounds great. I'm glad you found the right person to make th Q Jet work properly. How did you find Mr. Klemm? Chuck

 
It looks and sounds great. I'm glad you found the right person to make th Q Jet work properly. How did you find Mr. Klemm? Chuck
Thanks. I would not have been able to accomplish this on my own. I tried a few things over the years, checking float levels, obstructions, etc. No luck. But, I knew, even with my limited interior carburetor tuning abilities, that the issue was inside the carburetor itself. I checked numerous times over the past four years; all the usual suspects, timing, spark, and anytime I tried to adjust the carburetor itself, it would not allow me to make any changes. It just kept dumping excess fuel into the engine at idle, mid range, acceleration…. I noted previously that I had sent the carburetor down to another well known Q-Jet rebuilder in Texas. They had good Facebook reviews… It didn’t work, the carburetor acted exactly the same when I returned it to the car last Fall. $700 Cdn…

I was hellbent on using this correct carburetor for my car, to the point that the car sat the past four years, as you know. So, I decided to search out the best Q-Jet restorer anywhere…. . I joined a Facebook Quadrajet page and I put my dilemma out there for comment. Of course some joked, FORD, fix or repair daily…. I reminded them that it was a GM part that was faulty, all the rest of the Ford was good to go… I posted a video showing the carburetor operating and got many different opinions, which was no surprise. But, one commenter indicated an astute knowledge concerning how mine was running. 
 

This was Ray Klemm. We spoke a bit offline and he tried to explain to me what needed to be done. Of course, I didn’t have access to the parts and expertise necessary to carry out what he was explaining to me. When I told him this, he indicated he would be happy to help me in any way possible. I asked if I could take another chance and send the complete carburetor down to him for his review, I would be happy to pay the necessary fees associated with his time, etc. He said that I had been already taken advantage of for $100’s of $$ last year and he would be happy to do this at no labour costs to me. 
 

I sent it down and he found a number of concerns, based on the engine specs I gave him for my 429cj engine. This was the difference, as the previous rebuilder didn’t ask any questions about my engine… The following is what he found:

Incorrectly installed jets and metering rods (relating to sizing). Incorrectly sized needle and seat assembly. The secondary throttle plates were not closing properly on the left side and the shaft was slightly twisted.

He changed the jets from a 73 to a 72

The idle tubes were changed from .035” to .033”

DCR (I don’t know what this means?) went from .043” to .046”

Lower air idle bleeds from .070” to .067” and he left the upper idle air bleeds at .034”

He then took the carburetor to his friend and mentor Cliff’s High Performance who he had worked for in the past. There, Ray went through the situation with Cliff, they then ran the carb on an engine to ensure it was operating properly. A few more adjustments at Cliff’s and back up North it came to me. 

If there are any other C or J Code guys here still running the factory Q-Jet and you need an honest guy to help you:

CRK Performance - RayKlemm O/A

Mount Vernon, Ohio

440-537-8764

[email protected]

Tell him I referred you, he will treat you well and get your carb working as it should.

So Chuck, I know you like details… I hope this was satisfactory))

 
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Yes, I do like details, thanks. It sounds like they actually do know what they are doing as well as being honest and reasonable, rare these days. Have fun driving the car and give it an occasional rip. Chuck

 


Proof is in the pudding…. I bought the car in July, 2015; it was delivered in early September. I drove it only once in later September, about 10 miles - it was in rough shape. After that drive I started the complete tear down and restoration of the car. Finished it (the main portion, anyway) in the Fall, 2017. From that time forward the car basically sat (I did try to drive it from time to time, but I knew the carb was hurting the engine if I ran it too long) due to the Q-Jet issues I previously noted here on occasion. It was very frustrating, to say the least. As I noted here recently, I was able to get the carburetor sorted with the help of a GM expert on these carbs. A couple days ago I felt confident enough to take her on the highway for the first time… It ran really well. Although not shown here, I did step on it on the return trip home on this highway. The 4 barrels kicked in nicely. Helped to clean out all the carbon deposits from previous ill running episodes, the main reason I decided to take her on the highway… The car showed 95,894 miles on it when I bought it in 2015. If you look closely in the video, you will see the current miles on it 6 years later… Sure, I drive ‘em like I stole ‘em, lol. Not the best video, but nonetheless, an achievement for myself and this car, long overdue. Cheers

 
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The odometer in the video reads 95,984mi today. That’s a grand total of 90 miles I’ve put on the car since I owned it, lol

 
I tried to get Cliff to rebuild my carb but he said his wait list was over a year long.  I finally gave up and installed a Holley sniper system.  No more anxiety on whether my car is going to stall and not restart, run rough or anything else.  
 

glad to hear you finally got it running and I hope you were able to enjoy it.

 
I tried to get Cliff to rebuild my carb but he said his wait list was over a year long.  I finally gave up and installed a Holley sniper system.  No more anxiety on whether my car is going to stall and not restart, run rough or anything else.  
 

glad to hear you finally got it running and I hope you were able to enjoy it.
I could not alter from original on this car… Too bad you did not know of Ray Klemm, just as knowledgeable as Cliff and lives down the street from him so they work together on difficult builds, such as mine. These are good carbs once dialled in properly and I don’t drive mine much… No doubt the sniper set up is nice as the ability to monitor air fuel mixture  on these engines would be nice. Enjoy the drive.

 
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