I have the 307 in my Velle and it has a 2bbl carb in it. I wanted to get a 4bbl carb in there. I heard you could get more power and at the same time if you are easy on the gas you can get better MPG from one. My plan is to use the 307 for a while and eventually put in a 350 or bigger.
What would be the best way to put a 4bbl on there. I was looking at 4bbl carb/manifold combos from Summit Racing and thought they might just bolt right on and go. Was also just looking at 4bbl carbs too. Also, if I put one on the 307 and then get a 350 won't the manifold/carb combos fit on both or am I mistaken.
Thanks

Brian,if the 350 your goijg to install in the future is not going to be anything real hot i would get a hold of a used stck gm q-jte intake from a 68-69 350 along with a 1968-1970 generation q-jet(have it rblt 1st) to use on your 307.

That intake will fit on both motors and the q-jet will work fine on both motors too if you do step up to the 350 later on.

For your mild weather it be the 307 or 350 the above mentioned setup will perf just as good power wise or better along with better fuel economy then most edelbrock or holley 600 carb & al intake will which will likely cost more new too then a used plentafull sbc intake and non #'s matching q-jet core to rbld .

There are often 7029202 q-jets on ebay for sale cheap that are from a 69 350 that would work great as core for rbld . They often go for approx $25-$50 for a core unit unless someone needs it as a #'s matching unit but thats not often with that particular casting id q-jet for sbcas ther are too many of that particular casting id carb still out there keeping the prices down.

I often seen the q-jet intakes from 68-69 sbc on ebay too going for the same price or check your local bone yard for these parts too.

Remeber,gm used q-jets & stock cast intakes on the327/250hp,275hp but i think it was holley for the 327/300hp Maybe q-jet ?) and 325hp and it was definately a holley for the 327/365 vette motor,350/295hp,300hp & 350hp (vette) motors , 396 & 402/325hp,335hp & 350hp motors,427/335hp(?) & 390hp(vette),along with 454/365hp & 390hp motors which were just some of the applications to show that q-jets can handle pretty decent lvl's of perf in stock trim.

Q-jets that are lightly modified can easily handle 400hp-upwords of 500hp lvls esp on a 427/454/502 and can easily match the perf of any edel carb or for that matter a holley when used on a mild street perf sbc or bbc. Now an 8-10.0 second ground pounder is a diff story that needs a holley for sure,you can trash the edel carb IHMO,a q-jet is just better/less troublesome when built correctly by a pro then the edel and most holleys when used for a mild street perf sbc/bbc.

Scott

I started w/ this thought on my 307 Camaro when the 2bbl needed a rebuild and it snowballed a bit (gee, why I have the intake off, why not put a cam in there.... Just a few more bolts to pull the heads....)

Anyhow, lthe intake/carb will physically transfer fro your 307 to your TBD engine as long as they both have the same "style" heads (assuming your 307 has stock heads, then the manifold/carb will bolt up to any pre-87 heads). The only time this eould be a problem is if you decide to go to the newer-style (post 87) or Vortec heads on your 350. In this case the parts won't bolt up.

The other consideration is that even though the parts will physically bolt up, a manifold/carb that is optimized for a 307 is going to be a bit small for a 350. Like Scott says, if the 350 is mild, this won't be to big of a compromise, but if the 350 ends up all mean and hairy, you're likely to end up needing a bit bigger carb and manifold for the 350 than the 307 (or you can put a big carb and manifold on the 307, but they won't work as well on that).

In my case, I knew the 307 was just a "temporary" engine and focused on getting parts that would transfer to my 350 (or maybe 383?) when I get it together. Ended up with an Edelbrock Perf RPM and Edel 600cfm carb. Manifold is a bit big for a 307, but will work nice on the "real" engine. I also spent some $ on headers, MSD distributor, and exhaust which will all transfer to the "real" engine and give me a bit more go for now. (and I did end up stabbing in a Summit 204/214 cam while I had the intake off). If I had to do it over, I'd consider going Vortec on the 307 (maybe some fast-burn heads?) and transferring that stuff over to the "real" engine. (heads made a HUGE difference on my 307)

That said, I think Scott's suggestion of the Q-jet is a good one. Should be a reasonably low-cost solution and the Q-jet will give a better compromise betwen economy and power due to the small primaries. Depending on your ultimate engine plans, this intake/carb may be abit on the small side, but at this kind of price, you can ebay your old stuff and not lose much $...

-T

Yes, the heads are stock. So I can do more than just the carb. and still transfer it to the next motor. I'll try and find a Q-Jet and maybe a cam and manifold to start. I haven't done anything to the motor yet. Still need a set of headers to go with the new exhaust. Previous owner put in a full exhaust but left the stock exhaust manifolds on there. Will I notice a nice difference with these changes?
Thanks for the advise too.
B

You will love the difference. Pretty much the most common starting point for a build-up is a set of headers and a 4bbl. I'm guessing you could pull this off for unbelievably little $$$. If money is not an issue, buy new stuff, but at least where I live, the penny trader is full of small block chevy stuff. You should be able to find a set of used headers for about $50, a Qjet and cast manifold for about $75-$100. I would think about spending the $ for a new cam and lifters. However, many people have brand new cams in boxes under their work benches for sale at used prices...I have 2 for a big block for example.

The beauty of this is, it will all fit into your next small block if one comes your way. You should be able to crank the HP up noticeably for around $250. Check the classifieds on here. Pages of cool stuff for cheap. Have fun, it sounds like you are already on your way.

http://www.chevelles.com/classifieds/showcat.php?cat=6

Are there a lot of different carbs I can look at that will work? Not sure if I need an autochoke or manual. Looking for a deal on ebay if possible and there are a lot of different carbs on there but I don't want to get one that won't work. Same thing with the intake manifold.
Will be going to a junkyard tomorrow as well.
Thanks

Brian. Call around to some junkyards. I was looking for a 4brl intake for the 305 in my Monte. Found one at a junkyard. The guy says $35. I go there to pick it up and he tells me that he found another "aluminum" one as well and I could have my pick. You know which one I took. Turns out to be a 3932472 (302/350 69-70). Can't beat that for $35.

Brian,If you get the intake and carb setup i suggested which is a stock gm setup you can use the stock automatic choke setup that actually works half way decent when carb & choke are setup correctly which is often a problem when running aftermarket edel & holley carbs along with an aftermarket intake. The choke is another good reason to go with the stock gm setup for your mild street perf motor.

FYI,in case you were not aware most common q-jets used on SBC & BBC are approx 750 CFM but some old's 455's/caddy 472's & 500's/pontiac 455's had q-jets that were closer to 800cfm .

Scott

I'm looking for those parts SWHeaton, hoping that it would make things easier. This will be first attempt at working on a 4bbl. I am really hoping I'll be able to set it up, but might just take it to my local guy to tune it right.
Just wondering what others would work if I can't find these exact parts. I was hoping there would be others that were very similar.

Bria,the parts i suggest are very plentifull and if you have a little patience and work a little to find them and properly install and dial things in you will be happy with the results.

But its your car so you should do what YOU want with it.

Scott

I think I'll probably go with your advise thats why I posted. I do appreciate it and hope I can find those parts sooner rather than later. Going to a salvage yard monday and will keep checking ebay. I'm not in a big hurry , plan on keeping this car for a while.
Thanks for the help, will post up when I finally get it done.
Brian

head to the closest junkyard that has a lot of older cars.
i bet there will be a used Edelbrock Performer intake with a Holley carb for sale in the office for under $100. seems that every junkyard i've ever been to has had a Performer intake with a Holley carb bolted to it in the office..
tell them to keep the Holley, and to let you go out and find a q jet of an early to mid 70's pickup or something. look for a carb that has a rod on the passenger side of the intake that goes up to the choke blade on the carb. that's the best choke setup. grab the rod and the coil bolted to the intake to use on your car, as well. while pulling the carb, also grab the fuel line that goes down to the fuel pump- you might need to take the alternator and water pump off to get it out of there without bending it up.
don't forget the throttle cable bracket and brake booster line that is screwed into the back of the carb, as well as the mounting bolts and return spring. hell, grap the throttle cable just in case yours doesn't hook up easily.
if the donor car or truck has an HEI distributor, grab that and the red power wire for it (plugged into the "BAT" terminal on the side of the cap) as well. get the whole wire that goes to the firewall to put in your car...
on the way home, stop at NAPA and get a rebuild kit for the carb, some Mr Gasket intake gaskets with the silicone beads around the ports, and a cap, rotor, and plug wires for a 76 Chevy pickup with a 350.
when you get home, soak the intake with Easy Off oven cleaner for a while, and hose it off. if it's kind of grimy, paint it Chevy orange before putting it on.
take the 2 barrel intake and stock points distributor and wires off the car, and put the new parts in. enjoy your newfound power (all 10 hp) and slightly better fuel economy.
once you build the 350 or whatever, all this stuff will transfer right over to it when you swap it in.

you can find a cast 4 brl intake and quadra jet pretty cheap at a swap meet. Then go to Auto-Zone and trade for a rebuilt quadra-Jet for your year, (a rebuilt one will be $105.00 plus $35 core charge) give them your old swap meet carb for the core and call it good. The carbs are pre tuned to your engine and should be pretty easy for you. All in this set up could be had for probably $140.00 plus intake gaskets. This ought to get the gear-head blood flowing and not damage the pocket book to bad.

just make sure you ask for the tranny type and choke type you are going to use for the carb. You can check all this at Auto-Zone website. And the carbs are warrantied if you get a POS.

10 hp? I was hoping a little more but thats ok. Any better fuel economy right now is good and will get me heading in the right direction for the 350.

Got Headers yet? Add Edlebrock performer intake & 600 carb they will give you the results your looking for, if you can put a few hundo in it. Edlebrock carbs are user friendly, just stay away from used ones, and you have to use edlebrock's air cleaner base if you plan to rubber hose the fuel inlet, another 30 bucks.

From my 36+ yrs experience working on street perf sbc/bbc a q-jet will out perform a holley 600 in all areas on a stock/mild/or fairly hot sbc any day of the week,been there done that many times and my experience with both carbs has shown me that.

I like Holley's and most are good carbs when calibrated correctly for the motor they are on but the entrance lvl low end/low priced holley 600 is not a very good carb when compaired to a properly setup/tuned q-jet.

Scott