quadrajet choking up hills

This weekend I discovered the quadrajet on my SBC doesn't do well up long steep hills. With constant throttle position the engine speeds up and slows down abbruptly. Not a good situation on a demanding obstacle. Anyone know any tricks to help my carb?

 

I wish I had an easy answer for you but I don't. There is an offroad kit available that can help some but if the terrain is really steep it doesn't do much good. After a few frustrating trips to Moab we opted for fuel injection.

 

My understanding is that the Quadrajet is an excellent off-road carb, one of the best if not the best. The Wagoneer guys really like them as a replacement for the 4350 or an upgrade for the 2100/2150. No personal experience, but I also hear that they are not simple to tune - you might get a book or two and read up, or try posting on one of the FSJ boards like www.ifsja.org/forums

 

In our experience it is great for typical offroad situations. If you aren't going to do any steep climbs it is ideal. Unfortunately there aren't any carbs that like to go vertical.

 

Who would stock an "offroad kit" for the q-jet?

Ever heard of mounting the carb backwards? Would be tricky without square bore intake. PLus I don't know if it would even help for sure.

 

I believe we bought ours from Summit Racing. I can't remember for sure though.

 

Before I went to that extreme I'd double check things like the float setting.....If too high it can allow fuel to dump out through the vent into the intake and cause all kinds of fun.

 

Float height is extremely critical, it may take you a few tries to get it right. Also replace the stock float with one that is more triangular in shape with the thin part of the triangle towards the rear of the vehicle.

 

Another vote on float height. Set it a little below the stock setting. Also, you can try putting an adjustable fuel pressure regulator on it. Turning down the pressure will slow down how fast the float bowl refills. Can make a huge difference on climbs and bumpy trails. I used to run mine at 2-3 psi on the trails, then turn it back up to street pressure afterwards.

 

Ithink the float setting was too low. I lowered it and winding out in second gear on street I got the same condition that I did on the hill. I have since raised it even further than it was before and could probably take it up a hair more. Only thing that concerns me is I am at about .200 float height.