Carburetors vs. Fuel injection on my '79 Camaro

I spent three years fighting with the Rochester Quadrajet on my 1979 Camaro. Rebuilt it twice, messed with the float levels, swapped jets and rods like crazy. It would run great for a month then go back to stumbling and stalling at stoplights. Last summer I finally got tired of it and swapped on a Holley Sniper EFI kit. Night and day difference. The car starts instantly even in 40 degree weather and idles smooth as glass. Cost me about 900 bucks all in but I haven't touched it since I installed it last June. Anyone else here ditch the carb for fuel injection on their old ride?

2 comments

2 Comments

jana1793mo ago

Gotta say I put a Sniper on my 68 Chevelle last spring and man what a difference. Started right up this morning after sitting all winter with the same gas in it. I still have my old 750 Holley sitting on a shelf in the garage just in case but I don't think I'll ever go back. The tuning through the handheld is so easy compared to messing with jets and power valves. My buddy keeps telling me his Quadrajet is fine but every time we go for a cruise he's fiddling with the choke or the idle screws. I even thought about putting the carb back on just for nostalgia but then I drove it to work on a cold rainy morning and remembered why I swapped.

mark6113mo ago

Don't count the Quadrajet out just yet. I've got the original one on my '80 Z28 and it's been reliable for over 40 years. The trick is you have to know the specific quirks like setting the secondary air valve spring tension just right and making sure the float level is dead on with the sight plug method. Most people give up on them because they skip the step of cleaning the internal passages with a proper carb soak. My car fires up every time with the electric choke and even passes emissions testing in my county.