All too many carbs ran a stainless steel throttle shaft on an aluminum body. Thats why I mentioned the leak. The better ones had bronze or brass bushings. They can be added but it involves using a drill-press and finding the proper sized bushing that the throttle shaft will fit.and pressing them into place. Its a real bitch to say the least.

 

Yes my carb is a stainless shaft in an aluminum body without any brass bushings.
I have completely disassembled the whole thing, and the shafts "bushings" don't seem to be worn. (this carb only has about 60k miles on it).
I found the correct bushing kit for my unit, but it is $100 from summit racing, would it be worth the price/effort to go ahead and add those while I have it apart?
I am not concerned about the difficulty level for installing the bushings, I have done similar operations on other projects. I do have a drill press and a hydraulic press, if that makes it easier?
My biggest concerns are tuning the thing once I rebuild it. (I am already committed to try the rebuild). Can you give me any advice on how to go about it?
Thank you so much for your help, I really appreciate it.

 

I wouldn’t worry about the bushings if there’s no wear at this point.

I understand your thinking in that “it’s already apart” but the bottom line is you don’t yet know if the carburetor will be functional when you’re done with it. You may still have to replace it or have it rebuilt by a professional service.

 

Yes, if you have those its just a matter of finding a good fitting bushing to put the throttle-shaft through.

 

I hate Q-Jets with a passion, but if the owner is going to keep it for a long time, I'd be worth it to install bushings.

 

I agree it’s worth installing the bushings IF the carb is going to remain in service; but given the list of potential problems the carb could have, I wouldn’t consider bushings a priority when there’s no practical need for them at this point (i.e. no wear).

There’s several reasons why the carb might need to come apart again post-rebuild. It’s also possible something is found during disassembly that causes it to need replacing.

IMO there’s far too many factors involved to be certain the carb will be functional at this point, so it doesn’t make sense to me to invest the time and money into installing the bushings when it may end up being turned in as a core for a replacement.

 

I have to apologize for taking so long to get back to you.

Having a problem trying to locate my Rochester service manual, 6 in thick with a white loose leaf binder and can't find it.
Did verify carb is from 85 Gm truck 305H engine.
Std Motor Prod , HYGRADE kit # 1504A is the kit for the E4ME carb.
Those kits came with excellent instructions and specs including a scale to measure float level etc.

This does go back a bit, but I was fortunate to attend the class at a GM Tng center for those carbs and they were not that difficult to rebuild. They did require some special tools though.
Because a lot of folks did not understand them, they stayed away from working on them.
Again, my apologies.

 

Hanky,
Thank you so much for trying, I really appreciate it. I have purchased a Hygrade kit, and it does have the scale for float height, but the instructions are not not real good. I guess they cheaped out on that aspect. the diagrams are blurry and in some areas illegible. but I think between the pictures I took and online sources I will be able to reassemble without to much difficulty.
I have decided to go whole hog on the rebuild and hope I can either tune it myself, or else find someone to do it. If that doesn't work, then I will be looking for a Holley.
Current status is I have fully disassembled the thing, soaked it in a pin-sol solution,(that didn't seem to do a lot) gently soda blasted it, and cleaned with carb cleaner. actually looks pretty good at the moment.
I have ordered some more parts; new accelerator pump, brass bushings for the throttle shafts, choke pull-off, etc. when that arrives I will start the rebuild.
In the mean time if any one has any advice on tuning, I would greatly appreciate it. You said there may be special tools involved, I have the adjustment tool with the double D head, is there anything else I should try to get? Vacuum Gauge etc.?
Here are some pictures of the process. Just realized I don't have any pictures after soda blasting, will try to get some of those tommorw.

Pre-Disassembly