1986Scarab1

Amazing.....

86 Scarab 1
350 Vortec
rpm airgap intake
biggest for I/O xtreme marine comp cam
alpha 1

before, hard to start, bogged, backfires sometimes, inconsistent performance.

after cliff rebuilt it I feel like I have a new boat. Starts easy, no bogging, idles way lower RPM, cam hits way harder at idle, can spin to 5k RPM easy and huge power difference! Highly recommend his service if you have a quadrajet.

zz28zz

I remember a time when every mech I knew could re-build/adj a Q-jet with their eyes closed. Quickly becoming a lost art nowadays.

SB

iTrader: (1)

I still can. I'm old and crusty though. Hah.

Budman II

iTrader: (1)

I can rebuild a Q-jet just fine - have done many of them. But when it comes to the 57 minor adjustments and modifications that can be done to them with jets, rods, secondary flapper adjustments, etc., well, that's where the lost art thingy comes into play. I have done some minor rejetting, but none of the more advanced modifications and tuning that a shop like Cliff's can do.

Budman II

iTrader: (1)

Scarab1, I have been thinking about sending the original Q-jet off the stock 396 in my Camaro to Cliff. What was the ballpark cost, and how long was the turnaround? I read a while back that he was really backed up with work.

1986Scarab1

Man do it.. I could not believe how different the boat felt afterwards. Was 260$ for the rebuild plus shipping. Can't remember how long it took him but was probably 1-1.5 months turn around. I would give him a call and see what his timing looks like. Guy does great work!

NHGuy

It's great to hear that Cliff's High Perf is still going. I bought his book and followed his process on my first IO boat which had an 88 Mercruiser 5.7 & Qjet. It did exactly as OP says.
That boat ran perfectly for the next couple of years til my wife decided that it rode too rough and got me to move to something heavier for our choppy lake.
could have slowed down, I suppose. Nah