Projects Help with my 63 Catalina 389

I am new to restoring and I bought an 800 dollar running and driving Catalina 2 dr sport sedan. I am trying to swap it to a 4bbl carb but I can not locate one anywhere can anyone help?

 

Here you go.....
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pontiac-61-...gine-intake-manifold-bonneville-/161868342732

 

Ive talked to this guy he won't split the carb from intake and also forgot to mention I'm on a college kid budget haha looking for under 100 for just the carb

 

Nice for800.00 bux!eBay or CL!

 

Craigslist it runs and drives has surface rust on the top and hood needs the two lower front quarts replaced even though they aren't rusted through the outer skin yet. the interior needs to be completely redone but its my baby and brings my mom and dad back to the good ole days so its worth every penny.

 

That's a steal for $800.00. Keep it running while you update it.

 

Redoing all the brakes now the guy that sold it to me said it needed a new wheel cylinder after getting the drums off he had stripped all of the insides out Thank God for Frank'spontiacparts and OPGI.com

 

So, you have the manifold, are you trying to find the 'correct' OEM carb or just a 4V carb that fits? Keep in mind that if you're looking for 'correct', most sellers will charge a premium for one. The OEM Carter can probably be replaced with an aftermarket Edelbrock carb which is just an updated version of the Carter; Edelbrock bought the design/tooling from Carter when they discontinued it. You should be able to find one of these in good used condition within your budget.

That intake/carb/air cleaner combo isn't a bad deal if you want OEM by the way....

 

My buddy has an intake he's going to give me since he ditched his Pontiac I have been told to steer clear of the Edlebrock because they take so much work to get running correctly. I would like to stay with Carter or a Quadrajet if its possible

 

You'll probably find the Edelbrock and the Carter to be the same carb with different names. I'd personally stay clear of the Q-Jet.

 

Ive heard that but Ive also read that once they're jetted and tuned right they're great carbs.

 

Nice car for $800.
You're not gonna get much in the way of a 4 bbl carburetor for <$100 these days except maybe in a garage sale/swap meet unit sold "as-is" and needing a rebuild. I disagree with your buddy's opinion of the Edelbrock. They have a pretty good reputation for "plug and play" without much, if any tuning required.

 

Im looking for one to rebuild I haven't ever done it but I would like to try. I read that on a couple forums about staying away from them a lot of those are saying nothing beats an original intake and Carter carb. I do not know anything about them.

 

https://houston.craigslist.org/pts/5264729294.html

 

I hope you are aware that not all Pontiac intakes interchange; '61-64 do IIRC, but the earlier/newer intakes won't fit your cylinder heads. If the intake you have is '65-up, you can swap '65-up heads onto your motor to use the intake, although not all newer heads will be suitable.

The other thing to note is the Carter and Quadrajet carbs each need a matching manifold; the baseplate design is different between them.

 

How can I tell which intake it is? I thought they came standard with a carter carb? The one I have is a 63' can I use a carb between 61-64 or does the manifold and carb year have to match.

 

As has been stated Edelbrock carbs ARE Carters made by a third party Weber. They work just like Carter intended.

 

All 'Carter' manifolds will have a 'square' carb baseplate, with the four holes roughly the same size. A Quadrajet intake will have small primaries and large secondaries. You can use other carbs on a Quadrajet intake but you'll need an adaptor. On the Carter intakes, any Carter/Edelbrock carb will fit, with the only caveat being that the carb bores shouldn't be larger than the intake holes. And while I'm not particularly a fan of the Edelbrock carb either, it's as good as/better than the Carter it replaces and will easier to find. Rebuild kits/parts will be easier/cheaper to get too....

 

Am I missing something??? Can you find a Holley that will work on your buddies manifold??? I am not a fan of either Qjets or Carters.

 

Holleys won't fit either manifold without an adaptor either, although they're a bit better 'fit' than trying to use a Quadrajet on a Carter intake or vice versa....

 

I didn't know those carbs were that hard to find, but it's been a long time since I looked for one. As mentioned, anything from 1961-1964 should work. Having said that, I think I'd stick with the two barrel setup for now - they work well enough, and to be honest the weak link in your chain is the slim jim / roto-Hydramatic transmission. Without knowing the condition of your car, I****ume the transmission is original and hasn't been rebuilt? If so, putting more stress on it by souping up the engine will only make it fail more quickly.

 

Man, for 800 smackers I would drive the entire hell out of that car!
Most people here will tell you what a score that is. The Edelbrock carbs are known to run great out of the box. Someone gave you some bad info there. Sure you can't live with a trouble free 2 bbl carb while in school?

 

I can't afford a Holley right now or I would forsure get one

 

I have a 3 speed hydramatic it's getting rebuilt by my family's mechanic the car has 77000 original miles and runs great even thought the radiator is rusted out inside (which is getting fixed this week)

 

I can live with the 2bbl I was just going to buy a 4bbl to try and rebuild because I've never done it and I think it would be nice to know how to do it because I've learned how to wire and I think learning some mechanics especially on this Pontiac is the next step I read on a couple forums that Edelbrocks were hard to get running right and that the Carter was a good carb to throw on

 

Yeah I've been told that I was just going off what I was told in a couple other forums I'm really looking to try and rebuild one for my own knowledge if it's possible

 

I wouldnt' worry about making a decision to put a Q-jet on your engine as a factory Q-jet manifold was never made for the 64-down engine....Q-jets weren't put on Pontiac 'till '67 and a '67 manifold won't fit on 63 cylinder heads.
A factory carter AFB is a fine carb to use on your 389. I believe a carter number 3300 or a 3326 is the original carb for a 63. I've been buying them [to make up a dual quad setup] for the last couple years for 50 bucks or cheaper off E-bay or the HAMB classifieds.None of mine are for sale....not finished with my dual quad stuff yet.
BTW, great score! I'm jealous as hell!

 

Cooooolll you're the one buying them all up!! Haha I've actually been looking at a dual 4bbl setup but that might be over my head right now one day it'll happen but not today. Any insight on doing it would be helpful to me

 

Keep the two barrel for now.
Check the timing chain that will save you some money.
My buddy put a four barrel on his then someone pulled out in front of him well lets say we had to pull the intake and carb with the front smashed in before his dad found out.

 

Don't know if you've visited the Ames Performance site yet but you might want to check that out if not. It's all PONTIAC and if you can't find info you want there it probably doesn't exist (no offense meant to this site). The timing chain should probably be checked for slop but I don't think the 63's had the infamous nylon covered cam gear that was notorious for failure. Not everyone on the AMES sight is all that enthused about the Edelbrock carbs as their quality doesn't always measure up to the original Carter design and they tend to be calibrated more for Chevys than Pontiacs. ****ume you already know, but the linkage adjustment from the carb to the trans is critical in order not ruin the trans. On my 60 Pont the difference between the hi-compression 2 brl and the 4 brl is only 20 hp per the factory manual.....283 vs 303 hp. Not sure what the 63 2 brl ratings were though. Good luck w your car......looks like you got a "deal".