Hey all, I just picked up a Z 28 1983 305 5 speed with T tops. I have a rochester carb???? That is what I was told it was, don't know if that is what I have or not. I am in need of infomation, parts fische, and lots of answers to some stupid questions. The car only has 49k on it. The car needs lots of little things, that I'm sure will add up to alot. First off, the valve covers are leaking oil onto the headers and burning oil. This needs to be fixed first off. Is there anything I should look for here or just get the seals, gasket sealer and get it done? Next is a heater core. Not looking forward to that one. Let me know if there is a good place to get parts from for my car. I hope that I can polish this turd up. I think that it has alot of potential. Thanks for the help. Matt

 

Welcome to the Forum!

 

welcome to the forum. got any pics?

 

The Rochester carb was a standard carb used from the early 60's to the late 80's, there is an identification code on the drivers side near the throttle linkage, it usually goes 170YYEDT(170 being after '76), and here is how to decode it-

YY:The code for 1965 would be either 25 or 35, 66 would be 26 or 36, 67 would be either 27 or 37, etc. 1970 is 40, 72 is 42, 75 is 45. You get the idea. The 80s are easier because they're usually straightforward. 81 is 1981, 84 is 1984.(Yours would be 83)

E: The emissions code. 2 is for 49-state emissions, 5 is for California & high altitude.

D: Division. 0, 1 and 2 are Chevy, 3 is Cadillac, 4 is Buick, 5 is Oldsmobile, 6 and 7 are Pontiac. Rochester doesn't always follow this rule.

T: Transmission. Even numbers are automatic trans, odd numbers are manual trans. Rochester also doesn't always follow this rule.

This guide is just that: a guide. It is not set in stone, because it is a documented fact that Rochester didn't follow these rules 100%. It is for Quadra-jet carburetors only. Rochester also had different numbering systems for their other carbs besides the Quadra-jet. Our thousands of pages of information on this comes straight from Rochester.

Keep in mind that just because the OEM numbers between two carbs may be different, it doesn't mean they are different carbs. It's very possible to have two carbs, their date is 2 years apart, one is for Buick and one is for Chevy Truck, and one is for automatic, the other for stick, and the carbs are identical in every single way, even down to the jets and metering rods. It's much more common than you might think. Also, many people think they have to have a carburetor with a certain exact OEM number. This can sometimes be very very hard. Most people don't have to have this, they really only need a carburetor that crosses over the same and is identical. You realistically only need an exact OEM number if you are restoring a car back to original condition to enter into a car show.

Cited from:Rochester Quadra-jet carburetor OEM number identification

Welcome to the forums!

 

Hello and welcome.

 

Thanks for the information on the carbs, I was told that the quadrajets have had some issues and I was happy to hear it was a rochester. I'm just happpy that when I hit the pedel, the car goes, and it goes well.... Anyhow, I haven't even had time to look at the car very close....working too much. I hope to get into it this weekend. Later Matt

 

Moved this to the 3rd gen section since your intro is actually a q&a.
Don't give such a big sigh of relief just yet, the Quadrajet is a Rochester. Rochester is the make, Quadrajet is the model.
Here's a handy dandy service manual to help with maintenance or tune-ups, etc: http://www.bdub.net/manuals/Quadraje...anual_1981.pdf

 

Dont get too worried about the heater core. If you have it bypassed, you cant run like that indefinitely. If your car is a daily driver and will need heat and defrost, your going to need to replace it....its a job, but not as threatening as everyone makes it sound. Just be ready to spend some time upside down sprawled across the seats.

 

Hmmmm....sounds like the dating years all over again. lol

 

Wooooooow