The QuadraJet Rabbit hole: 7040273 Quadrajet Questions.

[69SJ4spd]

So, I pulled the carb off of my 1969 Grand Prix 4 speed car which is my resto-mod candidate,  and I find this:  A 7040273 Date coded 1270 (May 7, 1970) Quadrajet.  This is clearly not the "correct" carb for my car, but that is not an issue to me.

My long term plan for this car is fuel injection - probably direct port injection.  So the quadrajet is not important for my plan.  (don't get me wrong, I really like Rochester Quadrajet Carburetors, and can really make them run well)

I have been planning on keeping it carbureted for a while, so I go looking for rebuild kit.

I did a little research on the numbers and date code:

That's when I fell down the Rabbit hole.  Apparently this is a rare carb for 4 speed Ram Air GTOs and Trans Ams.

Apparently they may be worth a lot of money to those wishing to make their 4 speed GTO or Ram Air 70 1/2 Trans Am numbers matching.

I can:

1) carefully and meticulously clean it up, and put a kit in it, and sell it. 

2) do a "normal" good job clean up, put a kit in it, use it until I decide to replace it - then?

3) or?

 

Any thoughts or ideas?  

What are these really worth.  I see crazy prices, even just for the top plate. 

What is the deal?

 

Thanks!

[Frosty]

69SJ4spd - Welcome to FP.

As you have discovered, you have a rare and desirable carb for someone restoring a valuable Ram Air GTO or Trans Am with a 4 speed. So you know you can repair it and sell it for some really good coin, the question will be how long before someone comes knocking at your door to purchase it.

I have one such experience with a similar carb. I was looking for era correct parts for my '72 Lemans back in 2004. Meaning I wanted a carb from '72 that went on a Lemans or GTO but it didn't have to be numbers matching, it had to be from that model year. I found one at the GTOAA convention in Pontiac Michigan that year. The guy wanted $1800 for it. Turns out it was for a Ram Air/HO 455 4-speed car or 71 Judge 400 Ram AIr car. I asked the guy why so much. He figured that anyone doing a 100-point restoration would pay top dollar for that carb. I told him he was going home with it. I was right. I saw him again two months later at the Trans Am Nationals in Dayton Ohio. He still had it, but he was now asking $1500 for it. I don't know if he ever sold it for what he was asking but I think he might have had a tad more luck asking a more realistic price. Just because it is rare doesn't mean there is a huge market for it. So the moral of the story is price with caution. 

That said, you can get strong money for these, if you are willing to wait. How long you have to wait is anyone's guess.

Now if this is my carb, I'd fix it and use and enjoy my Grand Prix until I'm ready to install the electronic fuel injection system. Once the EFI is installed and running, I'd rebuild it one last time and put it up for sale on eBay and let the bidding go where it will. Of course I'd put a reserve on it too. That's my 2 cents anyway.

[69SJ4spd]

Tentatively I have sold this carb to a guy who has been looking for this for 30 years.    

[Frosty]

Awesome! So what are you going to do next? Sell it as is and let the new owner clean it up? Fix it up and ask for a few more bucks?