i have an 86, 305 with a 4 bbl carb, my mixing control selonoid went out, the local parts places can't get it and neither can the dealership, looking to get the part or a new carb that won't break my pocketbook

I have an 84 SS with a 305 and my carb went bad on me to. What I ended up doing was going to Tomco for a rebuild Rochester. Its not the exact same as the original. You will have to plug some of the vacuum lines. But Tomco doesn't have a very good rep. the on thats on the car now is the 3rd Tomco we bought. Its the only one that still has all the emission equipment on it. I think it ran about $400. If emissions don't matter to you or the car is running like new (and I mean like new) then you can buy an Elelbrock one for around $200

If u need a carb i have on for sale. It's a holley 4barrel 600cfm. Ill sell it 165 plus ship.

I also have an 86, I had no roblem getting everything I needed from my local napa store. If I remember right the m/c solinoid cost about $50. If your carb is in good shape, if you are mechanically inclined, it is best to repair your own. Changing carbs, especially if they are computer controlled creates a whole new set of problems to deal with. If you prefer talk to Recarbo, they just might be able to fix yours for you.

I ran a Holly 600 for a while but gave up on it when emissions testing came to my area. Rebuilding an electronic feedback carb (E4ME) is not a good idea unless you have experience. You also need the special tool adjusting kit, the knowledge t use it and access to the values of a few settings in order to make the bench settings. Bench settings are ABSOLUTELY critical. If not set correctly, the engine WILL NOT run well and your money and work will be for naught.

Recarbo, located in California, will rebuild it for you. The good thing about them is that they install the carb on an engine and set it up to pass california emissions testing. All you have to do is minor tweaking when you mount it on your engine. They are excellent at what they do. They fixed mine last year (noone else could) and the vehicle sailed right through emissions testing with very low readings. (I knew the non street legal Holly would not pass.)

Your Rochester has the m/c solenoid to control the lean/rich fuel mixture. The engine runs full rich without it and will cause it to fail emissions testing and result in poor gas mileage. At 2.50 per gallon, who needs that? The E4ME also has a throttle position sensor in it. Without it, the SES light will burn all the time and the lockup torque converter will not lock up causing higher engine RPM and poor gas mileage.

If I had it to go over again, I would buy a Champion rebuilt carb on-line from someone like Advance Auto Parts because you do not have to pay state taxes on the on-line purchase, if the parts store's headquarters are out of state. They also have the exact model you need. Just get the number off your current carb so the replacement is identical to yours. If memory servs me correctly, Advance sells it for about $335.00, but don't quote me because I've slept a lot since then.

thanks for the help guys, i think i am going to just buy a rebuilt one, check around and can get one for $250

I once bought a locally rebuilt E4ME from a guy who rebuilt them a lot when they were popular. Did not have good luck with it, but he took it back and gave me a full refund because that was the deal I made when I bought it. You would be smart to do the same.