carbureator mixture

[DickH]

Hello Thunderbird owners, I have a '55 which is running very rich. It gets really poor mileage and puts out a lot of black exhaust smoke. I can't find any explanation of how to change the mixture. There are two adjustment screws on the front of the carb, but the manual says they are "idle adjustments". Does anyone know how to do this?

[Cdhowell]

Is this a recent problem? The carb may need rebuilt or the float needs adjusting.

[DickH]

Thanks for asking. I just rebuilt the carb with a kit that I got from The Carburetor Factory. However the kit did not come with any kind of a gauge with which to set the float level, so I just left it the way it was. The mixture is so rich that I have black soot on the rear bumper. When I made the post I thought that I must have to do something to the jets. However, working on it late last night, it looks like the automatic choke might be the problem. I'm going back over to my shop later today and I may find out if it's the choke or something else. I have been maintaining British cars; MG's and Morgans, primarily, and this car is a completely new experience for me. I can see that I have a lot to learn!