Soliciting input about rebuilt carb that is still flooding.

[mcolen]

Hello - I purchased my dream car, like my dad had, a 56....I love it, but I am not experienced with mechanics and willing to learn whatever I need....I have a mechanic, who has restored a 57 for his daughter. But I seem to have one problem after another. I just had the carburetor rebuilt, because it was flooding and causing the engine to die at speed....so I think I got that solved, though my local Tbird club guy says that my car is still flooding (he can smell it as I drive by) - and he thinks it is idling at twice the normal RPM....I am going to go back to my mechanic with this report, but would love to hear if anyone else has had something like this. Thanks, MaryAlice

 

[HeadacheGuy]

I am a mechanic who has done carburetion for 30 + yrs. Depends on the rebuild. They are simple inside so beware of outside issues like the choke not coming off. It also depends on how it runs, don't get sucked into the "it smells rich" idea as most people do not know lean from rich. Also remember it is uncatalyzed exhaust....it is going to smell anyway. That being said, I am still going with the choke not coming off possibility as you have a fast idle issue as well. If the choke does not come off fully the fast idle cam will hang on and it will idle fast and run rich. My preference is to go with aftermarket carburetion with an electric choke which will make it run in ways it never ran before but detracts from original restoration. Is it a driver or do you need to keep it all original? Assuming it is original tell your mechanic to check the choke pre- heat system to make sure it is working. Also if you can post what carburetor is installed on there now I may have more information for you.

 

[paul2748]

You don't need an aftermarket carb. On a 56, if you change the carb there are a number of things that need to be changed besides the carb. These include the distributor and intake manifold.

The Holley 4000 is a good carb when rebuilt correctly. Most rebuilders don't know how to do these carbs correctly. Have an expert rebuild it. Mike Suter in PA. Mike's charges are reasonable, unlike some others.

 

[gbhrps]

mcolen,

Had my tea pot Holley 4000 carb rebuilt by Hill's Thunderbird Center in Ohio this last spring. Not only did they do just that, they installed it on a Ford 292 and ran and tuned it properly, before shipping it back to me.

After rebolting the carb to my 55 it fired right up and ran like a brand new car. The car has never started, run and idled like it does now. It was the best money I ever spent on the small bird.

Gene

 

[HeadacheGuy]

You bring up a good point. Getting a rebuilt is one thing. Getting one that has been run is optimum. Other than doing an idle mix adjustment per altitude it is your best bet to getting a quality product. Problem with some of the local talent who have kitted carbs in the past is being unfamiliar with the 4000 (I assume that that's what is still on there). With the age of these carbs recognizing bowl warpage and corroded passages and what to do about it is beyond the scope of an average shop.

 

[druggist]

I was having the problem with flooding and hard starting. Had to put a rag in the carburetor to keep the choke open when making small trips and restarting. The rear of the carburetor has this gold slotted screw which dripped gasoline so I tried a washer on the screw and it works fine.