Engine Bog

[Screaming Metal]

On a small HEI, depends on what you like. Petronix has a drop-in that you just put in in your old dist, Accel makes one, Mallory, MSD. Since I deal with alot of racers, MSD is my choice, you get a rev limiter, a convenient place to plug in your tach, all kinds of other stuff.
You can get a kit with dist., hi-perf.coil, and the box thru Mallory or Accel pretty cheap, if you go thru Summit or Jegs. MSD are a little more, but you get alot of features too. Jacobson makes a good ignition box.
My personal choices are Mallory and MSD.

 

[2old2fast]

By blocking the PV's AND reducing the size of the primary jets , under anything approaching a WOT condition , the carbs would be severely lean. [probably why they show evidence of backfire around the PV plugs]
dave

I'll throw this in, in my experience, the holley 9776 , 450 mech. sec carbs work far better than the 8007 vac. sec carbs, on a tunnel ram & yes , I've run both.

 

[Screaming Metal]

2O2F is right....on top of that, 49 jets....might have worked at one time.

On the HEI's, whatever you do, just remember the HEI's usually won't fit with a tunnelram. Theres a clearance issue. However, there's a way around this....
http://www.davessmallbodyheis.com/
HEI's in a small dist. housing, great for rods and the like where clearance is a problem. Also cheaper than most aftermarket HEI's or electronics out there.

Proform makes a small electronic distributor, and is reasonable, $150-$175, might want to check with them, too.

 

[Bennett]

Started the carburetor dismantle and cleaning tonight. I guess it was time check out the photos.

Dirty but not unexpected.

Things came apart very well.

But didn't expect the internal gaskets to be this bad. Wow!
Ordering the rebuild kits, power valves...etc tonight. Also started the cleaning tonight. I have some of the real dirty parts soaking overnight. I will try to update as I go.
Cheers, Mike

 

[Screaming Metal]

Well, either the car sat for a long time, or the guy just tinkered with it trying to get it running right. BUT, the car was totally neglected! Those carbs have not been opened up in about 10 years... maybe 7 at the least.
In my experience, the cork gaskets usually start falling apart in about 5 years. Now, if the motor is kept running, they'll last alot longer. Let her sit, in just a few years, the carbs need rebuilding, if not from the gummy old fuel, the gaskets usually get ate up and literally just fall apart or dissolve.

Pay particular attention after the parts have been in the cleaner a few days, when you go to blow them out. Make sure there are no springs and balls in places like under the squirter nozzle screw. Look at all your parts, take your time! By the way, you are doing it right!
Make sure there is air coming thru all the holes. Sometimes, you might have to give the a 2nd bath if they're really bad! Sometimes you might have to get a really small wire and kinda nudge some of that crap out.

Me personally, I'd leave them in there a while....

 

[Bennett]

When I ordered the rebuild kits and gave the Tech. at Summit the horn numbers, he told me the carbs were likely from the late 60s or early 70s. Looks like it from the inside as well. LOL
The rebuild kit came with 6.5 power valves so didn't have to order them. I plan to take the next few days a systematically soak and clean everything the best I can.

 

[railroad]

You need to order a set of 51 jets for both carbs. I think those are stock. You might want to take a peak at the springs in the secondary diaphrams. I will check, but I think they should be shiney silver in color. You should be in good shape in stock form. Post the list number and I will try to verify.

 

[Screaming Metal]

Hey RR, I think he's got the 1 gallon bucket of carb cleaner....as dirty as those things are, he might need a bucket for each carb. That crap goes south really fast, especially with paint on the outside of them
What ya think RR? Or do you think he can get by on one?
I have about 10 of those little buckets with the baskets. I order the cleaner by the drum and we reuse them. That way the guys have some cleaner by their toolboxes.
For the multicarb cars& injection systems, I have a pressure washer you load the parts in, it submerges the parts, soaks them, raises the basket, and does the dishwasher thing.

 

[railroad]

I had good luck with the cleaner I used. I cannot remember the brand. It came in a 5 gal bucket. If you do not put too much gease in the cleaner, it should get it done, being new. I think that pink stuff on his carb may be RTV the previous owner used to patch the gaskets. If the carb is a list 8007, the secondary springs should be natural gray in color. Nice equipment on the pressure washer. I have seen them, but never had one. I sorta feel sorry for the prev owner or whoever was trying to do the carb tuning. They get so far off base they seem to be just swapping parts hoping they will hit the lottery.

 

[Bennett]

Yes I'm also getting new sets of jets (51). The pink stuff (actually Orange) is a really hard thick paint. I'm going to try and remove as much of it as I can before they go into the cleaner. This paint is also on the engine block (Chevy Orange). It may be some kind of high temperature enamel.

 

[Wild Mango]

To clean up the aluminum/zinc parts of carburettors I use paint stripper. Decorators stores sell it as Sugar Soap, it's actually Sodium Hydroxide, NaOH. Caustic Soda. Be very careful and have a big bucket of water ready to rinse the parts off when they done. Paint the stuff on and keep it moving on the parts with the brush. You can see it working. Whatever you do, never paint it on and wander off to do something else, or leave brass parts like jets in the ally. Use plastic apron, gloves and a face shield. Parts come out a dull color, then a squirt or two of industrial Mag Wheel Cleaner (med strength acid) has 'em like new.

 

[Screaming Metal]

To clean up the aluminum/zinc parts of carburettors I use paint stripper. Decorators stores sell it as Sugar Soap, it's actually Sodium Hydroxide, NaOH. Caustic Soda. Be very careful and have a big bucket of water ready to rinse the parts off when they done. Paint the stuff on and keep it moving on the parts with the brush. You can see it working. Whatever you do, never paint it on and wander off to do something else, or leave brass parts like jets in the ally. Use plastic apron, gloves and a face shield. Parts come out a dull color, then a squirt or two of industrial Mag Wheel Cleaner (med strength acid) has 'em like new.

Sounds like just what the Doctor ordered! Those things were in BAD Shape!

 

[Bennett]

Old paint on the main body being removed. Everything is going through a cycle of cleaning and rinsing piece by piece. Everything has has it's time in the cleaner (24 Hrs) and then a hot water and Lestoil rinse. May take a few days but all will be ready for the re-assemble by the time the kit and other parts arrive.

 

[railroad]

Good news.

 

[Screaming Metal]

Old paint on the main body being removed. Everything is going through a cycle of cleaning and rinsing piece by piece. Everything has has it's time in the cleaner (24 Hrs) and then a hot water and Lestoil rinse. May take a few days but all will be ready for the re-assemble by the time the kit and other parts arrive.

Now THAT's the way to do it!

 

[Bennett]

Carburetor cleaning and rebuilding update.
I've got the big gunk off the bodies, bowels and other assorted parts. Takes time when everyone gets 24 hours in the pool. LOL
Here is a couple before pics:

Here is a few after pics:

Bowels and metering plates getting the same treatment. Don't want to kill the site with too many big pics.
More to come.

 

[railroad]

You will find you cannot post too many pictures for the peanut gallery here. No wonder you did not want to change from the tunnel ram set up, it looks good. Did not know you had chome bowls. I guess the orange had lost it luster and was chipped, how are the carbs going to look now? I cleaned some Holley 97s up in Phosphoric acid and it left them shiney. You would have to coat them with sharkskin or other sealer. I'll bet your main objective is to get that chebbie to take the throttle right now.

 

[Bennett]

Ok, I'm back in the house after a little more shop work.
2 Old 2 Fast suggested that I install power valve check ball kits in the carburetors to prevent power valve blow-outs. I thought this was a great idea , so I did. I also thought I would share my experience with those of you who have not done this and would like to. (This is my first time as well). Those of you that have, please bear with me. Also it gave me a great opportunity to clean some of the clutter off the Bridgeport mill and utilize it. I fine a Bridgeport can be in many ways just like piece of exercise equipment. A Bridgeport collects clutter like a a treadmill collects clothes. LOL By the way a drill press will work fine as well but I have a Bridgeport so why not use it.

Step 1. secure and stage your work to the table.

Step 2. Align the chuck over the hole to be altered. I did this by using a drill the same size as the hole (installed upside-down in the chuck.

Step 3. Once aligned use the drill provided in the kit and drill down .300" from the drill point (from a drill point touch).

Step 4. Blow chips away and stage component to be installed. I found the instructions to be unclear at this point. The instructions say to install the spring with "tapered side facing up". I think it should say with "small diameter of spring up" (It could just be me). I have tried to illustrate this pictorially.

Step 5. Install spring with small diameter up in the drilled hole followed bu the ball.

Step 6. Stage the seat directly over the hole. Note: I think the seat should be installed with die roll up (Burr up).

Step 7. Using a pin equal to or larger than the diameter of the seat to press the seat in flush to the housing. I did this using the drill chuck.

Step 8. completed assembly. Check to make sure the ball moves freely and the spring re-seats it and in my case repeat steps as I have two carburetors.

Oh and the burr on the top came with the seat. I didn't create it...Thanks Speedway Motors. Hence why die roll up.
P.S. If you don't have power vales on the secondary side you don't need two kits for two carbs. Wish I had known that. Live and learn.
Now to finish cleaning the rest of the undesirables off the housing and hopefully I can start the re-assembling this weekend.
Until nest post, Mike

 

[Bennett]

You will find you cannot post too many pictures for the peanut gallery here. No wonder you did not want to change from the tunnel ram set up, it looks good. Did not know you had chome bowls. I guess the orange had lost it luster and was chipped, how are the carbs going to look now? I cleaned some Holley 97s up in Phosphoric acid and it left them shiney. You would have to coat them with sharkskin or other sealer. I'll bet your main objective is to get that chebbie to take the throttle right now.

I know Screaming doesn't like paint the carbs but he's going to be disappointed when he sees they are Chevy Orange again. You have no idea about the anticipation or "chubby" I'm sporting. Let's hope it's not just a futile effort on my part. Time will tell.

 

[railroad]

I noticed the throttle blades have been out of the carb. Might want to check the tightness of the screws holding them in and I would knock the burrs off the screw heads. I would also check to see if the butterflies are centered and seated when they are closed. It looks like they were marked, so someone may have gotten them right side up and oriented in the bores correctly.