Mike
Well-Known Member
For anyone doing a lot of Holley carb work, there are three tools I highly recommend to you. No, there are not cheap, nor are they 100% necessary, but they will make life so much easier for you.
All three are offered by Willy's Carburetor & Dyno Shop
This float adjusting tool is really a great tool. Now remember, I am not OCD and refuse to be, at least until they get those letters in alphabetical order. But nothing annoys me any more than seeing a freshly-rebuilt Holley carb and one or both of the float adjusting lock screws is butchered up.
This tool has a 5/8" hex, to fit the adjusting nut. But it also has a straight blade inside. You can drop the tool over the adjusting nut and turn the black handle until you feel it engage with the lock screw. Hold the tool body firmly and turn the handle to loosen the screw. Then you can turn the body to get the needle and seat adjusted properly. Once you have the correct height, just turn the black handle to cinch the screw back down. And the tool's design will keep fuel from spraying all over you and everything else, as you make the adjustment.
This one is a power valve tool. It has a large diameter, knurled handle that will let you easily remove and reinstall power valves without tearing things up in the process. For some reason, people seem to think since the power valve requires a 1" wrench, then they should get clear out on the end of the wrench and really reef that power valve against the gasket. Please! About all your accomplishing is shredding the power valve gasket in that process. Use a tool like the Willy's power valve tool and you'll never have to worry about over-tightening a power valve, ever again.
And this little gem is a tuner's delight. You thread a Holley power valve into the bottom piece, so you can actually see the plunger on the power valve. Fit the cap securely over the o-ringed end of the body and then you can hook up a hand-operated vacuum pump to the hose nipple. And you can verify whether or not a power valve is working or not. If you cannot pull a vacuum against the power valve diaphragm, you know the power valve is blown or burned. And you can then verify the power valve is opening at the rated vacuum level. Just because you just pulled a brand-new power valve out of a package marked 6.5 inHg doesn't mean that power valve is going to open at 6.5 inHg. How many of you check the markings on a power valve, to ensure it was packaged properly? Of that number, how many of you verify the valve actually opens at the rated vacuum level? Gotcha, didn't I? You check bearing clearances, don't you? Well, don't you? You check ring end gaps, don't you? How many of you pull a spark plug out of a box without checking the air gap? If you don't trust the manufacturers on those parts, why should you trust your power valve supplier?
As I mentioned, these tools are not necessary and they do cost a bit of money. But if you're regularly doing Holley carb work, you'll find they are priceless.
All three are offered by Willy's Carburetor & Dyno Shop
This float adjusting tool is really a great tool. Now remember, I am not OCD and refuse to be, at least until they get those letters in alphabetical order. But nothing annoys me any more than seeing a freshly-rebuilt Holley carb and one or both of the float adjusting lock screws is butchered up.
This tool has a 5/8" hex, to fit the adjusting nut. But it also has a straight blade inside. You can drop the tool over the adjusting nut and turn the black handle until you feel it engage with the lock screw. Hold the tool body firmly and turn the handle to loosen the screw. Then you can turn the body to get the needle and seat adjusted properly. Once you have the correct height, just turn the black handle to cinch the screw back down. And the tool's design will keep fuel from spraying all over you and everything else, as you make the adjustment.
This one is a power valve tool. It has a large diameter, knurled handle that will let you easily remove and reinstall power valves without tearing things up in the process. For some reason, people seem to think since the power valve requires a 1" wrench, then they should get clear out on the end of the wrench and really reef that power valve against the gasket. Please! About all your accomplishing is shredding the power valve gasket in that process. Use a tool like the Willy's power valve tool and you'll never have to worry about over-tightening a power valve, ever again.
And this little gem is a tuner's delight. You thread a Holley power valve into the bottom piece, so you can actually see the plunger on the power valve. Fit the cap securely over the o-ringed end of the body and then you can hook up a hand-operated vacuum pump to the hose nipple. And you can verify whether or not a power valve is working or not. If you cannot pull a vacuum against the power valve diaphragm, you know the power valve is blown or burned. And you can then verify the power valve is opening at the rated vacuum level. Just because you just pulled a brand-new power valve out of a package marked 6.5 inHg doesn't mean that power valve is going to open at 6.5 inHg. How many of you check the markings on a power valve, to ensure it was packaged properly? Of that number, how many of you verify the valve actually opens at the rated vacuum level? Gotcha, didn't I? You check bearing clearances, don't you? Well, don't you? You check ring end gaps, don't you? How many of you pull a spark plug out of a box without checking the air gap? If you don't trust the manufacturers on those parts, why should you trust your power valve supplier?
As I mentioned, these tools are not necessary and they do cost a bit of money. But if you're regularly doing Holley carb work, you'll find they are priceless.
