Gary_Ash Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 I'm rebuilding some 1937-vintage Stromberg EX-23 1-barrel carbs. I've bought a few of these carbs for my project and found some of them had a hole drilled in the cover of the float bowl. Since these holes are in different places and are different sizes, I don't think the factory did this. My other EX-23 carbs don't have holes in the covers. Besides, there is already a vented cap on the cover.Did people used to do this in hopes of preventing vapor lock or is there some other reason? I plan on welding up the holes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seldenguy Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Could it be the hole is for the pickup tube for a gasoline under dash heater? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary_Ash Posted October 2, 2014 Author Share Posted October 2, 2014 I thought of the gasoline-fired heater, but this hole seems too small for a pickup tube. However, one of the carbs did have a brass 1/8" pipe plug inserted in its hole. Wouldn't the heater need a pressurized feed from the fuel pump line, not just a siphon line? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Commodore Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 I thought of the gasoline-fired heater, but this hole seems too small for a pickup tube. However, one of the carbs did have a brass 1/8" pipe plug inserted in its hole. Wouldn't the heater need a pressurized feed from the fuel pump line, not just a siphon line?That is exactly what those holes are for. A gasoline-fired heater a Southwind. See link for an explanation on how a Southwind heater worked.http://classiccars.about.com/od/maintenancetips/a/Southwind.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary_Ash Posted October 2, 2014 Author Share Posted October 2, 2014 Sure enough, the Southwind heater uses a 1/8" diameter special "emulsion tube" to draw unpressurized fuel from a carb float bowl or a separate fuel can. That would explain the small holes. The heaters use engine vacuum to pull the fuel through the heater and expel the burned vapors to the car's intake manifold. Very interesting!Looks like you can buy a rebuilt unit here:http://southwindheater.com/Home.htmlI don't think, however, that I will be installing a Southwind heater in my replica of a 1932 Studebaker Indy car, so I'm going to weld up those holes anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbking Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Gary - with the heater, you might have the "hottest" car on the track! Jon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hchris Posted October 3, 2014 Share Posted October 3, 2014 That is exactly what those holes are for. A gasoline-fired heater a Southwind. See link for an explanation on how a Southwind heater worked.http://classiccars.about.com/od/maintenancetips/a/Southwind.htmJust as an aside, some of you may be interested (or not), this heater has been and still is a popular heating accessory for light aircraft to this day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now