Lawrence Helfand

Hi Anderson, Really tempted to purchase your dash but dont know if it will fit my Century ? Seems like it would be the same for all models. Will search for part numbers for a clue. And assuming it did swapping it out is quite intimidating and an uncomfortable challenge for an old guy with arthritis. If it were cheaper I would buy it to sell with the car when that day came. In the event of no sale on Ebay I do have one correct rim for your car if thats any trade bait . Happy Holidays Lawrence

Hi Peter , I have one but you really dont need it as there are no real differences between the two. Just bolt it up and add a choke tube. All that you need for the choke tube can be found at almost any auto parts store on the rack. The tubing is usually hanging back behind the counter. I soldered a copper 3/4 inch pipe cap to the end to increase heat up and also cross drilled the tube extending under the cap which just sits on top of the exhaust manifold port. Also you might have to pull against the linkage spring a wee bit to reach the front carb arm which is good to eliminate any play. My idle screws are out about 3/4 turn but suggest you adjust them after its warmed up screwing each in to where it slightly falters and then backing out until smooth again. If you think you still need info from a 42 manual let me know and I will PM page pics. Lawrence

Hi Matt, I will tell you that I tried the 3/32 drill bit setting and could not make it work at all as it requires a very light and ultimately inaccurate setup as it never could maintain this position. Also the NOS carbs in the box with from the factory did not employ this setting. Just saying I found it to be totally useless. The factory set chokes were lightly closed all the way and from there I left the front as is and just tweeked the rear to match. Mostly an adjustment to compensate for the slight lag from the slower heating of the coil due to jury rigged heat tube which was just a few moments behind in actuation.

As I have been running a matched carb parallel linkage for three years now using both 60 series Strombergs and smaller series 528s Carters I have experienced none of the issues Matt has encountered with cold starting. I did not find that flooding was ever a problem even with the larger Strombergs. I did shorten the accelerator pump adjustable linkage to reduce the volume of fuel . When I first switched over I did not hook up the rear choke thinking I would have enough just off the front. The result was lean popping and flame belch in the rear carb. Sync hing up the chokes was really easy and only required a couple of adjustments. Like Jon said multiple matched carbs is not a problem any more then a single carb is when properly adjusted. This discussion has been incredibly informative so thanks for some enlightenment by expert members. Good luck Matt!

Hi Ben, Switch works off vacuum so nothing to do with the generator and sometimes when I think I have stalled it is actually still turning at a ridiculously low rpm and I have hit the starter and crunch as it also thinks its stalled from sensing no vacuum.

It sounds counter intuitive but the best way to start a flooded engine is to hold the pedal to the floor on any carburetor'd car. Thats how I was taught 55 years ago and its worked countless times to clear the chambers and light her up! I do believe Matt has long ago disabled his foot start for a push button. Thats never the problem if set up is correct and was the standard in many vehicles for many years. Downside to an integrated foot start is the occasional grind when lack of vacuum at close to stall but still running rpm allows starter engagement.

Hi Matt, I know the feeling and even with a lot fewer vehicles it can be disappointing indeed when love becomes work. I can only suggest you put one foot in front of the other and not get overwhelmed by the big picture. So starting with the limited which is almost identical to my Century. ..although I have swapped the Stroms for Carters I never experienced your cold start issues. I think you might be still to advanced as engines always light up more readily when retarded some. My 320 starts fastest when cold and here is my method. I pump the pedal a few times to prime the intake and then wait for 15 seconds and hit the starter. Fires on one rotation or less. If I dont pump it it fires right up but then starts to stutter and stall. The extra fuel helps build the rpm. Since I have switched to Carters it is pretty much the same. I have a Petronix pickup and flame thrower coil with 592/RJ12C Copper plus Champion plugs one step hotter the standard AC R46 . I think once the Limited is sorted you will feel the love again. When I was an intrepid young man I would never worry about breaking down or getting stranded in any number of vintage machines and thought nothing of driving from coast to coast in anything that ran. I only ever got stuck once needing to rent a truck and flat tow my 39 Dodge 1 ton from Wyoming to NY having spun a crank bearing which I heard knocking before I left. Now the anxiety of getting stranded kills the enjoyment of an adventure and I think that might be why resto mods are so appealing to older guys. I love my Century for a lot of reasons but its 3000 trouble free miles in my care is the most important . If you dont trust your car then you have nothing but a disappointing lump to loath. A hole customers is part of retail and cant be fixed but the inner sanctum of a sweet ride helps a lot. Good luck mate. Kind Regards Lawrence

My Suggestion is as these are most likely extremely close in apparent specifications and that you aren't obsessed with matching numbers then go with the application which is the same. I would absolutely spend a couple of hours swapping the one carb and connecting the Summit sourced linkage kit and see how it works. Proof is in the pudding. Happy T Day !

You can find the exact washer you need on Ebay if you order the ones for the Jeep Wrangler which used these same spring type washers also known as belville washers. I bought a set for my 41 and they are perfect. Use the thick copper gaskets and plenty of graphite slurry on both sides. Tighten from the middle out and dont go over 18 foot pounds torque. If your windshield wipers are working you will know you are not leaking when they move really fast! Cheers mate

Hello Anderson, I have a working 7-39 AV I took off my 41 Century a year ago as I am now running Carters. Does not require rebuilding but is a bit dirty. 200$ plus shipping of 15.00$ Lawrence

I have no doubt that your car will run even better if you fix the valve which is no more then a 15 minute fix. Its just a flap on the shaft. Its designed specifically for the progressive linkage. You might be able to free it up in place with some manipulation WD 40 and lightly tapping the shaft end with a hammer on each side. Same design as your heat riser flap only smaller with a weight instead of a spring. Stuck open or closed results in inferior intake balance and performance. Its not as irrelevant as your tonsils.

You must have one if your running the stock setup. Engine wont run right without it. You mean you dont have the spacer under the rear carb with counter weighted damper valve? All compound intakes have this feature

Here is where I first was inspired to make the change to parallel matched carb linkage

I am loving my current setup of twin 1942 528s WCD Carters on my 41 Century 66S. Great starting even when the car sat out for a week in sub freezing weather for a week. Float bowl gas is better retained with no need to hit the auxiliary fuel pump. Crisper off idle with no hesitation or stumble and smooth idle. Better then my last setup of twin 320 AV 16 front carb Strombergs which I thought were great compared to the stock setup.. I think you will find the 1942 528S easy to find and I know vintage Carb Broadstreet had 3 nos of which I bought 2 so he should have one left. I would buy that one and keep a lookout for another. The 1941 509S is the same as a 1942 528S both fronts for the 248 for 1941 and 1942. I dont see any problem having one of each if thats what you come up with. The 1941 509S should be a lot more common as 42 production was significantly less. If you still want to try the 320 spec setup and cannot find a 490S look for a 533S which is the front Carter for the 1942 60 70 80 series and the same as a 490S

Good luck getting your money out of this ! You will be hard pressed to find the right buyer. If you wanted to build a cool Kaiser you should have started with a 54 Manhattan which looks almost Italian especially that grille and with wire wheels is a looker. But still I have seen some 47 48 and 49 Cadillac sedanette resto mods for half this amount that are gorgeous. Gee Caddy or Kaiser Hmmm..not a difficult choice with 70K left over

First gear always whines if that what your hearing. If you watch old movies you might have noticed that the old cars make that first gear sound as they take off.

Thanks Jon, I will try that!

Hi Jon, I recently swapped my matching Strombergs on my 41 Century for matching 528S Carters and indeed they work better. My question is how does one achieve a lower idle if your already completely backed out on the idle screw. My idle is still a touch to high and having read through the Carter adjustments in the workshop manual I am still clueless as to what path to take. Thanks Lawrence

this is where I purchased mine nos. http://vintagecarb.com/contact-us.html

And one VW he roars by several times. He turns the corner in one part of town and ends up in another. If you know SF the continuity of the chase edits are hilarious.

For postwar cars its hard to beat Perry Mason..especially ragtops..lots of european sports cars too. One episode featured a 300 sl Gullwing Benz!

The 528s Carter WCD is for 42 248 with dual carbs. I was using matching Strombergs for 60/70 series with dual carbs which is what Matt is using. Your 490S Carter will work great with another 490S for the rear. I thought using the 248 carbs would be ideal since both would be in operation all the time more then making up for the smaller jets whereas running two 320 spec carbs might be a bit rich. That said I was very happy with the 320 spec Strombergs . For you I would suggest finding another 490S Carter. I bought my Carters NOS from Vintage carb Broadstreet. The prices are excellent at 175 each ready to bolt up and finish looking as new. I had previously purchased from them NOS Strombergs for 145 each. Or you can get a pair of the 528S like I have switched to. I know they have more to sell.

The hardware for the rear choke is available from the auto parts store. Just tubing and nut to screw on choke assembly. Also I soldered on a copper 3/4 inch plumbing cap with a hole drilled on top to the end of the pipe which projects into the cap and ends just shy of the caps end. I cross drilled several holes into the projecting section of the tube for heat transfer of hot air and bent it up to sit on the exhaust manifold right on top of an exhaust port. This provides plenty of heat to actuate the choke and with just a small adjustment to the spring mechanism it works in total sync with the front choke. It is very important to employ both chokes with the setup or the rear carb will not operate correctly.

My experience with the duel front carbs and parallel linkage pretty much reflects what Matt has said about this modification. It simply works better and runs smoother but I recently decided to swap my 320 motor Stromberg AV 16's for a pair of Carter 528S which is the front carb for the 248 motor. My plug color was a dark cocoa brown that was really pretty good but I reasoned that a pair of smaller carbs might be even better and I have come to understand that the Carters metered fuel better then the Strombergs. The result is another improvement in smoothness and throttle response especially off idle. Starting was already very good with the Strombergs but the Carters are a little better especially after car has sat for a few weeks. Also found the Float valve on the Carter handles the auxiliary electric pump better as the Strombergs would overflow even though I use a low pressure pump. I have not checked mileage or plug color yet. It is now a bit less sensitive to throttle input which I feel is a result of leaner and more accurate delivery. Idle and exhaust note is a very steady beat without hiccups. I detect no loss of power or acceleration with the Carters. I have a Gear vendors overdrive and easily cruise along at 70/75. Pulling out from that speed to pass is impressive and I suspect car guys think I have a V8 swap under the hood. The only thing to make it better would be a duel exhaust for better breathing and increased intake velocity. This modification is very easy to do with the Summit linkage kit which works better then the stock hook end rods. About a 2 hour job.

Hi Matt, Sorry to hear of your frustration with the 41. Just a couple of thoughts..First one must expect something will go amiss as even modern cars do and having driven several vintage cars coast to coast I have had my share. Part of the adventure to be expected and an opportunity to challenge my abilities. First rule is to carry a small quiver of tools starting with a spark plug wrench with which you can make fundamental diagnostic observations and do important tasks. An adjustable wrench vice grip and a couple of screwdrivers is all you really need. Along with some electrical tape and jumper cables. I have a cool old fiber board box in my giant trunk that lives there and also hold a large breaker bar and socket for easy wheel lug removal if needed. I have yet too need them but like all fine automobiles are to be carried along. Now here is how I would have approached your car that morning. Start as usual and when it resists ..Stop! something is not right so dont run the battery down. Next open the hood and smell. Pull the dipstick and smell. When a motor is just sort of catching but wont light up you have spark for sure but either not enough or too much fuel. That is when you pull a plug to see if its wet or dry. If its wet then pull all the plugs and spin the motor to dry out the chambers. If its dry move on to lack of fuel issues. You never ever run the battery down without first taking a few minutes for diagnostics. Also simply trying again after an hour works well if its flooded and you have no tools. I have experienced that same scenario where the motor wants to start but never builds rpm and dies. It may be be from heat after a long drive that builds up once parked and pressurizes the fuel bowls pushing gas up the overflow tubes into carbs I really dont know. Its only happened from a cold start. Both times I just walked away and came back later to it starting right up as usual. Being clever and conquering old car crankiness is one of the sweet memories that makes this old car thing worthwhile. Some time I will tell you about spinning a crank bearing in Rock Springs WY. in my loaded down and pulling a trailer 39 Dodge 1 ton pickup while heading to NY. FYI the Winds Engine rebuild in a can did not help. I mentioned to you that I had purchased a pair of 528S Carters the front carb for a 41/42 248 to replace the Strombergs. The results are a definite improvement with less surging faster starting crisper throttle and smoother idle and likely better mileage but I have not done a mileage test yet or a plug read of color. Exhaust burble is steadier with no hiccups. The Carters definitely meter the gas flow better the the Strombergs. Chokes work better too. A definite improvement. At 175$ each for NOS it was not a big expenditure. Didnt do a thing to them besides bolting them on and making up a couple of choke tubes. Do hope you dont dare let this stop you from roaming far from home no matter what Dad said!