Chris Coppi

I appreciate all the feedback. I recently had the carb re-built and I'm pretty certain the fuel is clean. I recently had to rebuild the fuel pump - yes, it has one - probably put in when the after market carb was installed since original setup would have been gravity / vacuum feed right? I checked the sediment bowl and it was still clean from the last time I cleaned it too. So, I'm not inclined to tear that carb apart again, but will if it comes to that. As for the ignition, what should I be looking for specifically - the coil, the rotor and points? I know the wiring is mostly original and in need of replacement, but it only started back firing since the carb was rebuilt which could be an adjustment on the choke flapper since it stops when I coke it ever so slightly. The foul exhaust also only started after the carb rebuild... What should the compression be? I'm not a mechanic, so my apologies... 😬

I have this Tillotson JR1A carb on my 1928 Chevy sedan. Been on it for about 60 years. No history beyond that. I need help understanding how to adjust it. There are 3 places that I see that I can tweak... The screw where the throttle linkage connects, a screw with a spring that is in the intake section below the throttle plate / blade and the venturi tube thing on the bottom near the bowl with the T bar on it. The exhaust is running rich and burns my eyes and smells bad... black carbon in plugs and exhaust pipe. I know this is not the factory carb, but it's what I have and I don't care if it's original or aftermarket... Any documentation or help would be appreciated. The engine runs fine with as is, but backfires if the choke plate is 100% open.

Thank you all for your responses. I ended up having Carburetor Karl rebuild it for $120. It was worth it for me since I'm not a specialist in Carbs and wanted to be sure it was done right. I tried to take that brass screw out, but it was in there super tight and I didn't want to destroy it with the wrong screw driver etc. This vehicle is not a show vehicle by any means and so I just want it running so that I can drive it around the block or local neighborhood. I'm not about always having to have the perfect part. This carb was installed before I was born and probably in circa 1940ish - way before my dad ever bought it. : ). On another note, I need to have the radiator re-built and I need to have the engine gone through to assure proper lubing etc. Doesn't look like oil is getting up to the valves and they are rusty looking and the oil in the depression spaces is really black even though the oil on the dip stick is fairly clean. Spark plugs were really black with lots of carbon build up. I cleaned them up for now so I can see if I can get it started now at least.

Thanks for the quick response. I ended up taking the carb to a famous guy called Karl the carb guy in Duarte. He will go through it and supposedly re-build/fix it. Will see how it goes when I get it back. Interesting that you say it's the wrong carb. It's been on the vehicle for about 70 + years ever since my dad bought it. It's always ran ok with it, but always a bit of a challenge to start after sitting for some time. Here's how it's been installed. I think other parts of the car are from a 29 from what I recall my dad telling me. I appreciate the heads up. Maybe I can find a JR-3A some day and see how it works.

Ok... bear with me... I'm a novice, but mechanically inclined. I have this carb on my 1928 Chevy 2 door sedan. It was leaking out the breather opening a lot. I had it running on Saturday after a long cranking episode and then it ran out of gas and died. After that, I could not re-start it. Yes, the gas was a few years old and probably should have drained and replaced, but I didn't. So, I took the carb off and was going to take it apart and clean it up, but I can't get the dang top off. It's hanging up on something and only comes up about 1/8" and then stops. I pulled the needle valve out of the bottom, but it's still jammed. I think the big brass upward angled screw on the side needs to be removed and or the brass screw down the channel below that screw, but not sure. Those are both screwed in super tight with possible lock tight on them. Hoping for some help here. I'm sure there is some gunk in there. Also need to know how to properly adjust the needle valve. any help would be appreciated. I'm in Covina Calif.