carbking

The more places we are listed, the better, thanks. As far as the carbs are concerned; the cheapest way to buy them is the complete assembly. If I have to manhandle that thing around and take it apart, I get paid for the effort as well as the merchandise! If you get the number off of the Carter metering rods, will see if I can match a Carter for you. Jon

The venturi on the Chevrolet carb is 0.719 inch. The venturi on the Ford carb is 0.835 inch. The Ford carb will flow approximately 35 percent more air than the Chevy carb. The Chevrolet engine is 171 CID, and is rated at 2000 RPM. The Ford engine is 200 CID, and is rated at 2200 RPM. The Ford engine is 17 percent larger than the Chevrolet engine. The original Zenith or the modern replacement Zenith would probably work on the Chevy, but would probably be sluggish. I would suggest either having a professional (check with Chip Sweet in Texas or Skip Geear in Oregon) rework your original, or look for an aftermarket internally smaller than the Ford A. Jon

There are no identifying numbers on the carb, other than the tag. The metering rods are close to being unique, so that number will get us close. You might also measure the main venturi on the front carb. It should be either 7/8 or 1 1/16. Physically, the 248 and 320 carbs can be interchanged (same bolt pattern). If the main venturi is 7/8 that will tell us we have a 248 carb, then we just need to determine if 1941 or 1942. The metering rods will help with that. I have a better chance of having the rear Carter than the front Stromberg. The junkyards could sell the primary carb for other than the compound carburetion, as it is a complete carb. Thus more rear carbs, both Carter and Stromberg have survived. The compound carburetion unit I have on ebay is priced as it is because of condition, and its in the way! I would make more money by removing the air cleaner and the 2 carbs and selling them individually, and scrap the rest; but I really hate to do that. Not saying I won't. We are downsizing (the kids don't want the carburetors ), and have already recycled more than 25 tons of more common carbs this year. The recycler is 8 blocks away. Something as heavy as the compound carburetion, I need help lifting, but just carbs pretty easy to throw on the trailer. Have already recycled about a dozen bare factory tripower intakes. They are heavy, and they take up room. I try to sell the stuff first, but if it doesn't sell at wholesale prices, then.............. And while I appreciate your comment about buying from me (and yes, I am in business); the consultation and advice given on this and other forums is my way of paying back, absolutely no obligation is expected. And besides, some will tell you the "free" advice is worth less than you paid for it! Jon

It is impossible to identify the front carb (Carter) from the posted information; if you will get the number on one of the metering rods, perhaps I can get close. The Stromberg carb posted is number 7-43, which is correct for a rear carb on the 1941 series 40 and series 50. The "A" following the 7-43 simply means the carburetor has evolved through a minor engineering change. The matching Stromberg front carb would be a 7-42. The car should run fairly well up to a certain RPM ON THE FRONT CARB ONLY. Check my previous post. As the rear carb is basically a dumper carb, you MIGHT get by. And, you might not. Compare the cost of either of the carburetors to the cost of rebuilding an engine. EDIT: And just for grins, check out Ebay 365150976235 Jon

1932 first production carburetor (Carter 4A1). Do NOT need either second production (4A2) or third production (4A3). Condition not overly important as long as it is complete, and not broken. Need for my article on Carter BB-1 carbs. I won't be going to Hershey, but UPS wll be Jon

Bernie - I personally believe it is a combination of the two. Based on existing data (CID, RPM, vacuum, vehicle mass, transmission type, etc.) the STARTING POINT to pick a carburetor (probably also an EFI) is a science. Then the "art" takes over for fine-tuning. The folks that ignore the science have no chance with the art. Jon

Engines have a calibration curve consistant with the type of engine. Modifications to the engine (compression, cam overlap/lift, timing, etc.) will alter the original curve. Anyone can buy a "tuning kit" (jets and rods), and at least have the parts to maybe make the carburetor better. And the tuning manual is a helpful item! But starting with an aftermarket carburetor, or even the incorrect O.E. carburetor is probably going to have incorrect air bleeds, air bypasses, and restrictors necessary to really fine tune a carburetor. I have yet to see a kit containing these parts. The average enthusiast does not have a jewelers lathe in order to fabricate the correct calibrations; nor the special tooling necessary to remove/replace these items. These would primarily be on the primary side of a four-barrel. Lots of folks have hesitations when the secondary side of the four-barrel is engaged. Carter controlled the timing of the secondary opening by the use of a weighted air-valve on the AFB. The air valve had two fixed calibrations (the angle of attack of the valve blades, and the mass, or weight of the weights). Anyone that believes that a four-barrel designed for a Chevrolet will work the secondaries correctly on a Buick or Pontiac probably believes in the tooth fairy! As Carter made O.E. AFB's, they had a really good handle on which air valve to substitute for the original in one of their aftermarket AFB's, and these air valves were available. The Carter TQ (thermoquad) and the Rochester Q-Jet (quadrajet) controlled the timing of the opening of the air valve with an adjustable spring. Anyone believing that this form of air valve can be perfectly adjusted by adjusting the air valve probably believes in both the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny. While adjusting the spring can normally get one close; a more precise method is to get as close as possible with the spring adjustment, and then modify the vacuum orifice in the choke pull off. Thus while replacing an original carburetor with an aftermarket version MAY be necessary for additional air flow, the aftermarket out of the box is probably NOT going to perform as well as a stock original in good condition. As Joe mentioned, replacing an original that needs MAJOR machine work with either a new aftermarket carb or a new EFI is probably going to be an improvement over the worn-out original; it just might not work as well as bringing the original back to specifications. Jon

Joe - it is the "Carter also had available other tuning parts not contained in either the strip kit or the spring kit." that can make a huge difference. Oh, and reading is over-rated Perhaps someone will do a searchable video of the e-manual Or maybe "Alexa, how do I set up this EFI" Jon

To add to Joe's comment about aftermarket carburetors: When CARTER was still making the AFB, Carter had a chart of suggested STARTING POINT carburetors for most V-8 installations. This chart had applications for both "street" and "race", but again, these were "starting points" based on flow capability, NOT as a "plug and play". A typical sale would have been a Carburetor, a "strip kit" (a number of different jets, and metering rods of different calibrations with a physical profile to fit the carburetor being sold), and a "blister-pak" spring kit. Carter also had available other tuning parts not contained in either the strip kit or the spring kit. As to "60 year old engineering"? It was pretty doggone good, especially if the accountants would allow the engineers to use their work in production! Jon

I have several more videos that Dad shot around the same time period at Hershey; but much of these videos is taken right out my space, and features my company. Mother and Dad also visited the Hershey garage sales, and there is some footage of these. Since a lot of it is personal, I enjoy it, but not sure others would. A little more than 3 GB. There are shots of the Kantor setup, Stan Coleman's space, and Tom Hannaford's (AAPC) space. We sold carb kits to all of these, so Dad got them in the videos. If anyone wants to waste $20 on a thumb drive and priority mail; PM me with the fact that you want one, your mailing address, and a telephone number. The years 1987, 1988, and the 1990 mud edition are included. I will call with payment instructions, and get one in the mail to you. Jon

Since the fields are now all asphalt or concrete, better take a can of dirt and some water; so you can make a little mud! Jon

Ed sent me a PM, that I looked at about midnight, and answered off the top of my head, which is often a bad idea. Somewhere in the 1968, 1969, 1970, and 1971 models, Rochester changed the placement (machining) of the float pin, which required a different float, and I mentioned this to Ed as the possible difference. These were NOT changed at the same time across vehicle or model lines, hence the year range above. Further research this morning shows this to be untrue. Checking the specifications one by one, the ONLY difference in the two carbs is the float. I have a new old stock from the early carb, but not from the late. The late number supersedes the early number, which was then no longer available. Further research shows the aftermarket float manufacturers use the exact same replacement float for both, as well as 4 other Rochester float numbers used in other GM vehicles. Why the different numbers? I don't know, but will speculate. This was close to the beginning of the "foam" (I cannot spell the chemical name and too lazy to look it up) float. The float manufacturer (no, Rochester did not make the floats) changed the sealing float "skin" formulae several times trying to prevent gasoline from permeating the skin, thus causing the float to absorb fuel, become heavy, and no longer function as desired. GUESSING the late float is the exact same float shape with a different skin. So the newer float WOULD bring the early carb up to the later carb specs. One of the aftermarket float manufacturers made a brass variant of these floats, which is what I always used when I was still restoring carbs. I still have a small quantity of these NORS brass floats. Now, Ed mentioned that I show different kits for the early and late, and he is correct. WHY? When I first started the manufacture of carb kits, I used the original (in this case Rochester) overhaul (not the less expensive power) kit application list to correspond to my application list where possible; and then added items to the original bill-of-material which I feel either should be replaced, or saves a trip to the parts house for those using my kits. In the case of the Rochester Q-Jet, I add the secondary air-valve spring and secondary cam (both of these should ALWAYS be replaced) and a length of hose for the choke pull-off (convenience), plus a clip to retain the power piston bracket because the plastic retainer is generally bad. So my kits for the early and late carburetors are identical; simply because they were ordered from the original Rochester application list. As to which carb to use? For the "driver" either, with the later foam or the brass float. For the "show car", one would need to coordinate the build dates of the carburetor and the vehicle. Jon

I hav never seen an exploded view; MAYBE in the Olds Master Parts book. Stromberg has a service page, with some parts information that will come with your kit. Jon

My inventory list shows one; but it is buried in the warehouse, and will be awhile before I can check. If you don't find one in a few weeks, contact me, and I will look. Sorry for the delay, but right now exceptionally busy. Jon

Carb kit for DXR-2 Stromberg is CS-1444. 573-392-7378 (9-12, 1-4 Mon-Tues central time). Jon