carbking

The Stromberg EE-22 doesn't care if the heat riser is present or not; and can easily be retrofitted with a manual choke. A 1939 or later A series Stromberg or WCD series Carter from a 320 could easily be adapted to the engine, and a heat stove fabricated to drive the hot air choke on any of these. Jon.

There are three separate dealer items that should answer all of your questions: (A) The main dealer album 13 1/2 x 9 3/4 x 1/2 inch ( 1953 Colors and interiors (actual samples) 11 x 8 1/2 x 1 1/2 (blue) © Facts book 5 1/2 x 7 3/4 x 218 pages. Since POCI moved their library to the AACA library, you may be able to acquire information there, if the T/A cannot help you. Jon.

Would concur with Todd (poci1957) about the "Standard Catalog of American Cars"; number 1 on my list. If available, any of the Krause Publications "Standard Catalog" series in the area of interest to the individual would be very useful. Another book would be any edition of the Dykes Automobile and Gas Engine Encyclopedia. This book is not particularly useful today, but provides a wonderful insight to how things were done in our hobby when it was a business. Probably one of the later issues (more common, and less expensive) would be best. After I bought my first, I sat down one evening and read it cover to cover; I could not put it down! Jon.

Mark - we have listings for 79 different Stromberg model EE-1 carburetors in our database. If you are not sure what it is, finding the proper EE-1 might be more beneficial than trying to adapt an unknown one. Jon.

This has been posted before, but will do so again: Both the 1937 and 1938 Buicks used more-or-less "experimental" carburetors. Today, these would be called a "beta-test". Two different vendors were used: Marvel and Stromberg. Buick had used Marvel for many years, primary because of the geographic advantage (Marvel was also located in Flint); but had been using some Stromberg units beginning in 1934 on the 40 series. While the earlier Marvels were not up to the standard of other contemporary makes, the 1937 and 1938 Marvels were just plain horrible. The 1937 Stromberg was fair, the 1938 Stromberg somewhat better, and by 1939 the Stromberg was an excellent carburetor. The 1937 and 1938 Strombergs suffered from the use of the Delco automatic choke which; based on literature of the day, and my own experience NEVER functioned properly. In 1939 Buick finally gave up on the geographic advantage of Marvel, and discontinued the use of Marvel carburetors completely. Carter was chosen as a second vendor to complement Stromberg. In 1939 Buick was getting many complaints from dissatisfied 1937 and 1938 owners about the carburetors, so both Carter and Stromberg were asked to do replacements. Both Carter and Stromberg offered replacement PACKAGES in 1939 which were sold through Buick dealers (as well as aftermarket). MANY 1937 and 1938 carburetors were tossed in the trash in 1939, and the cars refitted with these packages. The packages consisted of a MODIFIED (more on this later) 1939 carburetor, a heat stove, and an adapter to plug the exhaust heat in the intake manifold. The 1939 carburetor calibrations were fine; but remember I stated the 1937 and 1938 carburetors were more or less experimental. To prevent their use on other engines, the throttles were designed to work in the opposite direction from a convention carburetor. Thus if one were to place an unmodified 1939 carburetor on a 1937 or 1938 Buick; the engine, when started would immediately race to wide-open throttle, and when the driver pressed the footfeed to the floor, the engine would come back to an idle. Relearning to drive in this manner might cause some difficulty. The modification is simple: consider a child's see-saw or teeter-totter. When one child goes up, the other child goes down. Apply this principle to the carburetor. Think of the throttle shaft as the fulcrum of the see-saw, and the throttle arm as the board and dual seat of the see-saw. Fitting a bracket to the original throttle arm such that the throttle linkage connects to the arm on the opposite side of the throttle shaft will then reverse the operation, and the carburetor will function in a normal manner. The plug for the manifold was necessary because the heat source for the Delco choke came through the intake manifold. The heat stove is necessary to provide heat to the hot air choke of the 1939 carburetors, and is easily fabricated. Visualize a flat piece of metal 6 inches by 4 inches. Using tinsnips, remove a 1/2 inch square from each corner. Bend the sides each 90 degrees forming a rectangular "pan" which is 5 x 3 x 1/2 inch. Drill a hole in the center of the "pan" and attach a brass fitting. Using muffler clamps (or be creative) attach the "pan" to the exhaust manifold or exhaust pipe with the open end of the "pan" toward the manifold. Now attach one end of a steel line from the fitting in the center of the pan, and the other end on the choke unit on the 1939 carburetor. You now have provided heat to operate the automatic choke. I have used the 1939 year throughout this post. In fact, any carburetor FOR THE SAME ENGINE SIZE 248 OR 320 up through the 1952 model year may be used. I will leave the question of the starter switch to those whose specialty is electrics. Jon.

Try www.abe.com You can normally find most any book, and far below ebay prices. Jon.

If you are experiencing less than expected mileage on a 1938, make absolutely sure the automatic choke is opening completely. Stromberg tried in both 1937 and 1938 to get Buick to use the conventional choke, but since Delco was a division of GM, Buick used the Delco choke. They finally gave up on the Delco choke in 1939. Jon.

If ANY additive (acetone, etc.) WOULD significantly increase mileage, don't you think that you would see the following at your local filling station: SPECIAL High density fuel, substantially increases mileage $9.99/gallon!!! I would suggest to any who wish to mix acetone with their fuel to first read the health hazards of using acetone in any quantity, and handle it accordingly. There is one device that can substantially increase gas mileage for many drivers. There is a brown version, and a white version. They also come in a number of grades and sizes; and are available at the local supermarket. Take one grade A large, and place between your shoe and the footfeed. If the device does not break, your mileage will generally increase! Jon.

We have EXV-2's. Telephone number in bio. Jon.

No mystery. Reproduction plate. Jon.

Detroit Lubricator made MANY different carburetors for Packard 1929-1932, see attached listing: Packard original equipment carburetors Exact identification is quite difficult, as the data plates can be switched (there are maybe 7 physically different data plates with many different stampings). Reproduction data plates have been available for at least 35 years. If the data plate is original, the stamped numbers have meaning. The number will be in the format "myynnn": The m represents the month (ie A is January, B February, etc) The yy are the last 2 digits in the year (ie 31 would represent 1931) The nnn is the "tag" number of the carburetor which corresponds to the numbers in the listing. Jon.

One caviat not mentioned in the Hollanders about the universal replacement carburetors: These carburetors were designed with an airflow to operate an engine of a given size. Since different vehicle manufacturers used different mountings the applications list given in the Hollanders is NOT completely correct, unless one has the necessary adapter, or can machine one. Example - the listing shows the 289s fitting the 1929-1032 Standard 8 Packard. The 289s is a "straight flange" carburetor. The original Packard Detroit Lubricator was a "cross flange" carburetor. Trying to use the 289s on the Packard without the cross flange adapter supplied by Carter (or a reasonable facsimile) will result in the carburetor air intake pointed toward either the engine block or the fender. Jon.

The Zenith manual does not give this information; most early carburetor manuals do not give a float setting. As a general rule of thumb: adjust the float such that the FUEL LEVEL in the bowl is 1/8 inch (0.125 inch) below the main discharge nozzle. Jon.

As mentioned by peecher, the power (economiser - depending on which source one is reading) valve channels fuel directly to the manifold. This design is the source of the term "leaking down" when a carburetor is devoid of fuel when sitting overnight. If the economiser valve or gasket failed, then the bowl would be drained into the engine. The term is often misused today when evaporation is the problem. The fuel starvation after a time issue may be related to a faulty tank vent. If air cannot enter the fuel tank to replace the fuel, a "vacuum lock" can occur on the tank, preventing fuel from exiting the tank. Many older vehicles vented through a vent in the gas cap. Some newer caps are not vented. Easy to test; simply drive the vehicle on a test run without the tank cap. Jon.

Philippe - your experience pretty well says it all. The older Rochester 4-G series was very reliable; but the Q-Jet is a much more efficient design. The Q-Jet came out in 1965 (Chevy got them first), and earned the title "quadrajunk" some 7 or 8 nanoseconds after the first car was delivered to a dealer. The 1965 had major issues. The 1966 had issues. The 1967 had issues, but they are addressable by a competent carburetor rebuilder. By 1968, the Q-Jet was/is one of the finest street 4-barrels ever produced (in my opinion, second best of all time behind the Carter TQ). It still had two issues: (1) the fuel inlet threads (which normally may be helicoiled), and (2) the lack of throttle bearing surface (may be corrected by installing bronze bushings). The circuitry inside the AFB is probably as good as that of the Q-Jet, and the AFB does not suffer the reliability issues of the Q-Jet. The AFB, on the street, however, is somewhat less efficient than the Q-Jet by reason of the fact that the AFB is a "square-bore" and the Q-Jet is a "spread-bore". Once the spread-bore was fait accompli, the square bores pretty well died out for passenger street use. The Q-Jet, the Carter TQ, and the Autolite 4300 were used on virtually all passenger 8 cylinders in the 1970's. Jon.

We have several, from missing parts to complete. Jon.

Very early (1930's) copper was used for the line. Due to the heat transfer properties of copper, it was found to be necessary to place the asbestos cover on the line to insulate the line, retaining the heat. Later, many tubes were made from steel. As the heat transfer of steel is much less than copper, many applications (speaking in generalites here, not for a specific application) did not have the asbestos, but some still retained the asbestos. From a "national showcar" prospective, it would be important to ascertain if the asbestos was used or not. From a "driver" or "local showcar" prospective, bending the line from steel will pretty much eliminate the need for any insulation. Copper or aluminum will require insulation. Jon.

If your car has been retro-fitted with an electric choke, the tube is no longer used; as the electric element supplies the heat to the bimetallic strip. If you still have the hot air choke then the tube may easily be fabricated out of steel line (available at a local autoparts store). The connector that screws onto the choke is also readily available at the same store. Jon.

I can confirm that it is not used on any of the above vehicles. Jon.

Short answer: it probably won't work without MAJOR modifications. Somewhat longer answer: any of the carbs for the W-series cars are somewhat on the pricey side. However, any carb from the same year, make, and engine (even if not a "W") would be infinately closer in calibration than a late 70's or early 80's smog unit. This assuming (not aways a good idea) that the throttle, choke, fuel, air cleaner, etc. would all hook up. The most expensive carburetor anyone will EVER purchase is the incorrect for the application carburetor given to you by your neighbor! Jon.

zondaC12 - set it so it will always allow the choke butterfly to open, and don't start the car if you need a choke . Jon.

zondaC12 - you are probably correct on the Buick, as it is the most common of the 1938 vehicles with a 248, but there are others, and I didn't want to make the assumption. The worst problem with the AAV-1 on the 1938 Buick is the Delco choke. As to the accelerator pump, there may be something wrong with it, but this would not be a factor in a steady speed surge. Jon.

Since you didn't post what car you have, hard to determine which Stromberg; but by 1938 the only original equipment Strombergs which were troublesome were those used by Buick, and only because of the divorced Delco choke Buick insisted on using. Armed with the factory shop manual and a rebuilding kit, a hobbyist should be able to rebuild any 1938 Stromberg. Jon.

Surge is more likely to be a lean condition than a rich condition. Check this by having a friend follow you when you are having the problem. If the problem is a rich condition, he may be unable to see you for the black smoke! Assuming this is not the case; a lean condition may be the result of: (A) Clogged fuel filter ( Clogged tank vent © Defective fuel pump (D) Carburetor needing a clean out and rebuild (E) The use of ethanol gasoline If A, B, and C seem normal, and you are using a 10 percent mixture of ethanol, try readjusting the carburetor float such that the fuel level in the carburetor is raised 1/16 of an inch. If the ethanol mix is worse than 10 percent, recalibration of the carburetor may be necessary. Jon.

As far as I am aware, no one has published a list of Q-Jet numbers and their respective CFM ratings. In fact, Rochester did not publish CFM ratings per se. As has already been mentioned, the pre-1971 Q-Jets are referred to as 750. There were a few (mostly Buicks) from 1971 to 1974 that have a larger primary and are referred to as 800. Most newer (1976-up) Q-Jets are the larger primary (referred to as 800). In 1971, Pontiac, which had been experimenting with the 1000 CFM Carter TQ on the RA V program, had Rochester produce a few of the 750 size but with the outer booster ring removed. These are referred to as 850. This style was dropped after the 1971 model year. Unless one is a carburetion technician with a machine shop, migration of any O.E. carburetor from one application to another can meet with less than the desired results; as the O.E. carburetors are more "application specific" than the aftermarket units. Jon.