Carburetor advice?

[toomuchvinyl]

Hi All, I'm moving forward with the refurb chores I want to do to the '64 that I bought last fall. One of the first things I want to do is rebuild the carburetor. I went to look at the tag attached to it yesterday to order a rebuild kit and found that the tag has no numbers stamped on it. All there is are three vertical lines the look like this - I I I. So now I'm stumped. I am sure it's a Carter as the choke housing has the name on it, but I don't know how to proceed without any code on the tag. is there any other marking on the carb body that would help me determine what kit I should order? Any information or advise would be greatly appreciated

[John]

Looking at the carb from the front you should see numbers stamped on the left side of the base--you may have to clean it up to see them. Should be 4 digits, usually followed by "S" or "SA", and then a letter and number date code. The four digits identify the Carter model number which is all you need.

John

[toomuchvinyl]

Thanks for the info John! I was hoping that there was some other way determine what I needed, but having no previous experience with GM cars I didn't have the slightest idea where to start. I'll check it out after work this afternoon.

[John]

Just checked the chassis manual and the original AFB carb is 3665S. If you don't have chassis and body manuals you might want to consider getting them--great references for maintenance and restoration. Can supply if you need--email for details.

John

Edited September 3, 2011 by John (see edit history)

[toomuchvinyl]

Thanks again John! I'm a little tardy in replying, but the stamped code was just where you said on the base of the carb, and it was the 3665S. I do have a Chassis and body manual, the chassis came with my Riv and the Body was a Christmas gift. I ordered the kit and am just waiting for my mechanic to have time to do the rebuild. I really appreciate your knowledge and willingness to share it.

[RivNut]

Keith,

The Carter AFB is one of the easiest carbs to rebuild. Open the kit and take a look at the instruction sheet that's included. A set of simple hand tools is all you need to do it yourself. There'll be a float gauge in the kit. If you have a digital camera, take pictures as you disassemble the carb for a reference should you need one when putting it back together. Go to your local parts dealer and get yourself a gallon can of carb cleaner. Take the carb apart and soak everything thoroughly. The thing that makes cleaning a carb easy is compressed air to blow it out, but you can do it with out the air.

There are also some really good articles on the web if you "Google" for them and your local book store probably has a book or two on rebuilding them.

Give it a shot, you'll enjoy it.

Ed

[Bill Stoneberg]

Here is an excellent article I found out of an old time manual.

It tells how to adjust the various bits an pieces for a Carter 4 BBL. It doesn't give clearences or items like that, just how to adjust to the proper clearence.

And yes, while it is for a Chrysler, I have found that it is just as applicable to a GM.