Hudson 1930 Super 8 (Great 8 ) Marvel carburetor

[carbking]

Well, today I added another straw to the already large straw stack of issues with Marvel carburetors.

 

I had a conversation last week with a prospective customer that wanted a rebuilding kit for a 1930 Hudson Great 8 with a Marvel 10-783 carburetor. I checked my database where I have entered the information from about 8 different "Marvel Service Manual Data Book & Parts List" printed from about 1913 to 1938. The 10-783 number is NOT included in ANY of these books in the automobile section where data sheets for each carburetor are printed. I told the customer that I would research over the weekend to see if I had missed anything, and asked him to please check the number as "5", "6", and "8" can look similar, especially the size of those Marvel stamped in the bottom of the carburetor.

 

Well, I found nothing. He called today, and stated that he had not one, but two of these things. During the discussion, I checked my inventory, and found an entry Marvel 10-783, application unknown. I told him I would pull the carb and research more. So I pulled the carburetor from my inventory, and it looked identical to the 10-776 listed in the Marvel book PRINTED IN 1938 (also in 1931). I remembered the "How to Overhaul a Marvel Carburetor" booklet that was printed in 1934 had a chart of most Marvel carburetors. I pulled that book, and am almost at a loss for words. THE 10-783 WAS LISTED FOR 1930 HUDSON GREAT 8, BUT THE 10-776 WAS NOT LISTED. I then spent a couple of hours comparing the part numbers of the calibrated parts from the Parts Book for the 10-776 to the listed parts in the summary book. They match exactly. I also checked every other carburetor in the chart, and none had the same combination of calibrated parts.

 

I have posted before that Marvel would list a part number for the carburetor and a different part number for the carburetor and heat riser sold together. It was "pot luck" which of these numbers might be stamped on the bottom of the carb (I have seen both for given carburetors); but this is the first time I have seen a number not in the Master book stamped on the carburetor.

 

Oh, and to compound the confusion, Marvel produced a "Model E" carb up through about 1921. This carburetor is a "Model VH", but guess what is cast on the bowl cover? You guessed it! "Type E". The type E has to do with the economizer circuit in the carb, not the model; but to many the words "model" and "type" are interchangeable on carburetors.

 

So, in summary:

 

1930 Hudson Great 8 (a.k.a. Super 8 in some literature):

 

10-776 (carburetor only) Hudson Marvel parts listing - several different printings

10-777 (carburetor and riser assembly) Hudson Marvel parts listing - several different printings

10-783 (carburetor AND verified stamped on the carburetor) Marvel Summary listing - 1934 printing

 

To those who may have, in the past, called and asked about this carburetor, whom I may have told that I had no record, my apologies. I learned long ago not to say the carburetor didn't exist!

 

Oh, and if the above were not enough, Marvel, in their infinite wisdom, used two different float and fuel valve arrangements in this carburetor, which are not individually interchangeable; ONLY if both the float and fuel valve are kept as a unit. Thus the prospective customer has to disassemble the carburetor to determine the fuel valve style before placing his/her order!

 

Jon.

 

 

[Guest]

Great to read more of your "Marvels".  I have missed seeing posts from you for a while.  Marvel may be the worst but it is amazing how many companies devise a perfectly logical numbering system and the don't follow it.

[60FlatTop]

Here is a '32 Greater Eight that came to me, back a while, with a laundry list of items including fuel issues.

It is a close coupled sedan, maybe two of them left.

 

I didn't have to work on the carb directly. I did remove the fuel pressure regulator between the vacuum tank and the carb.  Sometimes you wonder where these marvelous ideas come from.

Bernie