1946 Buick Super Model 51

[Robuick46]

the terminal cap clip is incorrectly mounted

[rodneybeauchamp]

Doing great work and nice to find a few problems along the way that you can fix. Mikes Carburettor Parts has a website with the original Carter Carburettor Manuals that you can download and print off to make it easier if you don’t have a guide. 
 

Jon at Carburettor King also has some great technical articles that are worth studying too!

 

I only rebuilt mine three times but enjoyed each experience. I was replacing the original Marvel carburettor with a Carter from a ‘47 Buick and it worked well. With the original it was hit and miss whether it would start however the Carter was reliable.

 

And you can see some of the fun I had under the Pre-War Buick forum here.

 

 

Enjoy!

Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀

 

 

Edited June 22 by rodneybeauchamp
Extra details and correction and added a link (see edit history)

[Robuick46]

On 6/22/2024 at 9:54 AM, rodneybeauchamp said:

Doing great work and nice to find a few problems along the way that you can fix. Mikes Carburettor Parts has a website with the original Carter Carburettor Manuals that you can download and print off to make it easier if you don’t have a guide. 
 

Jon at Carburettor King also has some great technical articles that are worth studying too!

 

I only rebuilt mine three times but enjoyed each experience. I was replacing the original Marvel carburettor with a Carter from a ‘47 Buick and it worked well. With the original it was hit and miss whether it would start however the Carter was reliable.

 

And you can see some of the fun I had under the Pre-War Buick forum here.

 

 

Enjoy!

Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀

 

 

 

Thank you for your appreciation and your help.
That applies to all of you.

[Robuick46]

 

I disassembled the two throttles, three screws went out without any problems, one of them broke off although I was careful.
New mission, drill out the old screw and cut a new thread. Since I have not found a suitable screw on the Internet, I will mount a M2.5mm screw that has the same core hole diameter.
But that has to wait until later, until I got all the parts.

 

...cleaning, brushwheel and polishing.

 

Despite multiple oiling and heating the throttle shaft arm screw did not get opened. I had the fear that something could break, so I finally did not remove the throttle shaft.

[Robuick46]

...already looks much better.

Edited June 27 by Robuick46 (see edit history)

[Andrew_Latvia]

Thanks for a very detailed photos of your carburetor!👍

[Robuick46]

Edited July 11 by Robuick46 (see edit history)

[Robuick46]

The parts look good after getting some affection. I painted all the metal parts with rust converter.

 

 

Edited July 11 by Robuick46 (see edit history)

[Robuick46]

The cover of the fuel filter housing has been damaged by a previous owner, it has been pressed in on one side and thus got a crack. I closed the crack with 2k liquid metal and reworked the outside with the file and inside with the Dremel. I made a new cork seal.

Edited July 11 by Robuick46 (see edit history)

[Robuick46]

Sometimes you have to be lucky. When drilling out the broken screw, it started to loosen and I was able to remove it without problems. So I decided to order the suitable (3-48 UNC x 1/4) screws.

Photo in the middle: The difference between the new and the old idle adjusting springs. The inner diameter of the old springs fits better and the surfaces at the ends are smooth ground and lie better on the screws.

...installed the new screw.

 

Edited July 11 by Robuick46 (see edit history)

[neil morse]

Your work is impeccable!  Very nice!

[Robuick46]

...installed and tested, I checked the switching angle and it "looks" good (I naturally measured it)

Edited July 16 by Robuick46 (see edit history)

[Robuick46]

Installed the low speed jets, both jets were bent and I straightened them again.

[Robuick46]

The difference between the old and the new accelerator pump. I chose the set from Daytona Parts Co., because the improved sealing system of the float chamber sounded good. I got the whole set via E-Bay and with low shipping costs. I was in contact with the CarbKing, but the shipping costs were unfortunately very expensive (I had already mentioned the high shipping costs from the USA to Germany). The e-bay dealers somehow regulate this via Chinese forwarders.

I hope that the quality still fits and I do not regret the decision later.

I made a aluminium tube to install the intake ball jet...

[Robuick46]

Installed the accelerator pump assembly, the air horn gasket and the pump jets.

Edited July 16 by Robuick46 (see edit history)

[Robuick46]

Installed the gas strainer and cut the thread.

[Robuick46]

Float level adjustment.

The valve came with three seals. With three seals, the float was too high and with two seals too low. I then pressed a seal in the vice (with smooth jaws).
After that the distance was right.

Edited July 16 by Robuick46 (see edit history)

[Robuick46]

For the pump discharge relief I installed an M8 screw (the original screw was missing) which has almost the same diameter and pitch of the thread. Due to the short thread, the small difference in pitch does not apply.

I later discovered in the workshop manual that this screw is a check valve.
I simply have to test the whole thing to see what effect it has on the function if the overpressure of the accelerator piston cannot be reduced. I have written to the CarbKing because he has the check valve as a spare part, but I have not yet received an answer from him.

[Robuick46]

Installed the vaccum piston and the metering rods. I temporarily installed the dust cover

Edited July 16 by Robuick46 (see edit history)

[sebastienbuick]

Very good job !  

[rodneybeauchamp]

7 hours ago, Robuick46 said:

Installed the vaccum piston and the metering rods. I temporarily installed the dust cover

Hi Robert,

 

Not sure if a new pivot shaft for the float comes in the kit, however I used the smooth end of a 1/8” drill bit and cut it to length. My old one had worn enough to cause me to replace it!

You are doing great work, and the photo details are priceless!

 

And on mine, the starter switch with the large ball bearing used shims (on the plunger I think) as an aid to proper adjustment.

 

Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀

[Robuick46]

On 7/17/2024 at 2:13 AM, rodneybeauchamp said:

Hi Robert,

 

Not sure if a new pivot shaft for the float comes in the kit, however I used the smooth end of a 1/8” drill bit and cut it to length. My old one had worn enough to cause me to replace it!

You are doing great work, and the photo details are priceless!

 

And on mine, the starter switch with the large ball bearing used shims (on the plunger I think) as an aid to proper adjustment.

 

Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀

Thank you for your feedback and your appreciation.

 

There is no new pivot shaft in my kit.
I did not have the impression that the shaft is worn out, but taking a drill as a replacement shaft is an excellent idea.

 

The switching point is okay so far, but I’m grateful for every tip. The big advantage of this system is that the switch can be easily and quickly removed to adjust the settings.

 

I guess you mean those shims.

Edited July 20 by Robuick46 (see edit history)

[Robuick46]

Installed the air horn assembly with the choke shaft, choke valve, choke piston, baffle plate, gasket and housing.

To be able to see the setting of the choke better, I have marked the indicator mark on the housing with a white marker.

[Robuick46]

Installed the air horn and both rods.

[Robuick46]

...and again for comparison, old and new.

...now the carburetor has to be adjusted.

Edited July 20 by Robuick46 (see edit history)

[Robuick46]

Pump adjustment. (the path of the accelerator pump is adjusted until the piston touches the bottom of the bore without the spring being pressed on the accelerator pump itself)

Setting the accelerator pump was not as easy as I thought. In the pattern the path of 21/64" was given, which corresponds to 8.3mm. At 21/64", the connector rod has ground on the housing and bent away.
I had to compromise with the distance and also install the throttle connector rod retainer because it corrected the position of the connector rod positively.

Edited July 21 by Robuick46 (see edit history)

[Robuick46]

Fast idle settings.

I made my own measuring wire to carry out the further settings. I pressed the throttle valve closed and adjusted the clearance on the idle cam 0.01" (K).

Because the cam can wobble on the shaft, this is not a precise setting. I think it is actually about the fact that the throttle valve can close completely mechanically.

 

......I turned the fast idle adjustment screw in until the measuring wire (0,012") could be moved easily.

The presets are now finished.

Edited July 21 by Robuick46 (see edit history)

[Robuick46]

Because the carburetor is already disassembled and I have seen that the gaskets on the intake- and exhaust manifold are already damaged, I decided to replace the gaskets.
And what do you do logically?
Exactly, the intake- and exhaust manifold also needs to rebuild. Here, too, someone has tinkered with it all these years.

 

There were no Intake Manifold Pilot rings installed during assembly, so the gaskets shifted and the inlet diameter was reduced.

 

Edited July 21 by Robuick46 (see edit history)

[Robuick46]

...disassembly

 

Something that unfortunately happens when the parts are rusted and have not been disassembled for a long time (although I sprayed all screws several times with rust remover and also heated before disassembly)

 

How do you loosen the rusted screws and fittings? Please tell me about your experiences.

This threaded bolt is torn off and on the right picture the housing is broken off at the thread.

 

Nevertheless, everything has to be cleaned.
I used a wire wheel with the drill.

Edited July 21 by Robuick46 (see edit history)

[neil morse]

I have had good luck with using a 50-50 mixture of ATF (automatic transmission fluid) and acetone to soak rusty fasteners to loosen them up.

 

Also, while you have everything apart, I would recommend that you replace those remaining core plugs.  I see that you have one new one and the other two are old.  The older ones will eventually corrode and start to leak, and since the corrosion is on the inside, they will look fine until all of a sudden they are a mess.  I know this because that's what happened on my car.  And they are impossible to reach once you put the manifolds back on.

[Robuick46]

17 hours ago, neil morse said:

I have had good luck with using a 50-50 mixture of ATF (automatic transmission fluid) and acetone to soak rusty fasteners to loosen them up.

 

Also, while you have everything apart, I would recommend that you replace those remaining core plugs.  I see that you have one new one and the other two are old.  The older ones will eventually corrode and start to leak, and since the corrosion is on the inside, they will look fine until all of a sudden they are a mess.  I know this because that's what happened on my car.  And they are impossible to reach once you put the manifolds back on.

Thank you for the tip, I will try the 50/50 mixture on the remaining rusted screws. I have to order some spare parts anyway, then the freeze plugs will come right on the shopping list.

[rodneybeauchamp]

Had success using a Left Handed drill. Otherwise welding a nut to what is left of the stud will give you spanner purchase and the heat will also help. Lots of discussions and videos on this forum that are worth a look for this and future challenges!

Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

[Robuick46]

Now the model name is correct, that was long overdue.

[Robuick46]

...the flatness looks good and I have built a wooden bracket for better handling.

 

I have chosen the colour of POR15, which has a branch in Germany (and they have an engine enamel color set with the Buick Turquoise shade)
Step 1: Clean and degrease...

 

Step 2 - Pretreat the metal (looks worse than before) 😉

 

Step 3 - Rustconverter primer

 

Step 4 - Apply enamel paint, I tried it with the foam brushes supplied and with normal brushes.
I find the processing difficult, because on one side you have to apply enough paint to achieve a good result and on the other side there is a danger that the color will run down.

 

At first I had the impression that POR15 is quite expensive.
But during the processing you quickly notice how little paint you need and how much is left at the end.
Three thumbs up.

 

 

[Robuick46]

...I have removed the remaining screws, studs and the old gaskets. With a chisel I removed the remaining residues including the old paint.

@Neil - luckily I searched the previous owner’s boxes again and found the remaining freeze plugs.

Edited August 3 by Robuick46 (see edit history)

[Robuick46]

The 50/50 mixture did not work, unfortunately. The studs have been too strongly rusted. Before something breaks, I prefer to drill out the studs and cut the threads again.

[Robuick46]

I sprayed the special washer and the other parts with temperature-resistant paint.

Edited August 3 by Robuick46 (see edit history)

[sebastienbuick]

Very very good job !!  

[Robuick46]

With the help of a friend we fixed the thermostat housing. The screws were glued in with Loctite.

Edited August 4 by Robuick46 (see edit history)

[Robuick46]

Exhaust manifold is now painted with POR15 High Temp.