NEW PROBLEM(S):

[Stewart G Griffin]

1) i discovered that the airhorn bolts, as well as the vaccuum break cannister and idle stop solenoid are all T-25.  The very small bolt that secures the secondary metering rods, i had to cheat and use a vice-grip pliers on.  i will purchase the appropriate bit during re-assembly.

2) Some of the parts are green.  Why is this?  Are they metal and safe to use carb cleaner on?



3) i went to best buy to get some compressed air cans, but discovered that there is some sort of gas in them---it's not just compressed air.  Given that carb cleaner is volatile, i did not want to take any chances.  Any other solutions?  Can i just let the carb and parts air dry after using carb cleaner on them?  i may be able to borrow a compressor.

[VileZambonie]

It's inert gas. You can use it. You can clean your parts with carb cleaner

[Stewart G Griffin]

You're absolutely sure about this?  There won't be an explosion?  Just want to make sure.

[eventhorizon66]

LOL.  Explosions make auto repair entertaining.  What, afraid you'll get your eyebrows singed.

[Irish_Alley]

carb cleaner is very flammable and so is gas but the two togeather doesn't make a deadly cocktail unless you drink it

[smitty77]

Just spray it with the carb cleaner and let air dry.  Probably take 10 minutes at most, but I'm betting after 5 most traces will have evaporated.  FYI, compressor air isn't all that pure.  And as a suggestion, see if you can get yourself a portable air tank for $30 at Harbor Freight or something.  Wal-mart may even carry them,  Have your buddy fill it and you'll be good to go for a while.
Link here: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=41712

[Stewart G Griffin]

Not to be a pest, but the parts aren't drying real fast;  It's been about 2 hours and they're still wet.  Also, the canned air does not seem to be working real good.  It's safe and all but it just seems to be blowing the carb cleaner around---not drying it.

Should i just wait longer?

[Irish_Alley]

the carb cleaner will dry out but if you have a puddle of it it will just take longer to evaporate

[smitty77]

Not to be a pest, but the parts aren't drying real fast;  It's been about 2 hours and they're still wet.  Also, the canned air does not seem to be working real good.  It's safe and all but it just seems to be blowing the carb cleaner around---not drying it.

Should i just wait longer?

Sorry about that.  I just remembered - last time I used the stuff was outside on a warm day.  It evaporates quick in those conditions.  A puddle will take longer to dry on the shop bench.  If you want to move it along shake off as much excess as possible and put a fan next to it to move the air.  Or even better a quartz heater set on low to move some warm air over it.

Nothing like a freshly rebuilt carb.  I had a Chevelle that needed to be primed each time you started it and ran like crap.  Then my dad rebuilt it and tuned it - boy what a difference!

Edited to add:  That canned air is cold stuff, and if you spray too long and too hard it will actually freeze the surface.  Ever do the upside-down-can-squirt on a coworker?

[Irish_Alley]

lol freezer burn

[eventhorizon66]

The greasy, oily parts are gonna need some encouragement.  After spraying them down I'd suggest attcking them with an old toothbrush, but not, for example, a stainless bristle brush (as it would remove the finish).  Then spray 'em down again with the carb cleaner.  And as others have mentioned the temp affects how quickly the cleaner evaporates, don't worry so much about this.

I wouldn't stress out about every little thing, just in get in there, use your best judgment, and have a blast.  Make mental notes (or better yet a diagrams) along the way of how everything was oriented/attached before removing it.  Also, it helps to bag and tag fasteners and small parts.  Being methodical really pays off on jobs like this.  A good reference is key as well.  I assume from your previous posts you are using Doug Roe's book.  If so, good choice.  Good Luck.

[Stewart G Griffin]

1) the fan idea seems to be working good.

2) i'm using 3 books---Doug Roe's,  Ruggle's and Haynes'es.  All three are informative, but not nessesarily written in a way that a person with no carburetor experience, like me, can easily understand.  Also, all three have conflicting information not only with each other, but in certain circumstances with themselves!   Also, i feel, that none of them are complete and in-depth enough for someone with no experience.  And this is speaking from an unbiased view---i'm usually an anal person, but in this case i'm being unbiased.   i will probably go into deeper detail concerning all three books(and in car books in general) when this problem is taken care of.

3)  Anyways, moving on i discovered, upon further examination---perhaps i didn't have enough light before, that this is a dirty dude:



There was all kinds of crap in there, even dog/cat or human hair----i have no idea how it got in there.  i also gently scratched away with the screwdriver so we can get an idea of what's going on in there;  It looks like the type of desert that has orangish sand---i.e., sahara?

4) The next problem is that when i took the airhorn off, the outer, larger "air tubes" apparently fell off and were just laying in the "auxiliary fuel chambers" in the exact positions as depicted in this picture:  Note that these are not the actual tubes, they are nails---i gently tapped the tubes back into the airhorn with a hammer, perhaps a little prematurely as after i put them in,  i did more reading and it is recommended to use locktite on them before reinstalling them.  i'm not sure i want to try to take them out for fear of bending or damaging them.



a) what are these "auxiliary fuel wells/chambers" for?

b) what are the tubes for?

[eventhorizon66]

a) The small chambers ("wells" is the proper term, I believe), on either side of the main well, feed the secondary enrichment circuit.  They are fed with tiny little holes that connect them to the main well (at about the height of your letters "b" and "e" in the second pic).

b) The tubes draw fuel from these wells and on to small discharge holes above the secondary air valve (refer to the pic at the top of page 52 in Roe's book).

[Stewart G Griffin]

Next question:

The rebuild kit came with a seat with 2 large "windows" on the sides.  The seat that i removed (and i'm assuming this is the stock setup) was solid with no holes/windows on the sides.

What is your opinion (if any) concerning both?  Cliff says no difference except the solid has and advantage with drainback----if the car/truck sits a while between uses.  No big deal to me as i have always had to crank/pump alot if i didn't drive the truck for a days/weeks.

[eventhorizon66]

Are there any differences between the stock float needle and the one you got in the rebuild kit?  It seems that the window style simply allows fuel to exit at the windows rather than working it's way up past the needle body.  Just a slight design tweak.  When you buy a high-performance rebuild kit from Cliff's he uses the "window" style seat.  So my guess is that it's OK.