Carburetor Alternatives???

[Doc Pepper]

I just overhauled my little 1100 carb. It started with a decrease in economy. But then last week it faltered twice, so I thought it was time to go through it. I first did an emergency repair and then, this morning, I went completely through it. It was actually pretty clean, but it never hurts to keep it near perfect.
However, the reason for this post is that I am looking for alternatives to my little 1100. I have been researching the Holley 1bbl (the 1904), the Weber 32/34, and the Carter YF. If you have any experience with any of these carbs, I would appreciate your input.
On the side, a local carburetor repair shop said they could give me fuel injection for only $6,500.

Doc

[ras4434]

I had an autolite one barrel for 20 years with my original 65. After a long process of multiple rebuilds and problems I moved to a carter Y and it never had a problem or stumble. When I sold the truck it only had 649,000 miles and going strong.

[bobenhotep]

I am a fan of the YF. They can't be too bad of a carb if they were a stock carb on fords, chevrolets, jeeps, various AMC products, and military vehicles as well (they were the related YS series). It is an easy carb to tinker with, and has a metering rod that is controlled by throttle position as well as vacuum. This makes for decent fuel economy, as well as good throttle response. You can still get rebuild kits for them as well.

manual choke yf. I used 1970 f100 with a 300 to find it in the computer. The earlier years have autolite carbs. You will probably have to order it at the counter, or you can get it shipped to you. 225.00 is a pretty good price for one, and it should be a direct bolt on, unless you have a hot air choke or something like that.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detai ... &ppt=C0359

[slick4x4]

My latest build has a propane carb
I think it's going to work good
No road time yet... But it sure seems to be smooth & responsive

I also have another setup that bolts on top of a one bbl gas carb
Might put that on another if I'm happy with this one

Propane is not for everybody
But I have the room & tank to buy it in bulk (500 gallon)
And fill myself
Even with an estimated 8 mpg with the 390
Should still be able to go 250 miles +

[bobenhotep]

I will have to take a look at that propane setup in August.

Dan

[ThinLizzy13]

I'm in the Carter camp too. I happened to find one on evil bay for 40 bucks.

[Doc Pepper]

A question for the YF users:
Have any of you ever rebuilt or overhauled your carb? I have been checking into the YF's, but it seems that they are also becoming rarer and harder to find, and more expensive. But, if I got one, how likely could I get a repair kit for it?
One of my fears is that, as soon as I choose and purchase a carburetor, neither it nor a kit will any longer be available.
I visited Mike's carburetor shop, supposedly one of the world's largest carburetor centers left (or at least one of the most advertised on the Internet), and he is out of YF's.
And I guess, from the current responses, that no one has tried a Weber, or a Holley 1bbl.

[ThinLizzy13]

You shouldn't have any issue finding a rebuild kit. I know rock auto carries them, and I'm 99% sure they can be gotten through the chain stores (o'reilly, advance, autozone, etc;)

[Leeroy]

One of my fears is that, as soon as I choose and purchase a carburetor, neither it nor a kit will any longer be available.

That really annoying when that happens, but if it worries you that much you could always buy a kit (or 2) now, that way you've got it if/when you ever need it. If you sell the slick or ditch the carb, you can put the kits on fleabay and hopefully there won't be any left and you can double you money on them!

[Alan Mclennan]

My latest build has a propane carb
I think it's going to work good
No road time yet... But it sure seems to be smooth & responsive

I also have another setup that bolts on top of a one bbl gas carb
Might put that on another if I'm happy with this one

Propane is not for everybody
But I have the room & tank to buy it in bulk (500 gallon)
And fill myself
Even with an estimated 8 mpg with the 390
Should still be able to go 250 miles +

mines got a 200 litre tank and runs throttle bodies..

[Leeroy]

I also have another setup that bolts on top of a one bbl gas carb
Might put that on another if I'm happy with this one

I have done that very setup on 1,2 and 4bbl cars. It does work and it means you can keep both petrol and propane but there is compromise doing that. Propane (or LPG as it's known here) likes lots of initial advance timing, and not so much advance! LPG here is 100octane from memory. So running on petrol becomes a bit ordinary because they knock easily once it's setup for propane. It's definitely drivable, but it gets annoying if it's under load.

I was waiting for Alan to chime in, now he has (and with pretty pictures) just do it the way he has and you never have to worry about it. It works great, and has no timing issues. The only downside I can see with it, initial cost and if you run out of propane/lpg, they're a bit hard to 'top up' on the side of the road!
I've seen some guys leave a port next to their tank so they can hook up the bbq bottle to get them to the nearest fill station!

[slick4x4]

The truck I just built is propane only also
Sure seems to start extremely easy
Not sure what the story will be when it's cold (gets down below zero here ocasionaliy)
It does have electric "choke" .. (Let's vapor bleed by)

The other set up that was on top of carb
The gas carb wasn't even Hooked up to a fuel line....
I will probably just gut a gas carb & use strictly for a propane setup

[Doc Pepper]

Well, it failed again. It stranded me at a major intersection, right at the stop bar. After 2 cycles of the signal in which I could not get it to start (carb was completely dry inside), I pushed it 500 feet into a quick stop parking lot. After 15 minutes of trying to recapture my breath, I tried it again and it simply started. And it ran beautifully. So I continued on my way to the supermarket for my groceries. As I entered the supermarket parking lot, it failed again; this time it flooded. So I removed the upper half of the carburetor and checked the float valve. It seemed to be unable to completely shut off, so I replaced the valve with a spare in my tool box. Again, she ran OK until I got it home. I them remembered that the last time I faced this same series of problems, the fuel pump was bad.
So I rode my bicycle 6 miles to the nearest parts store for a new fuel pump.
When I removed the line from the carburetor, I noticed very little fuel in the line (a good indication of a failed fuel pump). I also noticed that there was no "spray" of fuel when I removed that line (another good indication).
I installed the new fuel pump and she started right up and ran smoothly. I then opened up my driveway gate to take it on a test drive. And she failed just on the street side of the gate. I couldn't push it back into the yard so I worked on it right there.
I found an empty pickle jar and place the fuel line into the jar. I cranked the engine via a screwdriver and the starter relay; no fuel. I thought "I don't believe this. A brand new fuel pump bad out of the box!" I then thought it might be a good idea to check the line from the gas tank to the pump; that it might be clogged. As I went to remove the line from the pump, I noticed that I had never reconnected it to the new pump. So I reconnected the line and she started.
I just finished a 20 mile test drive and she ran great, although, for some reason, it looks like I will have to readjust slightly the carburetor settings.
Can a different fuel pump cause a carburetor to perform differently.
Just to finish a very long day of stress and activity, and to make sure that this 63 year old body croaks from a heart attack, I ended the day with a 2 mile walk in the desert with the coyote.

[slick4x4]

" Can a different fuel pump cause a carburetor to perform differently. "



Yes...
I replaced a pump & The truck seemed much more peppy
The old one must have been giving just enough to run ok

[chris401]

So far Daytona Carbs in Florida has had kits for the carbs I have tackled. They don't rebuild anymore, they refer rebuild jobs out. They sell parts also.

[Doc Pepper]

Well, it failed again. It sputtered like it was flooding. This time, right as I pulled into my driveway. I was too exhausted to work on it that night, so I waited until the next morning. The first thing I did was to remove the fuel line from the gas tank at the fuel pump. Gasoline flowed freely and rapidly (I lost at least a cup of fuel in the instant that I had the line off). I then disconnected the fuel line right at the carburetor. There was no squirting of gasoline (it did sit for 10 hours), but there was plenty of fuel in the line. I suspected that the fuel in the bowl evaporated overnight and, as the float dropped, the bowl was refueled with what was in the line.
I removed the top half of the carburetor and noticed that the fuel level in the bowl was perfect, and that the piece I took off was in excellent shape. The float valve moved very freely, stopped all fuel when closed, and allowed fuel to flow very well when opened.
I was at a loss as to why the engine sputtered. But then I remembered that the condenser in my new distributor had failed twice since I installed it about a year ago. And I thought that it might be the culprit. But instead of replacing the condenser, I decided to try replacing the ignition coil, thinking that it is what caused the condensers to fail.
Since I replaced the coil, the truck has been running fine. But since the recent failures had occurred indiscriminately over a week, I am fairly sure that I haven't yet found the problem.
I do have a spare condenser in my tool box, so if the problem arises again, I will first check the outside of the carburetor for wet fuel. And if there isn't any, I will replace the condenser.
After that, I am scratching in the dark. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Doc

One special note: The original problem was the fuel pump (the carb was dry). But I had rebuilt the carb, suspecting it was the problem. When the fuel pump finally died and I replaced it, some dirt or gunk might have gotten into the rebuilt carb, causing it to fail again. The next time I replace a fuel pump, I think I will overhaul the carb as a precaution.

[longcabjohn]

How soft are rubber fuel hoses? I have seen them suck together and cut off fuel.



Johnny

[Toyz]

" Can a different fuel pump cause a carburetor to perform differently. "



Yes...
I replaced a pump & The truck seemed much more peppy
The old one must have been giving just enough to run ok

Yep, quite often the new pump pressure will be higher than or at the high end of recommended pressures, requiring idle adjustments.
Paul

[Toyz]

I also have another setup that bolts on top of a one bbl gas carb
Might put that on another if I'm happy with this one

I have done that very setup on 1,2 and 4bbl cars. It does work and it means you can keep both petrol and propane but there is compromise doing that. Propane (or LPG as it's known here) likes lots of initial advance timing, and not so much advance! LPG here is 100octane from memory. So running on petrol becomes a bit ordinary because they knock easily once it's setup for propane. It's definitely drivable, but it gets annoying if it's under load.

I was waiting for Alan to chime in, now he has (and with pretty pictures) just do it the way he has and you never have to worry about it. It works great, and has no timing issues. The only downside I can see with it, initial cost and if you run out of propane/lpg, they're a bit hard to 'top up' on the side of the road!
I've seen some guys leave a port next to their tank so they can hook up the bbq bottle to get them to the nearest fill station!

Long ago when propane was popular (ours seemed to be about the equivalent of around 108/110 octane); I would set up the dual fuels with a DuraSpark ignition. By using a switch attached to the white wire from starter relay to the DS box, one could flip the switch and retard the timing enough to run well on premium, if not regular. Centrifugal and vacuum advance usually required no change from stock; although on the dedicated propane systems, I usually brought full advance in considerably earlier than with gasoline. Before the days of E85; I played around with a piggy-backed fuel/ spark controller while using propane on an factory injected system with good results. Consideration of the concerns associated with propane in a hatchback vehicle, and Texas's requirement to recoup their tax loss from use of non-taxed fuels made this another aborted project once E85 became available. Propane is still probably the most "engine-friendly" fuel around; teardowns on engines with 100 to 200 thousand miles were astonishing due to cleanliness and lack of visible wear.
Paul

[ICEMAN6166]

propane is seriously affected by volume in the tank and outside temp
very familiar with this issue in the far north regions i used to live in
a 1\2 full barbecue tank (2.5 gallons) is fairly useless at -20F, bring it inside for an hour or so at +70 and it works fine.
bigger tanks like a 100 lb (25 gallons) are not so bad until they get near the bottom
when you get below -40F the real problems start regardless of volume
so if your expecting real cold weather, fill up.