Carburator - Build or Buy?

[stevegintn]

Well, my celebration of my running '62 Bird was short-lived - went out to start her again this morning, and she fires, sputters, then severe backfires (actually does a small fire in the carb - scary!).

So looks like I am in the market for a new carb - should I get a (re)built, or just buy a new one?

If rebuilt, who does it anymore?

[bbogue]

You might inquire about a rebuilder here

http://www.network54.com/Forum/88781

Ed Jenkins knows old Holleys and Autolites backwards and forward. Helluva nice guy too.

Good luck.

Bill

[jrfjr]

Hi,

It could be a couple of relatively simple things that you might be able to solve without a complete carb rebuild:
1. Is the timing correct? That could cause a backfire like you describe;
2. If the floats are not correctly adjusted, or the float valves are shot, gas could dribble down the inside of the carb (and maybe on the outside of the carb body as well), and cause it to spit and backfire. This is more likely if the car has been sitting a long time.

Fixing either of these problems is not difficult, but if you don't have a lot of experience, you might want to enlist a more knowledgeable friend's help.

GL, and be careful!

Jim

[ICON 1956]

I'm adding my 2 cents worth we have a member gyougwolf "carbmeister" I think he does carbs he might be the one to contact on your carb problem.

[stevegintn]

Thanks, Guys! - and yes, I knew about the timing being possibly off, and have not gotten that far into troubleshooting.

Btw, I forgot to mention, the choke plate is 'frozen' (stuck) in the full-open position.

So I am leaning toward just replacing it - eBay has a slew of new 4B carbs they *say* will fit my '62 390 - Holley, Edelbrock, Autolite, etc.

If I buy new, it will have to be a *perfect match* (for linkage, choke tube, etc.). My factory manual says it has a model "C2SE-910-C" (for automatic trans). I have not looked for a nameplate on it, but does anyone know what brand the FACTORY carb is? - is there one of the commercial brands that will fit EXACTLY?

[Cliff Rankin]

I keep putting off replacing mine. But
Wilson's catalog shows a new replacement
Holly. I think I would Look at that route
Before others.

[GeoffInCarlsbad]

I'll qualify myself as NOT a carb expert, or an expert mechanic, but I dove in with my shop manual, and was able to do a rebuild myself. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be, and it was a lot of fun. My 61 is teaching me all kinds of things, and she is running better than she has in 20 years I bet!

Also, I don't know what area you live, but around Southern California, there a plenty of carb experts and mechanics around. I suspect where ever you are, there are folks who can help you or do a rebuild for you. It can be done for about $100 + parts or so.
Hot Rod joints are everywhere.

The Choke Plate being stuck open is certainly a problem. Is there something in there that is stopping it? Perhaps the Fast Idle Cam assembly or something on or around the choke plate shaft or automatic choke assembly? There really isn't much there so it should rotate, so something just might be holding it back. This being stuck open is not going to let the motor start and run well at when the motor is cold.

You might want to remove the Automatic Choke Housing Cover and see if something is causing it to stick in there. The spring may be broken or stuck.

The Fast Idle Cam is attached to the shaft and maybe it's getting held up there somehow; something preventing it from rotating?

A previous reply on here gave you a good set of troubleshooting ideas that may help, so that's really a good place to start if you don't want to spend the dough on a new carb. So if you like to do it yourself...that's where I would start.

You also may want to check for any fuel leaks, and see if the carb is even sealing to the intake or the PCV (if you have a PCV on there). The gaskets may be no good.

As for the Factory unit: Autolite 4100 C1AE-9510-AH I think was standard on the 61's. Not sure about the subsequent years. I think the Edelbrock and Holley 4Bs fit, as many folks on these forums have switched to those brands.

Good luck!

[tbird]

You can not buy a new Autolite carb those were made by or for Ford the number on it says that it is for a 1962 Thunderbird. If you change to a different carb than the Autolite the linkage will require alterations.

[60fore]

There are a number of Autolite carb restorers on eBay; here is one just as an example:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Autolite-4 ... y5&vxp=mtr

If you don't want to mess with modifying your linkage, fuel supply line, and choke hot air line this is the way to go.

To find the part number of the carb you have, look on the front left foot; the number will be stamped there. Original '62 T-Bird carbs carried the numbers C2SF-A or C2SF-B

It's amazing what a good restorer can do with an old carb; here is how my '64's turned out:

[stevegintn]

OK, many thanks again, Guys! - I see the rebuilder on ebay - there's also a rebuilt one for sale that might work?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1964-Ford-352-V ... sZ&vxp=mtr

What do you think?

I'm going out to check the serial number on mine (soon as it gets above freezing )

[stevegintn]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1964-Ford-352-V ... sZ&vxp=mtr

[stevegintn]

Here's another one

[stevegintn]

Here's another rebuilt replacement:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221950178917?it ... m=&vxp=mtr

[60fore]

You definitely don't want that last one - it's a Holley carb, not an Autolite.

The previous two you posted links to will fit, but their part numbers indicate they were originally installed on a "64 full size Ford - probably a Galaxie.

Best to check the numbers on what you have, report back here and I'll be able to tell what year/car it's for.

[GeoffInCarlsbad]

Wow, for $200 plus shipping, the restorer looks like the way to go!