I have a '55 Oldsmobile with the original 4GC carb that i believe is unfortunately taking a dive, i've been doing my research on replacements and am suffering from a serious case of sticker shock, especially because i plan on eventually upgrading to a 3x2 or 2x4 setup. My question is, is there an other, cheaper, carburetor that i can just replace it with for the time being, something that will bolt right in, or do i need to spend the bookoo bucks to get another 4GC?
By '55, Olds had gone to the larger bolt pattern that is the same as all of the Chevy 283-327 4GCs. What's actually wrong with it? I've rebuilt countless 4GCs over the years, and never had a problem with them.
Yeah, get the manual, invest $20 in a kit, and just go slowly and keep the parts laid out in order--it is not as intimidating as it might seem. The easiest parts to get confused on are actually the external linkages--make a good sketch of each one and its position. You won't need much more than a screwdriver for this.
What Bruce said. Picture it as being a model car you are building. If you need parts let me know. I have about 5 of these things I keep for parts of whatever. I'm near Sacramento so I'm not too far from you. Travis
Just like Bruce said. Just like Travis said. Get repair kit for that 4GC, screwdriver, and arrange some time. Rebuilding carburetor more simple than you tought. I quess you'll find pic of that old faithful Rochester from always so helpful (now that sentence sounded poetic!) www.tocmp.com so it's easy to check which part goes where...
I'm not quite sure what the problem is, no matter what adjustments i make to the idle or what not it always seems to run ****ty again a few days later. I don't don't know carburetors anymore then i know interplanetary physics, so when i started having problem i took it to my trusted mechanic in the area and he told me that the thing was slowly going out on me, and the easiest thing would be to just replace it. But thats just what he thought, and im sure it was fueled in some form by dollar signs.
I got a 4Jet on my caddy and it's a pretty good carb. Easy to work on, and I'm definitely not a carb wizard. Give it a shot, you'll surprise yourself.
i'm not the most experienced person on here but i agree with everyone else, just get a rebuild kit and go through it without any distractions and you'll be fine and it's a lot cheaper than your alternatives
I'll join the rebuild it gang. Might check the local library for a carb rebuild book by Doug Roe. If you have got a digital camera, a few close-ups before dis***embly would be helpful when you are doing the re***mebly. Pete
One thing that'll kill you on those old Rochesters is a bad float. You might wanna check that out, especially the later style foam floats. They'll go bad and drive you nuts.
Your carb should have a br*** float so unless it feels heavy and you can hear gas when you shake it I doubt that's your problem. These were some of the sweetest carbs ever built and if done correctly they will almost talk to you. like everyone has been telling you it more than likely just needs to be gone through and brought back up to spec. If you don't feel up to it see if you can get an old GM Mechanic or carb spe******t with experience to look at it. It will probably make his day to be able to work on something he used to do every day. Just be prepared to listen to plenty of stories from "back in the day" Frank
And main thing is to: A. Make diagrams of outer choke links and such detailed enough that your grandmother could put them back. B. Clear a big space and lay everything out in order and correct relationship like a 3-D exploded view so you can't possibly confuse the left rear widget with the front one. I like to keep hardware stuck through a piece of cardboard with outline of carb drawn on it so screws and their positions are organized. Once it's apart, check back on cleanup, etc. Most real work is cleaning and getting floats set right, most of the rest is just unscrewit and screwitbackin clean.
Thanks for the help guys, hopefully a rebuild and retune is all i really need to get the thing running right again, i'm just not sure if i trust myself enough to do the rebuild it myself though.
It's not that tough, just follow the advice in the above posts, and remember, getting all of the p***ages clear is probably the most important step, so if you don't have a 5 gallon pail of cleaner to soak it in, either buy one or bum the use of one off of someone who does.
The good ole digital camera can be a life saver for parts placement on re***embly. Take a lot of pictures and print out the ones you need. Most carb kits come with an exploded view picture of all the parts. You might check the original shop manual for the car. A shop manual is worth it's weight in gold. They usually have a detailed section on carb rebuilding for that exact carb.
Check THIS out!!! They have a section specifically for 4GC's. 1959 1960 Chevy Shop Manual Supplement Travis
if you really don't think you can do it you can send me the carb and the kit and i'd be happy to do it for you,but you should really try doing it yourself. gotta learn sometime,eh? Rocketeers!
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