I was just reading a thread written by a young ASE certified mechanic who had no idea how a carburetor worked and wondered if some old guys might be able to help him out. He further stated that when he took his training, there was not even a cl*** offered on these venerable objects of my adoration. When I was a young man, the carb was king. We would lovingly jet, tune and rebuild them regularly. The smell of carb cleaner, that oh so caustic solution, was perfume to truly dedicated gear heads like me. If fact, my wife first attracted me by dabbing a little WD-40 behind her ears, but thats another story. Fuel injection has not always been the standard. At one point in the sixtys, I was considered The Man because I could actually set up mechanical fuel injection and make it work. I made extra money tweaking dual point distributors, speed-timing engines and dialing-in carburetors. Now I know a lot of water has p***ed under the bridge since then but when did my beloved carb p*** into legend. There once was wonderful variety. One, two and four barrels, Holley even flirted with a three barrel at one time. Their names were magical, just the mention of Rochester, Carter, and Weber brought testosterone levels to new highs. Once upon a time, the only electrical test equipment I owned was a test light made out of a tail light socket from 57 Ford with a couple of alligator clips. But I can learn. I can change. I know OBD is here to stay. I admit that I have strayed. There is a computer controlled EFI system under the hood of my 38 sedan. But in all fairness, The damn thing works great. I fear that one day an archeologist may dig up my bones and place me in a museum. Calling me Carburetor man, dating me somewhere between Homo erectus and Fuel injectus. I know Im a throwback. And I wouldnt have it any other way. I suppose it is up to us fortunate few to protect and preserve the legacy that is the Carburetor. I continue to teach the youth the finer points of automotive nostalgia, whether they like it or not. For me I also run a pair of two barrel Webers on a flathead and a four barrel intake on a couple of small block Chryslers. I have offered my life to the gods of speed and have rewarded me well. All hail nostalgia! Its the one thing us old guys are really good at.
Attribute this compliment to the fact that I wordsmith for a living, or the lateness of the hour, but I enjoyed reading your post as much for its rhythmic lyricism as I did the content. Well done, sir!
Ahh, makes me remember using the "carbumeter" you could hook that thing up to any carb and it would tell you what was wrong, too rich, too lean, what have you... Still have it in it's fancy leather case with bright br*** snaps. It was a gift from my late grandpa. People often ask me what the heck I would ever use it for. I am not an "old timer" by any means but still like to stick to the way things used to be. Nothing in my eyes will ever beat good old american steel with a carb bolted on top of a gas guzzling motor!
You took the thoughts right out of my head! Just the other day I was adjusting the timing of my shoebox and also the carburetor, when this young guy from my neighbourhood comes by (he is making an apprenticeship as a mechanic for Mercedes Benz, but is interested in old cars) and asks me, what I am doing there. I tell him and he says, that they don't learn it in school anymore about the carbs (we have a dual system here, school/apprenticeship). I said, he will have to learn, if he wants to drive an old car one day.....
I was in the local parts store yesterday and the woman who works there had 3 new timing lights on the counter that I think had just arrived. She looked at me and said, "I don't know why we have these, no-one can use them anymore" I gave her an inquisitive look. She said they are no good for modern engines. I had no idea. I said to her, "I have one". She knows the cars I have and just knodded and smiled. And on that. I'm no mechanic but any time I have used a timing light, it has only ever confirmed what I already knew. So I really should throw it away anyway. Pete
I basically spe******e in Older mercedes Benz, and a timing light is often the only thing between me and a pissed off customer. The cam timing is pretty wild on some of these cars compared with the common or garden Falholden dunnydore so just wiggling the dissy until it sounds right can make an engine idle nice but have no power in the upper range. I refuse to work on anything built after 1992 and have no shortage of jobs. My CO meter is a 40 year old Bosch unit which really belongs in Museum but is dead accurate and doesn't tell me anything different that the latest Startec won't say. It's really a matter of Application. Apply yourself to the Job at hand and all is well.
I went to school in 95-97 and they phased out the carburetors one of those years, in fact sold all of the carbs they had for kids to learn on to a carb rebuilder for cores. They let me have a few and I nabbed a couple of Rochester B's and a Rochester 4bbl that later decoded to be like '71 GTO/LeMans 400 manual trans (I used it as part trade for a whole car later on). By then they told you what one was, how it worked, spent like one cl*** on it and that was it.
Scary to think that a whole generation of mechanics has never adjusted a carburetor or worked on a breaker point distributor. Of course the newest vehicle with a breaker point distributor is 35 years old, newest thing with a carburetor is about 25.
Just because I work on and have my cars always running nice, people think I'm a Whizz-Bang mechanic. Not bad, when it comes to carb/distributor operated engines. But when they come around with their plumbers nightmare modern engine and ask me why it's not running right...forget it. And they can't understand why. As long as it's got a carb and distributor, I'm fine. It's either not getting fuel, not getting spark, or both...that's it. I suppose that's the same with modern engine management, but there sure is a BUNCH of **** in between the gas and spark...
I will take the old days any time. To hell with electronic fuel injection,computers,knock sensors cats. If it aint old school it aint real. Who the hell needs all the new fangle **** that's on new cars? 90% of the electrical engineers (use to be mechanics) use plug and play since the multi million dollar Factory test equipment can't tell them **** in the first place so they have multiple electronics in there tool box to resolve problems. I have my trusty (not complicated) dwell meter, vacuum gage and tube of distributor cam lube and 5 gallons of old time gunk--Bring it on babe!
I just bought a new tach and dwell meter. I loved the look on ALL the store employes faces when I asked if they had any. 3 of out of the 5 people stood at their computer terminal and asked me with a glazed smile ..... what year is that for sir? So I played along for a bit. he asked year. 1948 i said, puzzled look.. I didnt know they had ecu's in 48. he says motor. I say 307, thats where things went off track. he says UMmMMmm the computer dont have that listed. I said look under 68 chevelle. Im sorry sir I cant sell you a part that isnt listed for your car. maybe you should buy a newer car, they get better mpg......... bla bla bla. I did come clean and we were able to order one. When it came in the kid says to me whats that do? I said what time do you get off work? 8 oclock. He came over I showed him how a 48 ecu works. he says wow thats to easy. why dont they make things like that anymore. 2 weeks later their was a 59 ish dodge coronet at his place. kinda cool the way things work.
I think anyone over 50 that have been around cars, trucks etc for any number of years can relate to how things have changed over the last 30 or so years. I'm not a mech but worked in shops, dealerships etc. and have seen the changes. I've been doing tech manuals and instructional pubs for the Army for a long time now and it's amazing how little actual fixing and adjusting is included in them. It's now "plug and play" and if it don't play, replace it. No doubt it's the same for commercial equipment. But for some rare exceptions what's being taught is how to read diagnostics and computer programs, and mechanics often just need to know how to replace, and not repair or adjust most components. Makes me wonder, are the old cars the dinosaurs, or is it those who have the skills to keep 'em running?
One of my younger tuner buddies came over to the shop right after I got that thing, he asked what it was, I told him it was a code scanner for my Shoebox.
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