A question in another thread looking for some Rochester floats prompted this thread. Carter, Rochester, and Stromberg ALL produced a number of different floats for their two and four barrel carburetors WHICH LOOK ALIKE AND ARE PHYSICALLY INTERCHANGEABLE BUT WON'T WORK CORRECTLY! These are double ****ton floats with a single connecting arm. Various engines require various fuel levels in the carburetor bowls. For maximum buoyancy, a float should just close the fuel valve when the float arm is perpendicular to the fuel valve plunger. In order to accomplish this result, the most common method utilized by the carburetor manufacturers was to change the height relationship where the float arm was soldered to the pontoon(s). While it is quite possible to interchange these floats, AND adjust for the proper float height by bending the arm; the float efficiency will be significantly reduced, and carburetor flooding will result. Using the correct parts will insure the carburetor works in the manner intended. If the correct float cannot be obtained, SOMETIMES one may be able to adjust a different one that is extremely close by varying the thickness of the gasket underneath the fuel valve seat to obtain the perpendicular relationship. Jon.
This thread, Jon? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=508056 When I was a stupid kid, just starting to get into this stuff, I picked up a lot through trial and error. This was one of the first things I learned - and on a 4GC to boot! ~Jason
Jason - lots of hobbyists make this error; and in trying to save, become their own worst enemy. Hopefully, a few will read this thread, and not make the error. Jon.
I hope so, too. Thankfully, I had more than a few carbs around when I learned about this - some aren't as lucky. It's one thing to be able to pull a couple of parts out of the pile and compare 'em, but unfortunately not all have that luxury. Of course, way back as a stupid kid with no sense, I also learned that this stuff should never be used on a carburetor, too! LOL! That stupid, stupid mistake was pounded home by over 4 hours of me picking globules out of the float bowl of a freshly rebuilt carb, air horn off, still on the car, in the August heat! If only I'd had someone around to tell me not to do that - but we've all got to learn somewhere! If only they had the HAMB back then! ~Jason
LOL Dad and I did something like that a long time ago. Only it was blue rtv on the sending unit of a cj5 gas tank (under the drivers seat). It would idle and put around just fine, but when you stepped on it, it would **** a blob onto the pickup tube. took us a while to figure that one out.
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