Technical Strange Rochester B stalling issue

You’re absolutely right about the new pump, good eye! I replaced it along with the fuel tank and sender. I became picky about my fuel pumps too a few years back. I leaned the slow way about how sensitive Edelbrock carbs are to fuel pressure. They don’t like anything north of 5 psi, in my experience more like 4 psi. I now check every pump I touch, low or high pressure, no matter what, and this one tested on spec. As to pumps that have failed tests, I’ve found offenders on every continent that makes our parts, unfortunately.

I also was really scratching my head as to why the carb had been used this long with no issue big enough to make someone replace it with a hole like this. And the hole looked clean, and made on-purpose, so I was hesitant to blame it until I took apart another Rochester B for myself. It’s a parts-store rebuilt carb in my opinion, it has the stickers they usually paste on them, although they’re blank from carb cleaner. It’s a long story, but I think the original owner may have had a small local shop replace the carb in his older age and never really got to drive the car and notice it.

I don’t want to blab too much about my customer’s personal business, but the history is too interesting. The car was bought new at a dealership one town over, about 10-15 minutes away. The original owner had it shipped to Japan twice on military boats during the Korean War. He had it undercoated before each leg, and it got a new coat of lacquer every time it came home. It still has stickers on the windshield from the Japanese base, and a pass on the bumper from the local base about 30 minutes away. The car is as original as it can be and rust free. A local 6 banger legend (he’s faster than you) stopped by a while back when I first got the car, he noticed it in the driveway. He helped rebuild the engine with the original owner decades ago and warned me about the solid lifters and “wrong” flywheel, and a little timing advice. Small town kind of stuff. The original owner sold it to his great-nephew. I went to school with him and his brother. My parents went to school with his parents. His parents are my only neighbors out here in the country. I’m 40 years old and I still can’t get away with a damn thing around here.

 

It’s running great!