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Tips on Carter Carb Rebuild

Carter carburetors are an older type of vehicle carburetor found in a wide variety of classic car models; they can be found in everything from the Studebaker to Dodge pickup trucks. Since these carburetors are so old, you need to approach necessary repairs on them in a slightly different way. When undertaking this challenging project, following a few tips will make the process much easier.

Before Rebuilding

Before rebuilding the carburetor, take it apart completely and thoroughly clean all of the pieces. Often, so much dirt and gunk will build up in these old carburetors that you will not see a marked improvement unless you do this. Among the spots in a Carter carburetor that can get the most built-up are bleed vents, so make sure to get these as clean as you can. The best way to clean the parts is to soak them in carburetor cleaner overnight.

Cleaning Tools

Before putting the pieces together, take them out of the carburetor cleaner and brush them down with a wire brush, then blow the carburetor off with compressed air. Make sure to blast air through every hole in every component of the carburetor possible, including the needle valves, float valves and bleed vents. If you do not own an air compressor, a bicycle pump makes a good substitute. An ultrasonic cleaner is another cleaning option, especially for extremely dirty pieces.

Throttle and Choke Shafts

When cleaning the throttle and choke shafts, use care. These pieces must maintain their shape as closely as possible. If they lose too much metal due to excessive scrubbing, you may find yourself dealing with a vacuum leak.

Rebuild Kit

Buying a rebuild kit is a good idea for rebuilding a Carter carburetor. Many books and kits are available that have extensive information on Carter models, right down to how to manufacture your own components. However, sometimes you may find your kit disagreeing with the manual for your vehicles chassis. Always follow the manual in such a situation.

Fuel Fitting Installation

If you are installing a new fuel fitting on your Carter carburetor, it is very important that you replace the old gasket. If you forget to do this, you will deal with a host of problems with your float settings.

Idle Mixture Screws

Your idle screws set the amount of vacuum in your idle mixture. When you turn them clockwise, or inward, you lean the mixture, and when you turn them counter-clockwise, or outward, you enrich the mixture. Sometimes, during the course of a carburetor build and adjustment, they may be turned several times, but when you are finished, they must both be set the same number of turns from their seated position in order for the engine to run smoothly. Theore, it is important to always be aware of how many turns they are away from their seated position.

Float Height Adjuster

Float height adjustment is the most difficult part of your carburetors assembly. A way to make setting this a little easier is to use a drill bit as the adjuster. Many Carter carburetors have a factory float height of 25/64 of an inch. If you have a drill bit of this diameter, you can lay it across the top of your carburetor to set the float height.