1965 Carter Carb--Help me decide

[Frank D.]

Have a Top Flight 1965 Coupe with A/T. I finished the restoration and judging last year and now want to drive and enjoy my car. I rebuilt its carb myself to the best of my ability, but there are still cold start and idle issues, with a possible vac leak somewhere.

I am basically done with Flight judging. I would like to hear your opinions concerning these three options:

A. Have the original carb,rebuilt: and which re-builder have you used lately with good results;
B. Buy a rebuilt unit, or (if available) a new carb with correct stamped dates and a tag: and suggest a vendor;
C. Buy an aftermarket carb that will easily attach to my existing linkage; and again, which company would you suggest?

Please let me hear your learned opinions on which way you think I should proceed and why. Also, if you have another idea altogether, toss it into the ring.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts. Remember to honor our Veterans this weekend.

Frank O'Donnell
Charlottesville, VA

[Joe R.]

Re: 1965 Carter Carb--Help me decide

Frank,

There is no doubt about my choice and that would be to have the original rebuilt by a known rebuilder that advertises in the "Driveline". There are still plenty of Carter's out there for parts and the rebuild kits are still available.

Tell John Boy we said, "Hi".

JR

[Timothy B.]

Re: 1965 Carter Carb--Help me decide

Frank,

No doubt about it in my mind, have the original rebuilt. That big hunk of aluminum is a good carburetor.

I have always overhauled these myself having a few problems on my 3461 that I will post results when I finish with it. Basically the air leaks I am tuning out would not be a issue with the solid lifter 340hp motor.

Keep the original on the car, they are good carburetors..

[Duke W.]

Re: 1965 Carter Carb--Help me decide

The most common AFB problem is the choke system. The choke vacuum break piston gets dirty and sticky, so the choke will not fully close and/or is slow to release.

You can remove the choke housing for disassembly and cleaning without removing the carb. Also make sure the choke hot air tube in the manifold is not burned through. Verify that all settings and measurments are IAW the applicable shop manual values, but you may have to experiment with different choke housing settings because the thermostatic spring may be out of spec after 45 years. Don't forget to use a new O-ring to seal the vacuum passage between the choke housing and main body.

The '65 300HP VAC is not well matched for Powerglide. Replace it with a B20 or B26 that provides 16 deg. at 12", then verfiy that the manifold vacuum is no less than 14" idling in Drive at 450-500 and the total idle timing is steady at 24 to 28degrees with 8-12 degress of initial timing

I'm assuming that you have the original distributor with the original centrifugal and vacuum advance curves, but you should verify the spark advance map with a vacuum pump and dial back timing light.

Duke

[Frank D.]

Re: 1965 Carter Carb--Help me decide

Duke:

Thank you for an OUTSTANDING reply.

You addressed all three of my carb problems in your answer. The choke system does get sticky and has to be cleaned periodically. I replaced the coil, zinc plate, gasket and cover with parts from Long Island right after I bought the car to have a good foundation. I also installed a new vac unit better suited for the powerglide (per your reply from a previous post).

However, I did not re-verify the manifold vacuum after I re-installed the carb, after the engine rebuild. Thanks for posting the exact readings I should be getting. I will test the actual vac pressure this weekend. I did rebuild the original distributor and the spring tension is good.

That leads to one additional question. I installed an electronic set of points two years ago and they seem to work fine. Of course I can't adjust the gap anymore, so would that have any negative effect that might interfere with the whole system working properly?

Many thanks again,
Frank

[Duke W.]

Re: 1965 Carter Carb--Help me decide

I've never been a fan of these electronic point conversions. Most work okay, but some cause problems as described in a recent thread.

My suggestion is to go back to points. There was a discussion here a few months ago about the six different NAPA/Echlin point sets that fit single point distributors, and it will be published in The Corvette Restorer - probably the fall edition.

Of the six there is a set for every need, from a mild 300HP like your engine (I assume it's a 300HP.) to a 7500 rev vintage racing engine, and the thread and article will tell you what is right for your engine.

In a road engine, points nominally last about 30K miles, which is many years for most vintage cars that don't see a lot of annual mileage. A dwell check and a little relubrication every couple of years will keep them working for a long time.

Include a used set in the glove box and a plain screwdriver, and you will never get stranded due to burned points.

I'm not actually sure what manifold vacuum a 300HP/PG idling in Drive at 450-500 should pull as I have never received any good data, so you can help out there. A 250/300HP manual should pull about 18" idling in neutral at 500. A PG idling in Drive at no more than 500 will be lower, and my guess is 14-16", which is why I recommend a 12" VAC to mee the Two-Inch Rule.

Use an accurate test tach to record/set idle speed as the in-dash tach may not be very accurate at idle speed.

Any spark scatter you observe at idle or higher revs is probaby due to excess distributor shaft end play. Most are way too loose, and the scatter they produce is enough to roughen the engine a bit. The end play should be shimmed to be in the range of two to seven thou.

Duke