L71 Carb replacement

[Michael J.]

I am now going to tackle replacing the not properly date coded, replacement Holleys I have with a set of 3 properly date coded and part numbered Holleys I bought a while back that have been restored and rebuilt. I am curious about what order they should be taken off and replaced, is there anything special about that? I also plan on replacing all the fuel lines while I am at it. Also, I have noticed that if I let the car sit for a few weeks, it takes a while to start it as the fuel seems to have drained out of the center carb, will putting a new one there help that? Thanks for any tips.

[Rich G.]

Re: L71 Carb replacement

My 68 L71 carbs were just rebuilt. Runs great and no leaks, but if it sits for more than a week, I have to dump some gas in the center carb to get it to fire right away. The car is in my airplane hangar so I just get a fuel tester worth of gas out of the plane. No more than a couple of ounces. I think doing this saves a lot of wear and tear on the starter and battery.
So, I don't think the carb rebuild is going to change that. Sorry, can't answer your other questions although I seem to remember the only gotcha was getting the base gaskets in the correct positions so note how they come off.

Rich

[Wayne M.]

Re: L71 Carb replacement

Before cranking, did you visibly check the center carb accelerator pump by looking down the barrel throats and pumping the accelerator rod 3 or 4 times by hand ? If nothing squirts from the shooters, then you've got a problem. I would think that just a couple of weeks of sitting should not evaporate the gasoline in the center bowl. Several months, probably yes.

[Michael J.]

Re: L71 Carb replacement

Thanks for the tips, I will check the center carb function before I replace it.