gphil460

I'm looking for source for '57 WCFB Carter carb jets.
Thanks

65ZR1

Maybe try Bob Kunz. Spelling?? Does an excellent job restoring carbs so Im sure he has parts.

vettepoor

Edelbrock makes jets that will work in WCFB's. Available at most FLAPS.

devildog

Any of the jet that fit Q-Jet carbs or most other old style carbs will thread right in the WCFBs

Why do you guys NOT fill in your information (keep your privacy and secuity about full name and address) but it makes it easier to get an idea how much to help you.

gphil460

Thanks everyone and Devildog, you make a good point. I'm in the Denver area and trying to get my '57 245 running decent. It's running way too rich and I'm thinking it may need smaller jets. Local Napa store said they can't get them anymore. I saw one website which said emissions laws in various states make it illegal to modify carbs, thus making it dicey to sell the jets and causing the supply to dry up.

gphil460

I apologize but not familiar with term "FLAPS". Is this a name or an acronym for something else? Thanks

CJS

Don't know but I figure it is "Full Line Auto Parts Stores".

Matt Gruber

how do u know it is rich?
O2 sensor?

JohnZ

"Friendly Local Auto Parts Store".

Coves4me

gphil460, the first thing you need to do is determine if you have the correct carbs for that engine. I believe they are supposed to be nos. 2626 and 2627 model carbs for a 245 HP engine. If you can determine their originality, the next thing I would do is verify that they have the original main jets and metering rods. I believe the Corvette Servicing Manual ST-12 has these listed. I would start there as a base and work from the base to determine if you do need to richen the carbs. By design, the two 4-BBL setup is notorious for having poor cylinder distribution as the engine runs normally by the rear carb. As such, the front cylinders usually run lean and the rear cylinders run rich. Only when you get to 3/4 or full throttle does the front four barrel kick in. The remainder of the time under normal driving part-throttle conditions the front carb sits idle. It's possible it is dribbling fuel into the engine causing your rich condition. I would check that first. Good luck.

gphil460

I believe the carbs to be original. There are no tags on them. Do the model numbers appear on the carbs somewhere? The symptoms I'm having is that the car idles fine and accelerates fine, but under no acceleration at 20-30 mph, the car bucks down the street w/ some black smoke coming out the exhaust. Also, when flooring it, at approx 3500 rmp the engine starts cutting out and won't go up much more than 4000 rpm. At the same time black smoke is being emitted from the exhaust. I can only get it above 4000 rpm if I gradually work my way up. I recently purchased the car so am working on getting it running right. I'm working w/ a retired mechanic who is very much into tuning cars. He took a look at it last week end and suggested we tune ignition, valve lash etc and then work on adjusting the carbs. He said we may need diff jets and planning ahead, I called local Napa store to check on supply. That's when they said they're no longer available, thus the reason for this post.
The '57 283 engine has recently been overhauled as have the carbs. The prior owner said he spent approx $1k having the carbs refurbished in FL (less than 500 miles ago) and it ran ok there. I live in CO, so there is a bit of atmospheric pressure diff which might explain some of the problem. Also, the engine has an MSD 6a ignition control box which may or may not contribute to my problem. The current distributor is off of a 62 vette with points so is not a complete MSD setup. I have the original 57 dual pt distributor which I'm strongly considering putting back in an attempt to keep the car as original as possible. Installing this may eliminate the problems but won't know till I try it.

I appreciate everyone's helpful hints and Ken, if I do decide I need jets and can't find any locally, I make contact you to see if you have numbers that I need. Also any other tips from other members will be appreciated.
Thanks

Matt Gruber

from your description it is NOT jets.
could be flooding or choke
could be ignition

1955 copper

Could be the metering rod adjustment stop is not correct (top pic) bottom pic is the cure for left turns flooding fix. ( or try the front Carb metering rods or jets and see if that helps)

Coves4me

gphil460, The bucking you are referring to sounds like an ignition problem. Bucking can be caused by a distributor shaft that is moving up and down due to improper shimming; a wobbling distributor shaft that moves side to side due to worn shaft bushings; wrong centrifugal advance springs that allow the weights to move erratically, or an ignition box or coil that is cutting out because of age or heat. You sound like you're running rich due to the ignition problem or floats in the carb set improperly. Also, with the 2 x 4 setup you want to have fuel pressure no higher than 3 or 4 pounds per square inch of flow as the needles in these carbs can't take the normal fuel pressure of the mechanical fuel pump. Holley makes a fuel pressure regulator than can be had at Summit Racing on line that is adjustable to achieve that range. Roy Braatz's (1955 Copper) should also be considered. You probably have the right jets and metering rods if someone paid $1,000 (Gulp!) to have them rebuilt. I would still check the float levels for proper settings. You can set them so they are an 1/8-inch higher than the top plate with it inverted and still be OK with fuel level. Good luck.

gphil460

I finally was able to spend time on the car this weekend. I reinstalled the original dual point distributor and scrapped the MST box. It now rev's higher than the 4000 rpm so fixed that but it still bucks down the road at low speed. Pulled the top off of the rear carb and float level was actually lower than specs (w/ top plate inverted - space between float and top plate for primary float was approx .2" instead of .125" which carter recomends. So thinking fuel level ok. Primary metering rod jets show #165 stamped on them, low speed idale jets 3025 and secondary jets 185. We noticed the metering rods jumped open when cracking the throttle (engine idling) and settled back to a more closed position. The mechanic helping me and I are wondering if the vacumeter piston spring is perhaps too strong (which would cause the piston to prematurely open even though at low rpm's there should be adequate vacuum to keep it closed). Does anyone know if there are multiple vacumeter spring tensions. Would the spring in front carb be the same as the back - maybe they got reversed somewhere along the way? Or another posibility we've considered is that perhaps the vacumeter piston is worn and thereby allowing the metering rods to open prematurely. Does anyone know where I might be able to purchase a new piston and ring?
Thanks

gphil460

Sent the above post off without finishing. If anyone has any other ideas on figuring out what my problem is, I would very appreciative in hearing ideas. I haven't checked the fuel pressure yet but do know that the fuel level in the bowl is lower than the inspection hole on the side of the carb after turning the engine off.
Thanks

vettepoor

I had almost the exact symptoms with my 57, bucking and struggling to get over 4000 rpm, then cutting out and missing. I replaced numerous jets before I finally tumbled to the fact that the throttle linkage was not fully opening the rear carb secondaries. Runs great now, and at WOT I don't have any hesitation, even though it still is running a little rich.

x0000rgw

I remember reading an article in Hot Rod mag in the early 60's
about the 2-4 barrel chevy setup. It was stated that the 283 did not
have enough vacuum to control the carb jets. The solution was to use
the springs from a ball point pin to replace the vacuum control springs.
I have done this on my 61 that has a 355 engine. This was done
about 15 years ago and had almost forgotten about it. I run a high
overlap cam 292 with not a lot of vacuum and the carbs work great.
I also replaced the needle and seat with rubber seats so they work
with the standard fuel pump with no flooding. (My 2 cents)