6T5RUSH

Folks, it's the little things. Or in other words, remember the word KISS!

Sorry, I'm going to be verbose on this so get your out...if you're not into stories you might as well go on to another topic.

A flooding issue began while in Carlisle in August, 2011. I reset the front float and it seemed to go away. The return trip was pretty much uneventful, but it did return once I got home and just drove it around town.

The flooding issue seemed to get triggered after doing some strong running through the gears (6,000 + shifts from 1st, 2nd & sometimes 3rd). That and higher temperatures. Returning to an idle and then just cruising along you could feel her starting to bog and want to die.

Most of my winter driving this past winter which was a mild one didn't seem to trigger that flooding condition. Well come spring took a trip to see my son in Granger, In....the car ran great. On the way home we got about 10 miles outside of Indiana and she starts bogging and overloading again. Had my son pick up a Holley Trick Kit and proceeded to remove the front bowl, replacing the needle and seat along with a new bowl gasket and those fine gaskets for the lock bolt and nut on top. Reset the float level and off we go again. She got us home with no issues.

Well now it's Woodward Dream Cruise week and we're hot ******* it up Woodward (pretty warm during that week). Got on her pretty good and yup, she immediately starts bogging again. Off goes the primary bowl and I notice the pin the float rides on is kinda' loose. I push hard on it and she "snaps" in place. Great, think maybe I found the reason why she's flooding (thinking the float is getting cocked on that fulcrum because of the pin pulling out). Drove fine the rest of that week.

Drove to Indiana last week for a wedding and the car drove out great.
On the return run...yup she starts bogging and loading up again. I'm getting good at this now...I pull the front bowl off (I'm keeping a Holley Trick Kit in a zip lock bag in the car) and pull the needle and seat out, blow it out and dump all the gas out of the bowl. The float is in place and seems to be working as it should. Again, reset the float and off we go.

Well, we get out I94 heading east and sure enough she starts acting up again. Think we were in Grass Lake, MI when I pulled off the exit into a gas station. At this point I cried "uncle". Pulled out my gold AAA membership card and called to find out what my coverage is. "Mr. Karam you have 100 mile coverage." GREAT! Send me a flatbed. That truck was there in 30 minutes. The firm was very professional and the driver had just come on duty. My wife and I sat in an air conditioned truck for an 85 mile drive home. He carefully placed my '5 in my garage on my 4 post lift.

So, now it's Monday. I call a friend who knows the owner at American Carburator in St. Clair Shores, MI. He says bring the carb or part on the carb giving you fits and meet the owner Gary. So I'm taking the bowl off and the bloody float AND pin are laying in the bottom of the bowl! Take the assembly to Gary who restakes the pin, installing the float back on. I'm good to go right! WRONG!

Reassembled that bowl back on the Holley and fired her up and she's dumping gas all over!!! OK, I'm done! Now I pull the whole carb off and take it to Gary. He calls me the next day and says she's all fixed, come and get it. When I pick it up Gary hands me the assembled carb and in his other hand is a float. He says shake it at your ear. The bloody float was full of gas. Now I'm stumped, I ask "why isn't the gas dribbling out?" He says the brass float has a minute, pin hole in it and as the front bowl heats up that hole expands enough to allow the gas to enter. When the carb cools down, the hole closes off.

Now you know the "rest of the story" LOL!! I just feel kinda' dumb that I didn't catch that what with all the taking apart and fiddling with that float the many times I did (and my son, and my buddies...).

That float is sitting on my garage wall on a hook (still has gas in it) to remind me of the little things to look for...to remember the word KISS. Hope my experience helps any of you chasing a flooding condition to check that bloody float to make sure it's not only functioning properly but it's not leaking (sucking in gas).

Jim
In God We Trust!

ifitgoesfast

I'm guessing the float doesn't come with a rebuilt kit? I'll have to rebuild mine soon.

Thanks for the story, though. This will help.

62Jeff

Nope.

You can get floats and other carb parts here.
https://buy.walkerproducts.com/carburetor/components/


And Holley floats:
https://buy.walkerproducts.com/carbu...omponents.html

6T5RUSH

ifitgoesfast,

Right, you won't get floats but you'll get all those tiny little clips including one that, I think is called a circlip, which holds the float on that pin, plus all sorts of gaskets, power valves (3), needle and seat assemblys (2) etc... One plus, which my carb already had in place, the kit does come with those nylon gaskets that go under the head of those 8 long bolts for the bowls.

Here's a pic of my problem float

Dave64

Jim,

I just love a story with a happy ending...

Dave

67*427

I HOPE you have it fixed but I don't understand how if it has a TINY hole, enough gas would leak out when you had it apart that it would work again for a while......

6T5RUSH

67*427,

I too was stumped on that but as mentioned, that pinhole would close up when the carb cooled off, trapping the gas in the float. I just checked and it's STILL full of fuel...go figure. There's a new float hung on that primary side along with a new gasket for the metering block. She's all good now.

I decided to install a Mr. Gasket heat shield before I reinstalled the carb. Here's a a couple of shots of her now.



Jim
In God We Trust!

MrPbody

If you want the fuel out of a brass float, in preparation to repair it for example, heat the float with a hair drier. Not only will it force the fuel out, but you'll then know exactly where the leaks are. try to avoid pointing the hole towards the hair drier if at all possible however.

Russ

6T5RUSH

Russ,

That's good to know, but I ain't touchin' that one (touched it too many times)LOL!

Jim
In God We Trust!

65tripleblack

It doesn't look original anymore.

midyearvette

use that heat shield with the other type of mr gasket stackable aluminum plates and gaskets and then, you have a real winner for carb heat dissapation.....

6T5RUSH

65tripleblack, can you say Not Correctly Restored Stingray...LOL!

midyearvette, I probably should have sandwiched those 2 smaller spacers...we'll see how this works out with just that overhang approach first.


Jim
In God We Trust!