SDVette

If you don't know my story, here is the Reader's Digest version:

Car sat for 25 years before I inherited it a few months ago. Block was swapped in '72 for a LT-1 350, but heads, manifold, carb were re-used.

Car was running well recently but refused to start today. Carb is leaking fuel from several places. It's a 4 barrel Carter WCFB.





When I first took the car out of storage, I had a local Vette shop do a bunch of work. They said the "rebuilt the carb and found some stripped screws". To be honest, as I learn more about this era of stuff, I'm not happy with the work these guys did.. Especially since it's essentially a 1-owner car, I'm 99% sure no one had touched the carb before them.

What to do? Rebuild this carb (again) or get something new?
Is this carb valuable?
What new carb to get?

I'm not interested in NCRS or shows - just looking to make this a reliable weekend driver.

Thanks for your input. -Fred

Bluestripe67

If those pics are the most current, that carb doesn't look like anybody touched it. Some guys here on the CF know who to go to for WCFB rebuilds. Hopefully the will chime in. Dennis

SDVette

Yes, these pics were taken today. I should also add that the automatic choke is missing from this carb, and a manual (cable) was added. I'd like to get rid of that.

What is the cost to rebuild vs. a new cab (in general terms)?

Frankie the Fink

Its easy for novices to strip screws on these old WCFBs...there are 18 screws in the lid (air horn) and they are a mixture of three different sizes. Soooo...you try to tighten down a long screw in a hole meant for a short screw and next thing you know you have stripped threads. Bob Kunz in St. Louis rebuilds these and he is the best in the biz. A complete restoration is several hundred....a "clean and re-kit" is cheaper but you should talk to him.

bobkunz@att.net or call him at: 314 845-2566. Or you can take a crack at rebuilding it yourself -- unfortunately those stripped holes should be repaired (usually with helicoils). Bob can also get the choke working if you like. They are great carbs when properly maintained and 'dialed in'. If the 3059S tag on the carb is correct is off a single 4-bbl installation on a '60 or '61 Corvette.

The cost for a complete restoration (including replating, etc.) is almost penny for penny the cost of an Edelbrock 4-bbl. So its your call on which way you want to go.

But note the big problem with carb swaps is always, ALWAYS -- hood clearance so do your homework before a swap ! You might be into an intake manifold swap as well due to hood clearance issues and/or the throttle bore size of your new carb choice.

It looks like somebody cobbled together a PCV system into the back of the carb and that zany looking throttle linkage. They did retain the original hollow driver's side rear carb mounting bolt that the rubber vacuum advance hose runs from.

Finally, if somebody told me they rebuilt my carb and it looked like the pictures you posted above afterwards....I would think they are pretty much shysters. And, if it was
leaking everywhere afterwards, I would think they are dangerous shysters.

A base-engine WCFB in the shape yours is in, missing choke parts, is not terribly valuable. Couple hundred bucks, MAYBE, on a good day.

aojo

SD... I think you answered you own question... why fool around with a 40+ year old carb if your concern is with function??? Get yourself a new Edelbrock 600 or 650 cfm.. bolt it on, hook up the electric choke and enjoy your weekend drives. I have purchased several year correct WCFBs for restorations and invariably the units are is various stages of malfunctions. Lots of people install incorrect power valves, screws, springs, etc and offer them up for sale as restored since they have the proper id numbers. If you cant do the repair yourself you are at the mercy of the next expert and hopefully he gets it right.

Redbird

Bob Kunz is the best on theold WCFBs.

Frankie the Fink

My 40 year old carbs have carried me 20,000 miles in my '61 Corvette over the last 6 years. But I have no issue if the OP decides to go with a newer carb. There are no power valves in Carter WCFBs.

SDVette

Yes I am leaning towards a new carb... but Im concerned about hood clearence and other "gotchas" that tend to happen when you replace anything 50 years old! Frankie, the Mciver job on the PCV and linkage was my dads handiwork. I actually have purchased the correct linkage parts but waiting to decide onthe carb first.

rene-paul

If that is an original WCFB manifold an AFB will not be direct bolt on. New carb plus a manifold and now you are within a Mr. Kunz rebuild.
Brgds,
Rene

MikeM

You say the car sat idle for 25 years? You had the carb rebuilt/cleaned? It ran well until recently? Now it's leaking?

My guess, you have a dirty gas tank and you have pulled a piece of trash into the needle/seat and the carb is flooding. If that's the case, you don't need a new carb if nothing else because you said it "ran well" until...................

Frankie the Fink

Mike has a good point and that will be revealed if you (or somebody) opens up the carb. Sediment in the fuel bowls or other crud collected elsewhere could indicate your old gas tank is going south (swapping a new one in is another thankless job). Swapping on a new carb will just present a new "victim" to the contamination process.

I should have said before that these old carbs are very sensitive to excess fuel pump pressure - so if you think your pump is putting out much over 6 lbs then that can cause flooding.

Lou64

If it is indeed a piece of sediment in the needle seat, I have done this and am BY FAR the amateurist of mechanics, and it is EASY (at least on an AFB, don't know about WCFB). It can be done in an hour.

1. Take the top off the carb.
2. Find the needle that goes in and out when the floats move.
3. Remove the pin holding these needles. Remove needles.
4. The top of the needles should be tapered like a cone. If they aren't--replace. If there is anything on them, clean them, but be careful not to damage.
5. Shoot a blast of air with your compressor up into the holes the needles came out of.
6. Reassemble everything.

It solved my problem--which was car would turn on, but just wouldn't run, idle, nothing. Sputtered and sputtered at any rpm, then when foot was removed from the gas, it quit.

SDVette

Yes, I disconnected the fuel line and cranked the car.. and gunky gas came out. :-(

I thought I had dodged this bullet as it was clean when I checked it initially.. And has been running fine (maybe 2-3 hours of run-time).. But I guess adding more gas and sloshing around while driving broke some gunk loose.

I pulled the drain plug and a small amount of gunk came out, then ran clean. I cranked the car until clean gas came out of the fuel line.

So now I have two problems.. a gunked up carb, and a gunked up gas tank.

Is there a filter in the WCFB? I can't believe there is no filtration in the fuel system at all stock?

thoyer

Fuel filter is located inside the carb. Remove the fuel line. It should thread into a fitting that has a 1" (wrench size) hex. The filter resides behind this fitting.

I rebuilt the original carb on my 60 and it runs great. I sent the original carb from my 71 LS5 car to Custom Rebuilt Carbs in NJ. The fuel inlet was stripped, they installed a helicoil then rebuilt the carb. It looks and runs great. Cost about $350.

Tom

JohnZ

There's a filter screen under the big hex plug at the fuel inlet.

LoneStarV

Take some measurements on your car to air cleaner to hood clearance then check around for a new carb that will fit with an electric choke. Put that one on a shelf.

Also.....

The first thing you do is go back to that lying mechanic and demand your money back. How could anyone claim they rebuilt a card that filthy? Didn't even bother to clean it. A home remedy pine sol soak will produce a better result than that.

JohnZ

He'll need another intake manifold to do that - his current intake ONLY accepts the WCFB.

MikeM

I wouldn't worry about the outside appearance of your carb. It's the inside that counts.

I believe at the very least, I would pull the tank and have it flushed or maybe even replace it if there's rust in it.

If that tank had dried up gasoline in it, you'll go through a lot of inline filters trying to trap all of it.

Alcohol has been put into gasoline since that car was parked. Some say the alcohol will eat old dried gasoline deposits loose and clog filters. I tend to believe this.

SDVette

Thanks for the info guys...

Another issue on my "to do" list is the fuel sender. Right now, the gauge is reading FULL, but the tank is not full. I read in other threads that the guts of that thing can decompose.. so maybe I'm dealing with that too.

Off to search on tank removal and sender replacement!

wmf62

replacement tanks are cheap (as in inexpensive...), just change it
Bill