PistolGrip

I had seen them a swap meets but never tried one. Have you? Will the 1/4" spacer fit? (hood clearance). Everything (intake, carb & air cleaner are stock).
Thanks

wmf62

Troy

see what I mean....

Bill

GTOguy

I have one 1/4" masonite spacer under each of my two WCFB's on my '61. The fit is fine. I made the spacers myself....too 'thrifty' and in a rush to spend the $$$. A big help with today's volatile gasoline. All you're doing with the spacers is insulating the carbs from the intake manifold heat. They make a big difference in carb temps.

PistolGrip

Thanks for the feedback. I hadn't considered the possibility of newer blends of gasoline contributing to the problem. Did you try a 1/2" spacer? I was thinking the thicker the spacer (to a point) the greater amount of insulation resulting in better cooling - but 1/2" might be too thick. Your opinion?

PistolGrip

I had the WCFB rebuilt about 2,000 miles ago. I agree the aftermarket FI would take away from the originality for now, but was trying to find out if I'd need to cut...drill....modify anything that would prevent me from changing back to originality. I don't want to do that. I'm looking for the cheapest way to have trouble-free driving - including hot days - without doing any permanent harm to originality. If FI cost much over $1,000, I won't do it. I think I'll give the 1/4" phrenolic spacer a try. It's closer to my budget.

wmf62

ANYTHING can be undone, but usually at a cost...

this can be returned to original, but at a cost of the loss of the approx. $4k it cost to do it...

BUT, was/is it worth the expense to do; for me , yes... summertime/city driving manners have improved exponentially...

my one fear, and it's a valid point made in other posts; is that it is an 'orphan'... Accel no longer supports it...

Bill

PistolGrip

I ordered the 1/4" spacer from Dashman (Ben) & should have it in a couple of days. He was very helpful & knows his stuff. I highly recommend him. He mentioned I should also look into the possibility of a fuel pressure problem (too much pressure) for the WCFB. I have a relatively new mechanical fuel pump. The pump pressure range is listed at between 5.7 & 8, but I haven't tested it. I've tried to find what fuel pressure (or range) makes a WCFB happiest, but haven't found anything on that. Does anyone know? I'm learning a lot with this little adventure.

wmf62

Frankie knows.....

Bill

PistolGrip

I ordered the 1/4" spacer from Dashman (Ben) & should have it in a couple of days. He was very helpful & knows his stuff. I highly recommend him. He mentioned I should also look into the possibility of a fuel pressure problem (too much pressure) for the WCFB. I have a relatively new mechanical fuel pump. The pump pressure range is listed at between 5.7 & 8, but I haven't tested it. I've tried to find what fuel pressure (or range) makes a WCFB happiest, but haven't found anything on that. Do you know? I'm learning a lot with this little adventure. Thanks.

Frankie the Fink

I've seen the Sniper EFI running perfectly fine on a friend's '64 coupe. I don't know what all he did to get it going (he had his mechanic do it). My feeling is that when a company STRONGLY recommends something be installed to make their product work; you'd be better off to do it..

My thing is that I don't want somebody to be disappointed with a product after they are azz-hole deep into installing it and find out the bill or tech support to make it work is a big surprise. That's all. I really don't care if you run your car on pig farts or sunshine...

Not to hijack but the WCFBs are quite happy with 4-1/2 lbs to 5-1/2 lbs of pressure....start going much higher and it can be a problem... The symptoms of over-pressure will be flooding, fuel dribbling out the squirters, fuel stains under the throttle plate shafts, or, puddling of fuel on the intake (dangerous!)

You can test the fuel pump pressure with a vacuum gauge (not that much money and every vintage Corvette owner should own one)...

Here is what one popular rebuilder says on the subject...However, I would avoid any fuel pressure regulator - better to fix the fuel pump. Do NOT use the Mr. Gasket blingy round, dial regulator - they literally explode and spray fuel over your hot engine - DANGER!! Multiple instances all over cyberspace.

If anyone has one of these installed, REMOVE IT:

PistolGrip

This is great information, I've had this car forever & have been reluctant to mess with it out of fear of my limited mechanical prowess. Now that I'm getting older I'm getting better at saying "What the hell?....give it a shot!" I kinda want to keep my new fuel pump (Jeg's 80 GPH Free Flow #15950), if at all possible (header clearance). I'll check the actual pressure it is delivering & then get a good regulator (I'm open to particular recommendations) to reduce pressure to 4.5 maximum if necessary. I'll start lining up my ducks when I get the phrenolic spacer (and it warms up a bit). Stay tuned! Additional advice is always welcomed. Thanks!!!

Frankie the Fink

The Holley regulators are the best but something of a PITA to plumb into tight spaces.

PistolGrip

I've installed the 1/4" spacer & it runs fine (in the garage). The weather's been too crummy to take it out & even then, won't be hot enough to be sure I've solved the stalling problem. I was planning on getting a Holley fuel regulator, but it dawned on me that I have the stock original Carter 0-2208 fuel pump that I could rebuild (the kit is $55). If I did that (stock pump...stock WCFB), would I no longer need the regulator? I'd assume they're made to match up from the factory, but.....???
What is the PSI of the stock Carter 0-2208 pump? Is rebuilding one of these simple enough that even a dumb *** can do it?
Thanks,
Mark

SI67

Holley sells a 56-62 tank with pump, sender, and neck all ready to go for a mere $579.95. "Mere" is in the eye (or bank balance) of the beholder.

wmf62

that's a heck of a lot cheaper than my Rock Valley tank was....

Bill

Frankie the Fink

A Carter WCFB is 'happy' with about 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 lbs of fuel pressure...it can get along with a tad higher but not much. You can check the pressure with a vacuum gauge once installed (read the instrument's instructions). If you get in this range then, of course, you won't need a regulator.

Rebuilding a mechanical fuel pump (except for the crimped together kind) is a straightforward task...here's how to do it (attached).. Its basically an actuator arm, a bellows (rubber diaphragm) and two poppit valves...

Get a GOOD rebuild kit....