The choke is stuck open on my ‘65 327/365. Once started (most of the time with a shot of started fluid) it runs very rough and won’t hold an idle. I’m thinking of pulling the carb and sending it out for a rebuild (Holley 3310). I’m not 100% sure that’s the issue, but seems easy enough to do. I took a look and it seems straight forward (I think). Anything special I need to know? It looks like I can:
- disconnect the fuel line (2 locations)
- disconnect the linkage
- remove the 4 carb mounting bolts.

Anything else?

After rebuild, anything I need to know about reinstallation? I assume new gasket between manifold and carb (permatex between manifold and gasket? Gasket and carb?). O-rings for the fuel line? Anything else?

 

You have a mechanical choke assembly with what appears to be a small piece of wire holding the choke open. It doesn't appear to be hooked to a cable to go inside the car to operate the choke.
I am pretty sure that 4150 is not original to your engine. Go to the Holley website and you can see if they the cable to install and operate the manual choke, or if they have an electric choke setup. I am pretty sure they have both, as do most parts stores. Sound like you may not be familiar with the carburetor and the choke system. Go the the www.Holley.com tech site and see the instruction section.

 

As R66 said, that is not the original carb. You could have it rebuilt at a local garage, it's pretty easy if you know what to do. You could also replace it with a new carb with electric choke. You would want to go with a 650 cfm carb for your motor. You can get one for around $350 from Jeg's, Summit, Speedway, etc. Easy to replace if you know what to do. No sealer on the carb to intake gasket needed. You could also try to find an original type carb if you are so inclined. Good luck!

 

I agree with the above. You will also have to disconnect the vacuum advance line going to the distributor. Upon reconnection, you may get better throttle response by connecting the vacuum line to get manifold vacuum instead of ported vacuum. You should have some springs to remove on the throttle. Also, consider changing the fuel filter if has not been changed in recent memory. Jerry

 

When removing, lift the carb straight up and try not to tilt it which will dump gas over your engine or fender. When it’s away from the car you can flip it upside down and let the gas drain out of it on to the driveway so it can evaporate.

 

Messing with gas.....have a fire extinguisher at hand. Put a rag or something on the manifold to catch the gas that will spill out of the gas line. If you intend to reinstall the same carb, take pics of all your connections. Dennis

 

Many thanks for the suggestions - much appreciated. Apologies for being such a novice (I know nothing about carbs), but I am in the process of reading lots of posts and spending time on carb websites to educate myself.

I think a new carb w/electric choke is likely my best approach. If that gets me back on the road it will be money well spent. If all goes well I could look for a correct date coded carb then, but I’m assuming that will take some time, so a new carb makes sense right now.

I see a 4150 650 cfm double pumper w/ auto choke for $500+ at Jegs. Allstate carb (ACFI) in Central Islip NY is also very close to me and they come highly recommended. I will continue to research a bit and may post back prior to purchase or if I run into trouble with the install. Many thanks to all.

Bill

 

If it was me I would be looking for a service dated 2818 carb and have it rebuilt gone though by a top known shop before I would tinker with a generic carb

 

For normal driving a vacuum secondary carb is better than a double pumper, IMO.

 

Take your original to Allstate carburetor and tell them your problem and to restore the carburetor, I have bought parts from them in the past and had a good experience.

You are going down a rabbit hole with aftermarket double pumper carburetors, there calibrations are usually set rich.

 

When reinstalling the carb, the gasket goes on dry, and you don't need to put a lot of torque on the nuts holding the carb to the manifold........... you can warp the baseplate.

 

This is not the original carburetor for the car and it also is not a double pumper it’s a vacuum secondary they do make electric choke kits for this that you could put on it’s not hard to do. Based on the type of questions that you were asking even if you get a new carburetor you will need someone to help you adjust the idle circuit and the float levels they’re not exactly where they should be when they’re brand new.

 

The 3310 is either a 750 or 780 cfm which is much too large for your engine unless you do a lot of high rpm driving or all out racing or it has been modified with HP components. If you go with the original 2818 (600 cfm), you will have all of the carburetor that your engine can use in stock configuration. A 650 cfm, vacuum secondaries, and electric choke is as large that I would put on that stock engine if I were just using it for cruising and occasional spirited driving.
I have learned that most of the time, the GM original parts work better than most aftermarket with stock engines.
If you remove that straight piece of wire between the vacuum can for the secondaries and the mechanical choke mechanism, you will be able to verify the choke does work by opening the throttle a bit and move the choke lever to the back of the engine. That should close the choke blade. There are detents in the mechanism that will hold it in a couple of positions, but I wouldn't depend on them when using it for driving the car.
Almost any aftermarket carburetor you buy will need to be fine tuned to your engine and are generally too rich for your needs. I would tune the 3310 to get me by. It is a vacuum secondary and should be a drivable carburetor although not optimum for your engine.
Rather than buy a new carburetor, purchase an electric choke assembly for that 3310 to get you by for $70 plus shipping. Holley 45-223 Choke Conversion Kit The guys here can lead you thru the installation if the Holley U-tube doesn't give you enough guidance. Save the old mechanical choke set up as it fits most Holleys and maybe you can swap it to someone that wants it.
Just my recommendation.