I am having a little bad luck lately. Last weekend I did brakes on my ’73. Replaced calipers, brake lines and pads. When I took the car out for a test ride the brakes worked great. While I was out I took it on the highway and as I reached about 75 mph the car started to break up. I started to head home and the car go worse. I could smell gas, so I pulled over. The car stalled. I opened the hood and there was gas all over the intake manifold. I let it sit a few minutes and tried to start it again. After a few tries it started and I managed to get it home, although the car ran like crap. I let it sit a couple of days and went out on Wednesday and sprayed some carburetor cleaner into the carburetor, Thinking it might just be a stuck float. I started the car and it ran okay. I put some gas and carb cleaner into the gas tank and all was good, until today. I had the car out again and it started to break up again and I could smell gas. The exhaust was smoking and the car was running rough again. This time I made it home without stalling. I pulled into the driveway and went to open the hood. When I pulled the hood release, the hood would only release from the driver’s side. So now I can’t get under the hood to get at the engine and I can’t use the car as it is.
Can somebody tell me how I can get the hood open and should I just replace the carburetor or is there something I can do with a stuck float valve?
Thanks,
Bill

 

I think you should just keep driving it until it catches fire

Seriously go buy a new carburetor I have always been more than happy with a brand new carb and then if there are more problems you know the carb is good.

 

I did briefly consider your first option. After all it is insured.

I will most likely be getting a new carburetor. I have put a lot of money into this car this summer. I replaced all of the brake calipers, rotors, pads etc. I also replaced the front bumper cover and am waiting to hear from the body shop to have it painted. I replaced the A/C compressor and have to bring it to be recharged. I also bought all new tires. This has all been done in the last two mounts.

 

you should at least put your location on your profile!! If you are nearby I'd swing by & help out

if the drivers side is unlatched you can pull the hood up enough to get your hand in there & unlatch the other side so you can find your fuel leak

 

DON"T do that!!!! park it in my garage & report it stolen!!!! I'll make it dissappear!!

 

It was just a joke! I would never do that to my baby.


I went back out to the garage and pulled the hood release and the hood popped right open. I put some grease on all of the movable parts and pivot points and tried it a few times. It seems to be working okay now. Go figure!

I started the car and it is running fine. I think it is the float in the carb. Why else would it keep flooding out?

 

You live in Stony Brook, you need Bongs in your avatar.
No realy when you get the hood open fire it up and look for the leak. It could be a lose fitting.

 

And keep a fire extinguisher very close at hand.

 

GOOD IDEA!

 

Bill. I seriously doubt the float is making the carb puke fuel out all over the intake manifold, that is caused by a leak somewhere. Take the carb apart or take it off and have it gone thru by someone that knows what he is doing. Also just looking at the thing with the engine running may tell you what you need to know. Have you put a new filter in it? It everything tight? I have worked on more than one that was litterally falling apart, loose screws, loose fuel line etc..
Look around the top plate and base plate, see if you can see the gasket all the way around. Just gointo to Napa or billybobs car parts and popping for an exchange carb might not get you what you need. Likely as not it will have mismatched jets, rods and other parts.
Best option for you may be to ship it to LARS and have him do the carb for you. At least that way you know your not going to bet bent over

 

Give it to Lars.

 

If you waste time checking, cleaning, ect... In the end it will have to be rebuild anyway. Spend a few bucks and be done with it!!

 

The brilliant people at the Rochester design department used a material for the float that eventually saturated with fuel. It became a lead sinker instead of a float and gas used to pour out of the top horns of the carb.
A NEW float should fix your problem.

 

The carb does not always have gas running out of it. It is something that has just started to happen last week and it only does it sometimes. I drove it for an hour yesterday without incident, then all of a sudden it started to happen. Later on in the day it was running okay again. I had this problem with a 1966 mustang I had and it turned out to be the float.
I also didn’t think to say it, but the carb is an Edelbrock that I put on the car 12 years ago. I still have the original Quadrajet but thought the Edelbrock was a better choice. Should I have Lars rebuild the Quadrajet or the Edelbrok and how do I get in touch with him?
Bill

 

Been there done that to.