Howdy folks,
I'm thinking about getting rid of the electric choke on my Holley 1850, and just using a manual choke. Anybody have any experience with something like this and have anything to share with the rest of us? Right now, I'm trying to figure out the best place in the interior to install the choke handle. Any suggestions will be given full consideration before being ridiculed! Ha, J/K

Scotty

 

I considered the same thing. I was thinking mounting it under the driver side lower dash area, underneath.....or in the ash tray. THEN, I decided to just buy a Holley WITHOUT a choke, and found I don't need it or miss it. Car starts easily, and after 15 seconds will run just fine.

 

I live in Massachusetts, so it can get pretty cold in the winter time. I don't drive my 'vette in the winter, but I like to get it out on the road by April 1st, and some years I'll drive it right up until the day they start putting salt on the roads. (Early December some years) So, I'd like to at least have a choke available for the rare case where I may need it.

Hmmmmm.....actually inside the ashtray.....that's intriguing...even if I still smoked, I wouldn't smoke in my 'vette, so that sounds like a great idea to use some formerly wasted space. Maybe I can put the manual torque converter lock-up switch in there, too, if I decide to use one when I get the 700R4 in there, hopefully some time this summer..

Scotty

 

Why do you want to get rid of the electric choke?

Jebby

 

What has an electric choke ever done for me that a manual choke couldn't do? I have had other old cars, and motorcycles, and even lawnmowers and stuff that had manual chokes, and they seemed to work just fine. Using a manual choke to cold-start an engine doesn't bother me one bit, I kinda like it, in fact.
On the other side of the coin, I have had electric chokes fail and strand me on the side of the road. It's pretty easy to jury rig the choke blade open to get home. but it's still a hassle. The last time this happened to me was several years ago, in the 'vette I own right now, as I was driving home late at night, I tried to roll both electric windows up at the same time and blew a fuse. Well, the electric choke was on the same fuse, and bam! now I'm driving down the highway with the choke engaged! (I think I'm using the wire that went to the original Q-jet electric choke, but I'm not absolutely positive about that) It only took about ten minutes to wire the choke open, and now I roll one window up at a time, but it was a hassle.
Also, the electric choke has to have air running through it to avoid burning up the bi-metalic spring inside it. This amounts to a small vacuum leak, and I don't like the idea of it. I mostly only drive it when it's nice out, so I probably don't even really need a choke anyway, maybe just at the very beginning and end of the Corvette driving season.

Scotty

 

you have to remember how stiff the choke cable may end up being and how many bends its going to take to get it thought the firewall and down behind the passenger dash then under the console and to your final destination. Ive thought of it and decided that electric was easier. I Converted to an electric choke on an Edelbock, then put one on my divorced choke Quadrajet. Then converted a Holley tripower center carb to it. It worked fine but now Im going to have to convert a restored tri power center carb adn dont want to destroy it so I am using my old Quadrajet conversion.

If you do go to the manual conversion, keep us posted. I was thinking of doing it and thought it would have to be a pull down just under he and behind the passenger dash

 

mine on my 68 is above my right leg mounted to the lower dash it is not very sturdy and is hard to pull using both hands I can feel the dash flex I greased both end and it is some better but still very
Concerning

 

Yes the routing of the cable would be the biggest concern.
I have done the manual choke conversion back when was young on old beater cars. Mostly cause it was the cheapest way to go, and I was young, poor and living in Wisconsin.
If I were you. I'd keep the electric choke. I know it's always a pain to get them just right. but they really don't fail all that often. Maybe rewire yours so it's on it's own fuse.

 

Same here. 1976 Nova rust bucket. Little 262 small block, basic transportation to school.