whats the best carberator for 216 engine and where can i buy a professionally remanufactured one? I have tryed several carbs,, i have quite a collection now. rochestor b's carter yf's carter w1's tried several rochestor b's all have seemed to leak, and boil over. tryed one carter YF it boiled over too. tried rebuild kits currently running a W1.. it runs fine.. but is very hard starting after sitting for days.. also somthing is up with the shaft.. it wont close all the way with return spring resulting in fast idle speed unless i stomp and realease the gas at stop lights, frustrating.. I have a couple stromberg cores maybe i should try them
Both mine are tough to start after sitting, I run "Rottenchesters", I guess fuel runs back to the tank. I have gotten the leaks to slow considerably by using two upper gaskets under the Air Horn. Notice I did'nt say stopped. They get warped and leak and then we well meaning maintainers keep overtightening the four corner screws and bow it even more in the middle. Ned likes the Carters.
Carbs alternatives ? Your intake is a standard single one i`ll guess ! I have very good results with the Carter YF with autochoke and potstove. But the Stromberg 28 carbs are very suitable to. I know Rochester has a simelair carb with autochoke and potstove to. Rebuildkits are sheaper to buy then the remanufactured carbs. EBAY or the Carburator Doctor in Canada have them. There are different vendors in the US like Jim Carter or The Filling Station whom can help you here to. They sell rebuild carbs and rebuild kits to. I would use a locall repairshop or a hotrodclub if you dont wanna do the work your self ! OK. now your shaft problem. Take your carb of the intake and do an inspection on the shaft. Maybe it needs some cleaning from rust , some return spring adjustment.It has to fall back very smooth in its position without any stops on its way. Sinc. Martinius.
Watch out...your 216 has a different bolt pattern then the newer 235's, a little smaller diameter. Boil over can be something as simple as your fuel line too close to the exhaust manifold or header. May not be your carbs fault at all...operator's!!
Carby (not) Fun Assuming the bakelite insulator is still there between the carby & intake manifold , the fuel boils away because it crap ~ Foo-Foo junk the Govt. forces upon us , normal engine heat makes it evaporate . adding a few ounces of ATF to each fill up of fuel , aleviates this a fairly good bit . The easy fix is to mount an electric fuel pump on the frame rail and either run it live off the ignition or have a momentary pushbutton to prime the carby before cranking the engine . Most of the time the high idle sticking is the linkage , mostly the bell crank and throttle to pedal rod being allowed to touch the toe board hole . Stiffer springs ALWAYS make it worse . adding thin flat washers wherever a rod goes through a hole , helps . The best carby IMO , is the Carter YF , buttery smooth throttle response at all loads & RPM's . They ALL seep around the air horn joint , did so when new too . I've " fixed " a few leaky Rochester Series ' B ' carbys by gluing the air horn gasket to both surfaces , this means to take it apart again you'll have to soak it in an alcohol bath... If you run a clear , micronic fuel filter just before the carby , and carry spares in the glovebox , you'll never need to take the carby apart . I use WIX/NAPA # 3011 .
i like the elecric fuel pump idea.. on primer switch.. i will see if i can find a 6v model.. i have tryed all kinds of fuel line configurations etc to try to stop the fuel from draining back to tank, loops, u bends etc.. nothing has worked. boiler over is not from fuel line placement. it runs in the stock location bakelite spacer it in place,, i even switched it out with other used ones and a new one to try to stop boil over I think i will try to rebuild another W1 and see if i can get the butterfly to close smoothly.. and see if i can add a 6v electric primer pump..
Make shure your heat flap thingy is working. It is the little half round thing sticking out of the exhaust manifold nder the intake. It directs hot air to the underside of the intake to warm it up. If this is stuck, it may allow the hot air to get under there constantly and will cause vapor lock. The 53 did that to me. Spray it with pb and work it back and forth to break it loose....keep spraying as you work.
Fuel Evaporation If the fuel drains back, the pump's valves are kaputi , time for a rebuild (old style pump) or a new one (cheap if FUGLY) . 6 volt pumps are available , try vintage Porsche 356 places like N.L.A. or maybe Vintage Parts Inc. for old VW parts... Flea-Bay might just be your friend here.... I typically use old pumps scavenged from derelict vehicles.... *sometimes* , a 12 volt pump will work on 6 volts , don't bet on it but if you find a used $5 12 volt pump , I'd give it a go . You only need 2 ~ 4 PSI but a fair good bit of volume to keep a carby happy , this allows you lots of wiggle room . DO NOT use more than a 4 PSI pump ! .
The Zenith carbs from the GMC trucks are superior to the Rochester & Carter carbs & most of the Zenith carbs have the same bolt pattern as the 216. I am with Nate on the electric fuel pump. I am all done with crappy mechanical fuel pumps. I had a mechanical pump fail while I was driving my truck... the pump was pumping enough fuel to keep it running but it was also dumping raw fuel into the crankcase at the same time. Engine stared knocking & oil pressure dropped to zero. I shut the engine down & checked the dip stick & it smelled like gas. Would have burnt the motor up if I had tried to drive any further. I have converted my fleet of trucks to all electric fuel pumps. I have hidden the electric pumps near the gas tank & I still leave the original mechanical pump on the engine but ,it is rendered useless as I remove the operating lever & I use a block off plate where the diaphram was... this way you can still use the glass top of the original mechanical pump as a filter & everything looks original. The Bosch Facet pumps rated at 3.5 - 4.5 lbs. work great. Here is a tech. write up on it.... http://www.jbhardin-gallery.com/trucks/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1687
