I have a 55 merc with the original teapot carb and it's given me issues since the day I bought it. Full disclosure I'm a newb in the car world so I am constantly confused but trying to learn as I go. I've taken it to an old timer who has lots of experience work on these yet it still has the issues. First, it leaks which he says they have a flooding issue. To crank it I have to hold the gas pedal to the floor. Next, this past week I noticed some smoke and a smell of some liquid burning. After investigating, the smoke is coming from the manifold down (remember I don't know anything) near the bottom of the engine. At this spot on the manifold is a thing that looks like a handle on a toilet. (See I know nothing ) at that spot a liquid looks like it is leaking and the smoke is coming from there. My mechanic I mentioned earlier said today he fixed the smoke problem saying it was a gasket, however after I picked it up, it was doing the same thing as before. Also, every five miles or so now, a wall of smoke comes out of the exhaust. I don't know if this problem is directly connected to my carb problem or not. As for the carb I want to replace it as I was hoping for some advice on what current carb is best. My engine is 292 y block. Sorry for so long a post, if no one dares to try to get thru it all I wouldn't blame em. This is just even more important to me cause this is my daily driver and I want to try to resolve this issue as soon as possible without dropping more money with no results.

First, I think you need to say adios to that mechanic.  To blanketly say "they have a flooding issue" and not address the issue is bs.

Second, and I'm going to be blunt, you made a mistake buying this car for use as a daily driver.  It's 60 years old, clearly not in the best condition and is not reliable at this time for a daily driver.  It can be with lots of work but not right now.  You do not want to have a need to keep it on the road because it makes you rush and take shortcuts fixing things which doesn't always help make it more reliable.  It's likely going to have to be off the road for days or weeks at a time in order to fix issues properly.

The bad thing with vehicles this old is it is hard to find someone who actually knows what they are doing and it is best to simply learn for yourself.  That in mind, the first thing you need is a shop manual for the car.  They can usually be found as reprints of the factory manual and many can now be had on a DVD for use on your computer.

You mentioned a carb swap.  Given your experience, I do not recommend that.  You will need to change other things in order for it to work properly and you will need to be able to tune the carburetor.  Before you do all that, you need to have a pretty good understanding of how things work.  For now, the best course is to simply get what you have working well and to learn as a result.  Save the carb swap for another topic, another day, when you have a greater understanding.

RE the leaking carb, you need to determine where the carburetor is leaking from, why, and fix it.  Probably much more vague than you want, but it's nearly impossible to diagnose something like that over the internet.  Since you are inexperienced, I suggest you send the carb to an expert for rebuild.  You can also check your shop manual, read about it on the internet and if you feel comfortable, do it yourself.

What you describe on the exhaust sounds like the heat riser.  I don't know what liquid could be leaking out of there.  Maybe oil from worn exhaust valve guides.

What color is the wall of smoke?  Black is fuel.  Blue is oil.  White is coolant.

Another thing that helps with internet diagnoses is video.  Get a video of the problems, post it on youtube and include a link here.  That way we can see what is happening and be better able to help.



Lawrenceville, GA

I'm with Charley re your use of the Merc as a daily driver.  You need to forget that idea & get yourself a later common model car for that use. A 60 year old Merc is a collector vehicle & definately not suitable for a totally uninformed person to use for daily use.. Park it & work at getting it in shape as a hobby, not a daily necessity.. Good luck with the needed repairs.


Paul

Ask around and find a competent mechanic to look at your car. Where are you located? Maybe someone here can recommend a shop or lend a hand to help you. If you want to keep the Merc as your daily driver I would recommend learning to work on it your self. When some shops see a classic car pull up they see dollar signs. Maybe you could post some pics of the problem areas. That may help diagnose a problem or two. I understand wanting a classic car as your daily driver but you need to prepare yourself for the unique challenges of driving a 60 year old car. Not impossible but maybe a little challenging.

Durham Missouri

I know this is an old post and will not help the original poster, but I would like to add a comment that may help others.  I swapped the teapot for a Holley 390 years ago.  It has worked well and I never did any tuning other than idle screw adjustment.  It took some engineering to get it mounted and I made a post about it at the time.  You also need to upgrade the ignition, I used Pertronix III.

I drive classic cars as everyday drivers, but I can also work on them myself.  You cannot use these cars as routine transportation unless you can do your own work.  Today's mechanics do not know how to work on these vehicles.  Carburetors have been obsolete in new cars for 30 years and even old school mechanics do not know how to work with them.  You have to DYI or have a classic car mechanic, drag racers are pretty good too.  If you try to maintain a classic daily driver with a commercial mechanic, you will be paying him more than the cost of a newer car.

Other things to consider is that the older cars do not have good windshield wiper systems, have terrible defroster systems, and do not handle and brake well within the modern flow of traffic. Its a horror for me to admit, but even the cheapest piece of crap Kia accelerates, handles, and brakes better than a 55 Mercury.  However, nobody smiles and waves to you when your driving a Korean shit box.

You didn't describe in detail what you mean by a "daily driver," which can be anything from a daily drive in the country, to driving in rush hour city traffic. If  by chance, your driving that very nice Mercury for a daily rush hour commuter car in the city, you might want to give that a re thought.. There are so many incompetant & aggressive drivers out there these days, it's just good luck if you can avoid indefinately, a nasty accident that could injure you & write off your nice, non- replaceble collector car. There's a couple of people on this site & or who have written to Y- Block magazine, detailing the loss of their collector vehicles in recent times & in at least one case, resulting in near fatal injuries.. Just something to think about..  


Paul

Regarding the carb issue, it sounds like the carb need a rebuild.  These carbs are unusual and needs a guy that really knows how to rebuild them.  There is a guy , Mike Suter in PA, that is very good at rebuilding them.  Give him a call at 215-757-3678.  You will have to ship it to him.

If the toilet handle like thing is on the passenger side and is part of the exhaust pipe, it is the heat riser valve.  It may be stuck and/or leaking around the gasket or is worn and leaking.  Also check to see if it's operating correctly.  When cold, it is closed and when the exhaust warms up the spring that is supposed to be attached to it opens it up.  Maybe it is not opening properly but with enough back pressure it suddenly opens, therefore the cloud of smoke.  This is a guess.





54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ