Thanks Daniel.  For now I just opened up the choke fully as the weather is getting warmer here in CA so I shouldn't have any problem starting the car.  When things get cooler in the fall maybe I will be in the mood to pull the intake and repair the tube!  

There is a thin sheet metal tube that runs the horizontal length of the intake, from side to side. After almost 60 years these things are usually toast. Different restoration companies sell replacements. You will have to pull the intake and use a punch to drive out the old tube and install the new one - they are a press fit.




Daniel Jessup

Lancaster, California

aka "The Hot Rod Reverend"
check out the 1955 Ford Fairlane build at www.hotrodreverend.com

I had the carb. professionally rebuilt and the engine now runs great.  The rebuilder told me that the choke was stuck because it was full of exhaust debris that entered the choke through the pre-heater tube.  He cleaned it out and freed up the choke.  This carb. is on a stock intake of the type where the pre-heater tube connects to the center leg of the intake manifold not the exhaust manifold.  With the tube disconnected and the engine running I can feel exhaust gas coming out of the threaded brass fitting on the intake.  What could cause exhaust to enter the tube and how can this be fixed?   I am toying with the idea of just converting the carb. to an electric choke and capping the fitting on the intake  but I am running a 6 volt system so I don't know if there will be enough power to run the choke element.

Holley has pump diaphragms that are ethanol fuel compatible, they are green colored. I don't think they come in any kits but can be bought separately..

Under your choke blade is a bolt holding the sqirter.  It has two nozzles pointed at each venturi.  Remove that bold, turn the carb upside down and a needle will fall out.  Blow air through that and the nozzles, and the fuel should start flowing to the nozzles.  There are gaskets under the screw head and under the nozzle.  The one under the nozzle will be squeezed to the shape of the carb, and not flat.  Don't lose them.  If you get that far, then remove the jets and blow air through them, remove the power valve and see if it moves freely with a slight vacuum on one side.  It sounds like you have varnish/gunk build-up in the air/fuel passages that needs to be cleaned out thoroughly.  If you can't do that, then it would be prudent to have the carb boiled out with cleaner and a new gasket set installed.  A competent carb builder should be able to adjust the needles and secondary throttle blades to get a decent idle for you.  Joe-JDC

JDC

Might not hurt to have that shop do a rebuild on it...  I've not seen one like that before- what's that goofy arm that goes to the black circle on the top of the float bowl?  Is that a 2bbl?

I drained and flushed the tank before the first startup.  After the carb. is cleaned out I intend to use an inline fuel filter for awhile in addition to the one on the fuel pump.

Suggest you take a good look at the gas tank as it may be the source of the garbage in the carb.


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

I took the pump apart and the diaphragm looked good but there was a lot of loose debris particles in the pump housing and the small passageway looked blocked.  I cleaned it out with paperclip and blew compressed air into the hole and I also cleaned out the two holes in the nozzle.  The arm now moves the diaphragm  freely.  Put the carb. back on the car primed it to start it but still no gas coming out of the nozzle.  I think that there must be a lot of particles in the bowl and blocking the passageways.  Looks like I am going to have to take the carb. to the shop and see if they can just clean it out without doing a total rebuild as this was a brand new carb before the car was allowed to sit for seven years.

Diaphram is dried out and stiff, or the fuel in that housing has gunked up the check ball causing a fuel lock.  Also, check the plastic cam on the accelerator arm is in place and not cracked or broken.  If that plastic cam is missing, it will not actuate the arm.  Joe-JDC

JDC