Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Carb Completed

The weather in Phoenix, Arizona this time of year is not conducive to my restoration project as it's VERY hot in the garage and the humidity is too high for my evaporative cooler to be effective.  I was motivated to get some work done so I moved inside for the carb rebuild.

One piece of disassembly I hadn't done was removal of the jet block. I wasn't sure how it was connected but a bit of searching led me to believe that it is simply pressed in. It is, in fact, a press-in assembly and a few light taps with a dead-blow hammer using a deep-well socket as a "punch" knocked it right out with no damange.  here is a small screw in the carb body that keeps the jet block from rotating  that must be removed. The block had a fair amount of oxication holdin it in place but it cleaned right up. My rebuild kit included the paper washer which fits below the jet-block.


I did all the cleaning outside in the morning while it was relatively cool.  I'd done some rubbing with scotch-brite pads to get the worst of the grime and oxidation off of the main carb body and used carb cleaner on everything else.  I read somewhere that a dip in a 3:1 mix of water:muratic acid would brighten up the aluminum so I figured I'd give that a try too.  This treatment helped remove most of the oxidation, especially in the hard to reach corners and crannies.  It probably would have done more if I had let the parts soak longer.  I only put the parts in the mix for a couple of minutes before reinsing them and neutralizing the acid.  A quick spray with silicone lube once dry gave everything a nice luster and should help protect the parts from oxidation.

My rebuild kit included all the gaskets and I also ordered a new float needle.  Everything went back together without any issues.  The slide and barrel look good and slide well without slop. I shouldldn't have to open her up again unless I have to re-jet one of the circuits after I get her running.  I put the needle back in the same groove I found it - assuming it ran that way some time her distant past.  I won't know if that was right until she runs.

I need to find a new o-ring to fit between the carb and engine, an air intake tube, and some type of filter and I'll be ready to mix air and fuel.

Here is a picture after the clean and rebuild.  The carb is an Amal 376.

After Cleaning