Airhorn gasket

[57 Silver Hawk]

After I rebuilt my Stormberg WW carb with carb kit I bought it from NAPA five years ago. I now noticed some mild gas leak on base of the carb. I traced it to airhorn gasket where it is getting soaked up with gas so bad. It was cheap gasket from NAPA? Should I buy good gasket individually from Stubebaker vendors?

Thanks, Steven

[r1lark]

quote:Originally posted by 57 Silver Hawk

After I rebuilt my Stormberg WW carb with carb kit I bought it from NAPA five years ago. I now noticed some mild gas leak on base of the carb. I traced it to airhorn gasket where it is getting soaked up with gas so bad. It was cheap gasket from NAPA? Should I buy good gasket individually from Stubebaker vendors?

Thanks, Steven

Steven,

The tops (airhorns) on these WW carbs seem to warp easily, most likely from overtightening of the hold-down screws. If the top is warped, the gasket will not compress evenly and can lead to a gas leak.

A good practice is to always check the tops with a good straightedge. If the top is warped only slightly, a sheet of good sandpaper on top of a sheet of glass can be used to 'surface' the top. Use a lubricant (WD-40 or similar) and work slowly, rechecking with the straightedge often. If there is a lot of warpage, heating the top in a oven (not too hot - maybe 200 deg max) and then GENTLY tapping with a piece of wood and a small hammer should take out most of the warpage. (Before heating, figure out how you will support the top while you are tapping - blocks of hardwood work well.) After you have the bulk of the warpage out, use the sandpaper-on-glass to finish it up.

Don't crank down hard on the screws when you reassemble the carb. If you can borrow an inch-pound gage for tightening these screws, do it.

[u]Disclaimer:</u> the followng is based strictly on my experience, and your opinions/experiences may vary.
About gaskets - just because a gasket set comes from a Studebaker vendor does not guarantee they are quality gaskets. One example: a 'remade' gasket set for a '54 Champion carb purchased from a major vendor requred significant trimming to fit correctly (and didn't inlcude all the required gaskets). I had never had this problem before in NOS or quality aftermarket carb kits. Not saying that all the carb gasket sets from all the Stude vendors are like this, but my experiences have been just so-so on remade carb gasket sets. But if this is all that is available, compare the gaskets closely with what you took out and test fit the gaskets to ensure they fit correctly.

Paul
Winston-Salem, NC
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