Carburetor repair 57 hawk

[aftontrix]

Hello,
I can run my engine for 15 minutes and the down directed exhaust pipe leaves black soot on the driveway.
Also the motor is very hard to start without using engine starting fluid. I think this is due to a
bad carb. A rebuild kit is about $30. A rebuilt carb is $150. I am not a mechanic. How can I tell if the carb
is worth rebuilding? Would it be better to buy a professionally rebuilt carb? Do you know where you can purchase one rebuilt for less than $150? Thanks

[Gunslinger]

DO NOT BUY A REBUILT CARBURETOR!

I have never seen an assembly line rebuilt carb worth a damn. Get your own carb rebuilt by a shop that knows what they're doing. Most rebuilt carbs are given a quick clean, some new seals and floats (if that), a generic adjustment and boxed up and shipped out to a retailer. They're not built to a specific application, so the jetting may be wrong, the linkages may not align the same, the base plate could be warped, etc. When I was working in auto repair rebuilt carburetors had an absolutely horrendous rate of defects.

A good carburetor rebuilder will tell you that as long as the carb is not physically damaged, it can be rebuilt. Worn parts can be replaced, rounded out holes can be given new bushings, and a warped baseplate can be trued. Your own carb already has the correct jetting and linkage hookups.

Buying a new carburetor is one thing if you care to do that...assembly line rebuilts are crap...and I'm cleaning up my descriptive word. They're nothing more than clean cores to have a good carb guy build for your car.

Find a good carb guy and they are out there. Maybe some of our vendors can do it...Jon Myers is a good place to start.

[rockne10]

Do yourself a favor and send your carb to T-bow.

Dave Thibeault
13 Nick Lane
Maynard, Ma. 01754
(978) 897-3158

It will not only act like new, it will look like new. Not less than $175 but worth every penny.

[StudeRich]

Do yourself a favor and send your carb to T-bow.

That sounds to me like a problem if Afton is looking for UNDER $150.00, Dave's are likely almost double that!

[Dan Timberlake]

The factory manuals are pretty complete in regards to carb rebuilding. A good "modern" shop might find the factory info useful.

There was a time when mechanics at dealers could advance their careers by getting specific training. I think carburetors was considered one of the specialties. A friend's dad was a Chevy mechanic in the 60s , and had attended automatic transmission and Fuel Injection "school." He told tales to us starry eyed adolescents of the chore of road testing FI Corvettes, returning with the rear tires "gummy" presumably from Intended Acceleration

Nonetheless, I'd expect if An adventurous DIY studied the factory info they'd have a decent chance for a successful rebuild, best practiced on a spare carb.

[aftontrix]

I thank all of you for the good info. The $150 rebuilt carb I referred to is someone advertising in the Studebaker Int'l. Inc. Parts catalog. They give a phone number (317-462-3124) but no name. I do not know if it is an assembly line built carb or not. Is it very difficult to do it yourself? Are there instructions someplace that shows a blow up of disassembled carbs? If necessary I will pay more but just trying to keep costs down like everyone else. Thanks again for the info.

[Tom Bredehoft]

That phone no. (317-462-3124) is for Studebaker International. Call them and ask about the quality of their built carb. They will tell you.

[aftontrix]

Tom,
I would rather hear about the quality of their rebuild from someone like you. I would not know rather to believe the vendor or not. What do you think about them?

[rockne10]

Is it very difficult to do it yourself? Are there instructions someplace that shows a blow up of disassembled carbs?

The Chassis Parts Catalog has blow ups of the carb parts. A rebuild kit should have instructions. It's not difficult. Definitely worth trying yourself. Very satisfying if successful.

The problems I've had are with carbs that are so old, or have been rebuilt so many times, the chromation has been worn off the body. It's cast of porous metal. The chromation seals the body so fuel won't evaporate through it.

I send my carbs to T-bow. He re-chromates the body and cad plates all associated hardware. It's been a couple of years but the last 2bbl I had done was $175 with my core.

[Tom Bredehoft]

I've not had experience with their rebuild facilities, but the general experience I've had with them (I did a nearly total rebuild on my '55 with their help) they can't be beat. Not to say other vendors are less good, but their service is excellent.

[aftontrix]

Rockne,
I sent the carb to T-bow. He quoted me $195 to rebuild the 2 barrel. You guys highly recommend him so he must be good. I will let you know how it turns out.
A couple of more questions:

Where is the oil pressure sending unit located?

There is a 1 & 1/2 inch long pipe sticking up out of the intake manifold. IT has a tube sticking down into it and going to the carb. The pipe also has a hole in the side of it that someone has covered with tin foil. My guess is there should be another hose or piece of tubing going into that hole and down to the crank case. Is that correct? If so where on the pan or crank case does it go and what kind of hose/tube and fitting does it require. Thanks again for the info.

[rockne10]

Oil pressure is mechanical. There should be a fitted hose at right rear of the block, attached to a copper tube that runs to the dash. Many of us carry a spare hose. If it fails it ain't pretty and, more often than not, expensive.

[StudeRich]

There is a 1 & 1/2 inch long pipe sticking up out of the intake manifold. IT has a tube sticking down into it and going to the carb. The pipe also has a hole in the side of it that someone has covered with tin foil. My guess is there should be another hose or piece of tubing going into that hole and down to the crank case. Is that correct? If so where on the pan or crank case does it go and what kind of hose/tube and fitting does it require. Thanks again for the info.

No that is not a crankcase breather or PCV Valve connection. It does NOT go to the Crankcase.

If you are talking about the tubes in the center intake Manifold port, that is only a HEAT tube to heat the Automatic Choke on the right side of Carb. right above it. The second tube preheats the Carb. air at the mouth of the Carb. There is no vacumn in the tubes, only heat.

The center port in the Intake Manifold is the exhaust crossover from the right head to the left head. With a working Heat Riser Valve between the right exhaust head pipe and the Exhaust Manifold, the Choke heater will work.

[aftontrix]

Rockne, thanks for the oil pressure info.

Studerich, thanks for the info. There was no tube connected to preheat the carb air. In fact I do not remember a place to hook one up on the carb. It is a Stromberg WW 2 barrel which I have already sent to T-bow so I will have to check later.

[irish]

I agree, but I don't think you can buy a rebuilt carb for a Studebaker anymore, they are obsolete. Carbs in general are becoming obsolete it's been about 25 years since most cars have used them.

Joe

DO NOT BUY A REBUILT CARBURETOR!

I have never seen an assembly line rebuilt carb worth a damn. Get your own carb rebuilt by a shop that knows what they're doing. Most rebuilt carbs are given a quick clean, some new seals and floats (if that), a generic adjustment and boxed up and shipped out to a retailer. They're not built to a specific application, so the jetting may be wrong, the linkages may not align the same, the base plate could be warped, etc. When I was working in auto repair rebuilt carburetors had an absolutely horrendous rate of defects.

A good carburetor rebuilder will tell you that as long as the carb is not physically damaged, it can be rebuilt. Worn parts can be replaced, rounded out holes can be given new bushings, and a warped baseplate can be trued. Your own carb already has the correct jetting and linkage hookups.

Buying a new carburetor is one thing if you care to do that...assembly line rebuilts are crap...and I'm cleaning up my descriptive word. They're nothing more than clean cores to have a good carb guy build for your car.

Find a good carb guy and they are out there. Maybe some of our vendors can do it...Jon Myers is a good place to start.