Carburetor replacement
Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 5,831
Likes: 121
From: St Albert, Alberta
And that is being generous.
That is if they are installing a rebuilt unit and not rebuilding it themselves. If they are rebuilding it then 3-3.5 hours is about right. It should take no more than 90 mins to rebuild a 2150.
Postmaster
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 2,595
Likes: 5
From: Pasadena, Ca
Whoa, I never included rebuilding.
It took me 3 hours of calling and driving around just to find a shop that would put my '78 through smog testing, because no one knows what to do on these. There is no way that I would find a shop that would swap out a carb and tune it in 2 hours. Old guys that know how to do this are sitting at the desk now, not so spry and climbing under the hood. If I can find a young buck that knows how to work on a vehicle without an OBD2 plug, they can charge a premium.
I should ship my truck to Canada and have it fixed, it would save me a lot of time and money.
It took me 3 hours of calling and driving around just to find a shop that would put my '78 through smog testing, because no one knows what to do on these. There is no way that I would find a shop that would swap out a carb and tune it in 2 hours. Old guys that know how to do this are sitting at the desk now, not so spry and climbing under the hood. If I can find a young buck that knows how to work on a vehicle without an OBD2 plug, they can charge a premium.
I should ship my truck to Canada and have it fixed, it would save me a lot of time and money.
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 19,311
Likes: 97
From: Waterloo, Iowa
Welcome to FTE
There's a lot of wide open territory in your question. You could probably find a hack who will install anything that will bolt on and call it good so long as it (usually) starts. The problem is labor rates, for the most part. A professional is going to charge somewhere around $65 to $125 an hour, depending on location. Fast, cheap, or good. Pick two.
You'll be money ahead if you get in the books and study carbs and do it yourself, and it will be done right.
There's a lot of wide open territory in your question. You could probably find a hack who will install anything that will bolt on and call it good so long as it (usually) starts. The problem is labor rates, for the most part. A professional is going to charge somewhere around $65 to $125 an hour, depending on location. Fast, cheap, or good. Pick two.
You'll be money ahead if you get in the books and study carbs and do it yourself, and it will be done right.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,626
Likes: 78
From: NE Texas
Jklnhyd - look for a local shop who does a lot of classic car work - if you see a bunch of oldies parked outside, almost guaranteed they will know their way around carburetors by necessity. Don't even waste your time with tuners or import specialists. If you see lots of old Detroit iron.... become friends.
Postmaster
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 2,595
Likes: 5
From: Pasadena, Ca
Oh, I steer clear of those places, because they will take my money.
I do agree with the rebuilding yourself, cuz if I can do it anyone can.
I do agree with the rebuilding yourself, cuz if I can do it anyone can.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 19,311
Likes: 97
From: Waterloo, Iowa
Another issue that wasn't a factor when these trucks were new(er) is there can be a whole bunch of problems upstream and downstream that will interfere with setup and tuning. Carb tuning is always done last, (or revisited) only after ignition timing and distributor is squared away. A tired high mileage engine won't have good compression, vacuum leaks galore, etc. It is impossible to tune around major defects. Tank and lines full of sediment and sludge, fuel pump weak etc. The paid professional has to get in there and get 'er done, he doesn't have time (or you probably don't want to pay) for a complete fuel system overhaul.
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Senior User
Joined: Aug 2017
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It takes about 5 minutes to remove a cabruetor. 4 bolts, fuel line, vacuum hose, throttle linkage and kick down if auto and the tube for the choke going to the exhaust. $25 for a rebuild kit another $20 for a 1 gallon can of carb cleaner. Watch a youtube video and your good to go.
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