I'm looking to install new 2bbl carb on my '62 292 Y block any suggestions?
thanks James

 

Welcome to FTE

A lot of folks recommend the 350 CFM Holley 2 barrel 0-7448, it will bolt right up. Manual choke. It should offer smooth idle and crisp off idle acceleration. There are some good carb rebuilders on eBay. I like seller "Gottafishgs" out of Oregon, there's usually an Autolite C3TF-K (truck) carb available. This is probably what your truck was supplied with from the factory.

 

thanks much appreciated!

 

No problem ... say, we like pics here at FTE btw ... and Y-blocks... And pics. Did I mention we like pictures?

I found a benched and flowed C3TF 1.02" venturi Autolite 2100 for my 64, exactly what it was supplied with from Ford, and couldn't be happier with it. It's a little anemic maybe, but I wasn't trying to hot rod the old girl, just get it running smooth and reliable. The important thing is make sure there are no vacuum leaks, these are the great bugaboos to carb tuning. A fresh Holley or a reputable rebuilder takes care of that kind of thing. Carbs are kind of getting expensive, too, for what they are.

 

yeah they are expensive How much is the going rate to rebuild one and have you done business with the rebuild guys you posted?

 

I have, and he seems like a great guy and does good work. The one thing about "rebuilding" is it's mostly just replacing rubber bits and gaskets. You can do that yourself.

But, though carburetors might look pretty much the same on the outside, looks are deceiving, they have different venturi sizes, and specific booster clusters for example. This was hashed out by Ford, depending on engine size, transmission, gearing etc. The mistake most often made is selecting the wrong carburetor to begin with and going through contortions trying to adapt it to the engine and make it work right.

Smaller size carbs actually idle smoother and have better off idle acceleration in stock engines. Better for heavy loads. That's why the big truck engines always had ridiculously small looking carburetors. So think about how you plan on using the truck when selecting a carb, and whether you plan on spooling it up to 7,000 RPM and all that.

After 50 years the wrong parts can get installed and mixed and matched. The main thing that is a show stopper with high mileage carburetors like the 2100 and similar is the throttle rod - where the butterflies attach, with long use these can waller out the holes in the carb body and introduce a vacuum leak. A typical "rebuild" doesn't address this. The fix is to ream out the holes and install bronze bushings. Not a major deal, but beyond the DIYer usually.

A good rebuilder will flow the carb on a bench for jetting. Jetting is widely misunderstood, the carb itself is setup for a certain flow, and this doesn't really change when installed from engine to engine.

It gets complicated because Ford used Holley sized jets until 1964, and then their own proprietary "F" jets. The carburetor I bought from Vapex had 43s in it, I about had a heart attack. 5 sizes too small compared from the shop manual spec. Eventually, I tuned the carb with a wideband O2 sensor .. and danged if those 43s weren't just about perfect for the cruise AFR. Always give the engine what it wants, not what you think it might want. Also beware of people drilling out jets or idle air bleeds, all kinds of stuff. Warped bases from over tightening the studs, etc.

 

Adding to what Ted has said: I also have had great luck with Autolite 2100/4100 series carbs. Not a sexy choice, not really tuneable, but very functional, reliable when used on mostly stock trucks. Do not toss your manual choke core, they are getting more expensive to buy now.

Regarding eBay seller “gottafishgs” I second the recommendation, he does good work, fair pricing, and he is responsive. I used to buy remans from PonyCarbs, at premium prices. He catered to the Mustang trade, could do great stuff with Autolites, and got high prices for doing so. He’s passed now, believe the business is long-gone.

No such thing as a one-size-fits-all “going rate”. All prices for any part or service on any vehicle are going to vary by location.

 

I am a fan of the Autolite carburetors. They are simple, robust, offer good mileage, and are easy to tune. I also believe that the factory did a good job of specifying all of the internals for a particular application, and messing with that is asking for trouble. I had a 1966 Mercury Park Lane with a 390 that had an Autolite 2 barrel sitting on it. I sent it off to Pony Carburetors for a rebuild. When it came back, I bolted it on, and except for about a 1/4 turn of the idle speed adjusting screw, it was perfect right out of the box. It performed superbly for all the time that I had that car for over 10 years. Additionally, citing information that I got on the video sent with my carb from Pony Carburetors, for your carburetor to perform smoothly, your ignition timing must be set properly. Their instructions were to advance the distributor to a point where the engine would just start to ping when accelerating, and then back it off to the point where it doesn't ping. I checked my shop manual for my Merc, and it said to adjust the timing to 8 degress (I think, but the point is, whatever the factory setting is) but then after that it said that depending on your altitude of where you live, you can advance the distributor to where it just started to ping and then back off, just what Pony Carbs said. Also, it goes without saying the the ignition (points, condenser, plugs, wires, vacuum advance, cap, rotor,) must also be in top notch condition. So, to echo some of the other comments here, depending on the use of the vehicle, a stock carb from a reputable rebuilder is a very good way to go. Just my 2 cents.

 

^^^^ That is EXACTLY correct. The Autolite is widely regarded as one of the best carburetors ever designed. The annular discharge clusters particularly.

But any carburetor to run right, first the compression, and esp. ignition timing has to be correct or it will never run right. The carb and intake manifold are a tuned matched pair, and it's all based on air flow. This is why a mechanic's vacuum gauge is so useful, if your stock factory engine won't pull 19" to 21" steady needle at sea level, find out why, because you'll pull yer hair out trying to tune the carb and everything else. Most or at least a lot of city or around town driving is done at idle, or just off idle and part throttle.

Carbs don't move much air under these conditions, so they developed an "idle circuit" that utilizes engine manifold vacuum as a workaround to achieve the necessary velocity through the carb to atomize the fuel efficiently. Manifold vacuum and ignition timing are directly related. While it's called "the idle circuit" it is in play well into the cruise circuit up to 35 or 45 mph, and getting this set right affects acceleration & bogs or hesitation.

What that means in practice is, if there are any vacuum leaks or, the ignition timing is buggered at any point along the way whether at cruise, idle, full throttle or anywhere in between, the carburetor won't get the proper "signal" through it. That's probably one reason why the old saying went "90 per cent of carb problems are ignition related."

 

hey tedster i bought the holley 350 cfm 2 bbl carb 0-7448, I was wondering if you know what air cleaner will fit on this carb?
thanks James

 

Just about any aftermarket should fit as it was a standard size. I have an extra you can have, but you gotta pick it up. If you have the oil bath filter that was supplied with the original 292 carb that will work as well.

 

I have the oil bath filter but it doesn't sit all the way down it hits the carb

 

That's why I was asking

 

That's interesting, I used a Holley 500 CFM circle track carb and the oil bath fits fine. I "assumed" it would fit on any other Holley as well. Hm.

Most auto parts stores sell those chrome bling air cleaners w/ a filter for not too much money.

 

yeah I need to get one thats's 8 inches in diameter.
thanks anyway appreciate it