Notices
1967 - 1972 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks Discuss the Bumpsides Ford Truck

Carb choke question

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jan 7, 2003 | 09:53 AM
  #1  
pward76's Avatar
pward76
Thread Starter
|
Elder User
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 622
Likes: 0
From: Urbandale, Iowa
Carb choke question

I currently have a 2 barrel Motorcraft carb with no tag on my 68 390. The venturi numbers on the side are 1.21, which Pony Carbs tells me is the correct size for the engine (351 cfm). It has the mount for, but not the workings of, the choke pull off - which is no big deal since the carb itself has a manual choke.

I'm assuming that this carb was a replacement, and whoever put it on removed the automatic choke.

The truck stumbles off idle, it's worse when cold, somewhat better when warmed up. I'm assuming that the carb needs a rebuild, like most of the rest of the truck. I'm thinking of getting a (correct) Autolite carb, and rebuilding it myself.

Now, I can find Autolite carbs, but all of them have the auto choke. I'm wondering if it a simple deal to simply remove the auto choke and hook up the manual choke cable, and go from there.

Thanks!


 
Reply
Old Jan 7, 2003 | 12:12 PM
  #2  
William's Avatar
William
Logistics Pro
25 Year Member
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 3,565
Likes: 9
From: Sun River St. George
Carb choke question

Check for exhaust heat in the intake under the carburetor. Cold engine, start the engine and lay the back of your finger on the intake below the carburetor. It should get uncomfortable real quick. If not check the heat riser in the left exhaust manifold. See if it works freely and closes when the engine is cold. Also look at the warm air supply hardware for the air cleaner. This stuff needs to be in place for cold weather operations. Ford used many different systems to provide quick warm up and warm air/fuel for winter operations. You also need a 190 thermostat.
William in Atlanta
 
Reply
Old Jan 7, 2003 | 12:44 PM
  #3  
pward76's Avatar
pward76
Thread Starter
|
Elder User
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 622
Likes: 0
From: Urbandale, Iowa
Carb choke question

>Check for exhaust heat in the intake under the carburetor.
>Cold engine, start the engine and lay the back of your
>finger on the intake below the carburetor. It should get
>uncomfortable real quick. If not check the heat riser in
>the left exhaust manifold. See if it works freely and
>closes when the engine is cold. Also look at the warm air
>supply hardware for the air cleaner. This stuff needs to be
>in place for cold weather operations. Ford used many
>different systems to provide quick warm up and warm air/fuel
>for winter operations. You also need a 190 thermostat.
>William in Atlanta


Thanks, William.

I just got a heat shield and snorkle that I bought off ebay - the paint is drying on them as we speak - to be installed when I take off the exhaust manifolds and have one welded and both of them trued up and matched to the gasket, as part of the exhaust system replacement.

I have a brand new 195 degree thermostat in (along with a new water neck). I will do the check for exhaust heat, but my real question centers around the carb.

Can I remove the automatic choke from an Autolite 2100, and just use my manual choke cable? Or do I need to find one that is manual choke already?

Thanks again!

 
Reply
Old Jan 7, 2003 | 01:03 PM
  #4  
William's Avatar
William
Logistics Pro
25 Year Member
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 3,565
Likes: 9
From: Sun River St. George
Carb choke question

Sometimes collecing the bits and pieces for these old Fords can be a real test! Personally I like automatic chokes and would put your 2100 back that way. Finding all the pieces will be a test. Since you know of "Pony Carburetors" I'd ask them if they sell a kit for this application or maybe a rebuilt carburetor. Honestly, If the budget can tolerate it I'd go for an Edelbrock Performer and 1406 600CFM. Check out JEGS for 300 CFM carburetors that fit this application and keep the 2V.
William in Atlanta
 
Reply
Old Jan 7, 2003 | 01:57 PM
  #5  
pward76's Avatar
pward76
Thread Starter
|
Elder User
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 622
Likes: 0
From: Urbandale, Iowa
Carb choke question

>Sometimes collecing the bits and pieces for these old Fords
>can be a real test! Personally I like automatic chokes and
>would put your 2100 back that way. Finding all the pieces
>will be a test. Since you know of "Pony Carburetors" I'd
>ask them if they sell a kit for this application or maybe a
>rebuilt carburetor. Honestly, If the budget can tolerate it
>I'd go for an Edelbrock Performer and 1406 600CFM. Check
>out JEGS for 300 CFM carburetors that fit this application
>and keep the 2V.
>William in Atlanta


Actually, I'm getting kind of addicted to ebay - I keep finding neat stuff...

I'm not sure that my truck came with an automatic choke, since it has the choke cable, bezel, ****, etc that all look like they are stock. It's a 68, btw. I will check Jegs out, but I think 300cfm might be a tad smallish, Pony says my current one is 351 cfm, and I saw another spot that listed it at 360 cfm?


 
Reply
Old Jan 7, 2003 | 02:14 PM
  #6  
pward76's Avatar
pward76
Thread Starter
|
Elder User
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 622
Likes: 0
From: Urbandale, Iowa
Carb choke question

I just talked with Pony again, according to them, all 68 390's came with a manual choke carb, which is a different casting than the automatic choke carbs. The stock exhaust manifolds do not have the provision for the hot air tube required by the auto choke, so if I wanted to go non-manual, I would have to go electric. If I stay with the 2V, I will stay with a manual choke.

Now to really confuse myself, I'm going to look at Jegs and 4V's


 
Reply
Old Jan 7, 2003 | 05:03 PM
  #7  
jas88's Avatar
jas88
Lead Driver
20 Year Member
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 7,966
Likes: 595
From: Greater Austin, Texas
Club FTE Silver Member

Carb choke question

I am facing a very similar situation. I have a '71 360 that was originally equipped with manual choke. I want to convert to automatic. I have an electric choke coil, but the Ford coil incorporates a thermostat that turns it off if the ambient temp is less than 60 (so it will open slower using the conventional heat stove method). Well, my truck does not have a heat stove or a bypass valve. So I need to fashion a heat stove. I want something that looks pretty close to factory but I do not know what that looks like. Can anybody email me a picture of their factory heat stove setup for auto choke?

To answer the original question, you can buy a manual choke conversion kit and hook your factory choke cable to it. That's how this truck was setup before I started monkeying with it.
 
Reply
Old Jan 7, 2003 | 06:09 PM
  #8  
mk's Avatar
mk
Laughing Gas
25 Year Member
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 1,165
Likes: 3
From: central Alberta
Post Carb choke question

I'm sure I've seen a heat stove kit for the auto choke in the 'Help' line of accessories you can get at your local discount auto parts store. As for the manual choke, don't most conversion kits have the auto choke housing adaptor?
 
Reply
FTE Stories

Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts

story-0

Top 10 Fords at 2026 Carlisle Ford Nationals

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership

 Brett Foote
story-2

10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-3

Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained

 Brett Foote
story-4

10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)

 Michael S. Palmer
story-6

Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)

 Brett Foote
story-9

Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

 Joe Kucinski
Old Jan 8, 2003 | 08:13 AM
  #9  
jas88's Avatar
jas88
Lead Driver
20 Year Member
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 7,966
Likes: 595
From: Greater Austin, Texas
Club FTE Silver Member

Carb choke question

>I'm sure I've seen a heat stove kit for the auto choke in
>the 'Help' line of accessories you can get at your local
>discount auto parts store.

Right, that is what I am planning to use, but wanted to make up something that looks like the original. As far as I can tell, the heat stove on Fords goes down the exhaust manifold (?) as opposed to being built into the intake manifold like on GMs. I have never seen one on a vehicle, or at least did not take note of it, so my information is very spotty. That's why I was hoping somebody could send me a picture.

>As for the manual choke, don't most conversion kits have the auto >choke housing adaptor?

Yes, that is how you do it. It has a piece that replaces the choke coil and then has an external hookup for the cable to actuate the choke linkage. It will also come with a cable, you just substitute the Ford factory cable in it's place.

 
Reply
Old Jan 8, 2003 | 08:13 PM
  #10  
Mike W's Avatar
Mike W
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 7,157
Likes: 1
From: Central Kali
Carb choke question

I made a hot air pickup for the air cleaner by welding up a short L shaped piece that is held by one bolt on the exhaust manifold. A short tube on the top uses aluminum flex to connect to the air cleaner. I use a Holley electric choke cap on my Ford 2bbl, works fine. Those factory hot air tubes for the choke are nothing but a headache. They rust off at the exhaust manifold or fall off so your choke is sucking cold air. :-(
 
Reply
Old Jan 9, 2003 | 08:38 AM
  #11  
jas88's Avatar
jas88
Lead Driver
20 Year Member
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 7,966
Likes: 595
From: Greater Austin, Texas
Club FTE Silver Member

Carb choke question

>I made a hot air pickup for the air cleaner by welding up a
>short L shaped piece that is held by one bolt on the exhaust
>manifold. A short tube on the top uses aluminum flex to
>connect to the air cleaner. I use a Holley electric choke
>cap on my Ford 2bbl, works fine. Those factory hot air tubes
>for the choke are nothing but a headache. They rust off at
>the exhaust manifold or fall off so your choke is sucking
>cold air. :-(

Yeah, the GM setup is much cleaner. The heat stove is built into the intake manifold just under the carb so it gets heat from the exhaust bypass. This also allows an intake tube that gets it's air from the carb air horn so it is filtered. On the downside, your bypass valve needs to be working properly and those are not so reliable over the long haul.
 
Reply
Old Jan 9, 2003 | 09:29 AM
  #12  
390fe's Avatar
390fe
Fleet Mechanic
25 Year Member
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 1,360
Likes: 1
From: Iowa
Carb choke question

 
Reply
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
'77 F100 Custom
1973 - 1979 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
9
Dec 6, 2016 09:01 AM
yabadaba
1967 - 1972 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
8
May 15, 2016 10:29 AM
Sportsterengr
1973 - 1979 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
4
Feb 4, 2016 01:20 PM
Mdc9966
1973 - 1979 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
3
Sep 16, 2015 11:20 AM
pbuffing
1973 - 1979 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
8
Oct 3, 2005 02:13 AM




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:06 PM.

story-0
Top 10 Fords at 2026 Carlisle Ford Nationals

Slideshow: Top 10 Fords at 2026 Ford Nationals

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-09 11:10:08


VIEW MORE
story-1
3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership

Based on years of owning multiple modern Ford products.

By Brett Foote | 2026-06-09 10:53:36


VIEW MORE
story-2
10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches

SPONSORED: From muddy boots to rain-soaked cargo, these upgrades address some of the most common frustrations Ford truck owners face every day.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-06-08 18:50:34


VIEW MORE
story-3
Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained

Here's everything you need to know about every Ford engine available for the 2026 model year.

By Brett Foote | 2026-06-05 12:58:01


VIEW MORE
story-4
10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love

Slideshow: 10 ugly Ford trucks that we still kinda love.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-03 09:51:16


VIEW MORE
story-5
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)

Slideshow: the best gifts for dads & grads

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-06-03 15:43:58


VIEW MORE
story-6
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath

Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-06-03 11:38:36


VIEW MORE
story-7
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer

Slideshow: 10 most expensive Ford trucks ever sold on Bring a Trailer.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 16:24:34


VIEW MORE
story-8
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)

Here's everything that has changed for the latest model year.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-27 16:17:28


VIEW MORE
story-9
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

Slideshow: Top 10 Ford truck tragedies.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-18 19:34:33


VIEW MORE