The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk carb just crapped out on my 59 apache

i think maybe a valve is stuck open it spills gas and you have to set the idle incredibly high, normally i idle at 500-550 now it has to idle at like 1200 or some****, motor runs fine, so i think its time for a new carb, im 95% sure its an edelbrock 600 performer. i have a holly intake and a riser/adapter plate that goes between them, what should i do? should i go bigger? stick with the edelbrock 600? i was considering a holley 750 but my mechanic said to get the same one i have, im basically just asking about compatibility and the best bang for my buck. i have a 350 block with an 40 over bore and a 350thm. any advice would be greatly appreciated.

J.

I have exactly the same rig - a '59 Apache with a 350 engine and Edelbrock Performer carb. Go ahead and take the top off the carb and have a look. These are great carbs and rarely need to be replaced. These are reworked AFB carbs without the sintered bronze fuel filters. They can get crap in the lines which can fall into the fuel bowl and can cause the needle-and-seat to stick. I suspect if you clean it up and inspect it closely, you won't have to buy a new one. If you don't want it, send it to me.

I agree with Apache Kid. When I bought my 55 it was sitting for nine yrs and had an Edelbrock 600 Perf. carb. It would not run when I brought it home. It finaly came down to the carb. so I rebuilt it and it runs fine now. These carbs are the easiest to work on. They do not have a lot of parts to them.

Roger

jsimon1984 - just a side question, you know of any place in orlando where stovebolters meet up? or any clubs. I've only seem old cars.

not in orlando, but every saturday night in kissimme is nothing but classic chevys, mostly trucks too. we could do something in orlando though. i would check it out the one down there but my truck is freaking out on me. i just looked underneath my truck and the carrier bearing bracket was bent a litttle bit, its under warranty so now im gonna have to talk to them about that too before i loose my driveshaft again.

You might also run a bit of crocus cloth over the needle valve. They sometimes get a bit of corrosion on them. If you're running a fuel tank that you're not absolutely sure of, there may be a buncha junk in it that can end up in the carb.

It's real simple to pull the airhorn off an Eddie. Just make sure that you're careful when you remove the 3 spring clips, cuz they can end up in another zip code real easy. Then remove the screws holding the airhorn on and pull it stright up. Be careful when putting it back on...the metering rods have to fit into the jets and more than one guy has bent them. So don't force it.

You should have a good running carb when you're thru.

J.

When I awoke this morning, I had come up with a few other things that can cause those symptoms:

1) the electric choke isn't functioning and keeps the carb on fast-idle. Put your hand over the choke to see if it warms up.
1a) The fuse to that circuit could be blown and the choke doesn't heat up. Check the fuse.
1b) The ground to that circuit is corroded or broken. Check the ground.
2) The fast-idle linkage is bound up somewhere and the carb stays at fast-idle regardless of the choke setting.

Good Luck!

okay its at an idle of 900rpm just to sit still. its pretty clean inside but spilling fuel out the sides. its a manual choke so its nothing electrical whatsoever. at very best the gaskets are worn, float is messed up and maybe a valve is stuck, i found a carb shop that will rebuild and guarantee it for one year but they want to charge me $250 so im basically paying for the warantee, but since i dont know how to rebuild a carb, i might have to do that because, a new edelbrock 600 performer lists for $400 and no one else will give me over a 90 day warranty around here on a rebuild

What kind of fuel pump do you have on this truck?

I've seen a lot of advice given, but none taken. Do you just want to spend money or do you just want a different carb?

These carbs just don't cost that much. See:

http://performance.gearheadracingpa...amp;modelid=45&year=1969&br=true

Look at P/N 1405 @ $293

Maybe he doesn't have the experience to rebuild his carb. My advice would be to follow the advice given and carefully and methodically take that carb apart and put a rebuild kit in it. If you've never done it before what's the worst that can happen? You'll need a new carb? Then you're right where you are right now.

Go for it! You can do it! It's what Stovebolting is all about! Well, sometimes we fail and screw something up too, but that's just part of it.

This is a good carb to jump in to, my first attempt at a rebuild was a Q-jet, yikes!

IF you are buying a new carb, stay on the smaller side. 350 to 600cfm. If you are running a stock 283 to 350 cu.in., you don't need a bigger carb. Too big you will loose your bottom end. Too small you will loose the top end. I would think you need the bottom end more on a stock motor for pulling and everyday driving. Holley makes a 570 Avenger that is more than enough for stock with an RV cam. An edelbrock is a fairly cheap and GOOD carb. Just keep it small. Don't let the parts guy tell you different. You will suck a lot of gas and loose the performance you need and want if you go too big.

its a stock fuel pump, and like i said, ive never rebuilt a carb, and i havent completley ruled it out, i work for moving company and my boss lives down the street, so im not in a desperate rush, but if im going to do it, it has to be right cos its my daily driver. by the way, the fuel pump isnt even a year old and its just a stock 350 fuel pump, non electrical. fuel flow doesnt seem to be the problem.

While there is not a lot positive I can say about the eclone, you have one, so if you can make it work, there is less cost involved.

The high idle sounds like it might be a vacuum leak somewhere, especially since you state the engine runs fine. If you have the idle set at 900 RPM, it is entirely possible you would be idling partially on the main circuit, thus fuel would be spilling from the main (primary) discharge nozzles.

Before throwing money at either a rebuild or a different carb, I would highly suggest a wee bit more trouble-shooting.

If it does come to replacing the carb; my best advice would be a stock 350 cast iron intake from about a 1968~1970 350 with the stock Q-Jet from the same engine. Of course, the down-side is that you will have to find something else to buy to use up the money the eclone is requiring for gasoline!

Jon.