The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop thick insulator between Carb & Intake

Question:
I am setting up a Fenton dual carb intake. Do I need the thick black insulators between the carb and intake manifold?
Also, if the insulators are recommended, do I still need to install a standard gasket? or will the insulators suffice without a thin gasket.
THANKS!

Johnnyrock70,

The insulators are thermal barriers to help keep heat out of the carburetors and help prevent percolation of the fuel.

The last Fenton dual setup I worked on had the insulators installed. Gaskets were used on both sides of the insulators, making sure the vacuum port in the base of the carburetor wasn't covered and had free access to manifold vacuum.

Some folks run the insulator naked on the manifold and gasket the joint between carb and insulator but I have never seen a 'no gasket' situation.

Stuart

The carbs will leak without a gasket. They might even leak with a gasket, but you have a better chance of no leak with the gasket.
Joe

Yup, gotta have the gasket. Also, you don't neccessarily have to use the factory spacers. I made my own out of peice of red oak, then sealed tham to keep the gas out of them. They work great. Read about that in Hot Rod a while back, anly thay used mahogany. I beleive that either Summit or Jegs sells them to fit under Holley 4 bbls that are made of wood as well.

I've had a wooden spacer under the carb on my y-blocks for years. I didn't realize it was an accepted practice. I've been telling people I learned it from Jeff Foxworthy.

Now if you use a wooden carb spacer on your stovebolt....

You you might be a redneck .......

If you need some spacers, let me know I've got a couple I'm not using.

George

I would guess that you are installing two single BBL carbs. When I installed my dual Holley Webers, Tom Langdon told me that I did not need the spacers between the adaptors and the manifold. So I didn't and just used gaskets. Worked fine.