The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop I would like ya'll advice.

I have a 235 CI with a duel carb setup. I have the Rochester B's on there and haven't had too much trouble them except the front one leaks a little and it is always running rich. I have turned the mixture screw as lean as I dare as not to damage or loose too much vacuum. This is my daily driver, I even drive it to school, from Dallas to Waco about 100 miles. So I would like to know what ya'll think of me switching over to the Carter YF that I have read so much about on here? Will I get better performance? Also I found some domed pistons during my rebuild so I have around 9 to 1 compression and have to run premium or it will predet. Thank you in advance!

The Carter YF is a good choice. But you do need to make absolutly certain the you get matched carbs. There ar 2 different versions that will bolt to your manifold. As long as you specify a GM fitment, you should be fine. There is a ford version that is jetted way larger than the GM version, so it won't solve anything as far as running too rich. Also, some rebuilders will just stick any version YF in the box, wheather its the correct one for the application or not. I had this experience with a pair from Tomco. Both were ordered for Chevy w/235, but one was actually a ford unit. Didn't realize that there was a difference until it was too late to return it. I am currently running a pair of Holley model 1904, Internatiol Harvester fitment carbs, and am very pleased with the performance. I will warn you, if you try the Holley route, be prepared to do some fabrication as they are intended for an engine with the manifold on the right side of the engine. That makes the throttle arm backwards form what a Chevy takes.

Air screw only adjusts the mixture at idle. You may have mis-matched main jets.

If it leaks and stumbles I would check the float level. That's usually the cause in a B. They tend to hang up or just be set wrong. Sometimes you have to replace the floats.

Once you get the float set up a B usually works ok. I fought with mine for a while before it worked, and now it has been really reliable. I replaced the float with an NOS brass one and took the seat out and chamfered it with an extra ball bearing and a punch to keep the needle from sticking. After that it has run very well even when it sits for a month between starts.

The thing is I just rebuilt the engine/carbs almost a year ago and I set every thing correctly and they all checked out. I am kinda peeved about the carb leaking because thats a brand new gasket.

There's a pretty good article under Tech Tips at www.inliners.org titled Multiple Rochesters. Might help.

My experience with carbs on my 261 has been very good using the Holley/Webber carbs from Tom Langdon at the Stovebolt Engine Co. He will sell you a matched pair and I think they were $65 each which is pretty reasonable. Of course you still need the adaptors and air cleaners but it is well worth it. They are a 2 stage carb so they work like half a four barrel. My 261 runs strong and still gets 20+ mpg on the highway.
No one has mentioned anything about your thoughts on adding some domed pistons to raise the compression. That really doesn't work with these engines. Since the valves are basically vertical a domed piston doesn't give you any piston to valve clearance. Your best bet to raise the compression at least some is to mill the head. If it has never been milled before I believe you should be safe to .060. You would want to check with your machine shop for sure. If you have a higher than stock lift cam in the engine you will need to take that into account as well.
Once they're done they are great fun. I've put over 75,000 miles on mine in a '50 pickup (including a BUNCH of passes down the 1/8 mile drap strip - the truck is in the photo gallery under Ron and Kim Plender).
Good luck and have fun!

I already have the domed pistons in the engine. The guy that does our machining, his dad use to hot rod these old stovebolts and he had these pistons lying around. He sold them to me and we fitted them. I'll try to post some pics of them soon.

Here's the link to see the pictures of the pistons, ready to install!

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2073141130100187838JKOeEB