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I have a Carter YF and a Rochester carb for my 235 six.I'm not sure which one to use. I am also wondering which one would have been original to the engine?

Rochester

The Rochester 'B' would have been the original carburetor that the engine was equipped
with. But because of the multitude of problems with the Rochester 'B' many of them were
replaced by the more reliable after market Carter carburetors.
People often think that a simple cleaning and installing a rebuilding kit in a ‘B’ will cure
their problems but the trouble lies in the basic over-simplified design of the ‘B’ and the
alloys that were used in their manufacture. The YF was a popular replacement for the 235
Chevrolet engines and I‘ve never heard any complaints about their performance. I have
heard complaints about the cost of the rebuilding kits for the YF, which are much more
expensive than the ‘B’.
The one thing you have to watch out for when choosing a Carter YF is that it's the correct
model for your engine. Carter made this model carburetor in dozens and dozens of
configurations for replacement on many different makes and models.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny,

I am interested in getting a Carter for my engine. It is a '53 235 powerglide engine. Would you happen to know how I would be able to identify the correct one?


Kurt

Thanks, great explanation.

I just went through this and what I found was I needed a YF 2100S, it works just fine after rebuilding it. Mine went on a 56 235. Go to the engine forum, I just posted the thread that covers this carb issue, I didn't know how else to do it. Dave

I'm not the expert here Kurt, just relaying some of the general discussion we've had here.
From what I remember I think Homer has it covered, that 2100S sounds familiar. There
have been lists posted to the forum and if I remember correctly, Carbking (Jon) posted a
very complete list for Carter carburetors to one of the threads a while back.
Denny G

What year 235 engine? Early 235 engines used Carter carburetors (maybe not the YF, but not Rochester "B"s or "BC"s).

Nonetheless, as stated above, Carter carbs were a common, reasonable-cost, replacement carburetor.

Homer just recalled this thread over on the engine forum, that was the one I was thinking
of:
https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=727247&page=1


Yep, ya caught me on that Tim. Guess I just naturally assumed that since he had a YF
that he had a later 235 also. So to be more specific, I should have specified that the pre '50
235's were Carter equipped as were all of the Chevrolet engines.
Oh those little details!!!!!
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

My truck originally had a Rochester B. I changed to the Carter YF 2100.

The Rochester, while a good carb, has 4 bolts to attach the top plate to the body, one bolt in each "corner". Over time, the plate warps so that it does not match the plane of the body mounting surface, resulting in leakage.

The Carter has 7 bolts attaching the top plate to the body. Do the math.

Mine has never leaked, and I'd choose the YF over the B every time.

Bill

Thanks Denny,

Next question, where might I find a Carter YF 2100S? Tried evil bay and a few other places...


Kurt

The rebuild kit I picked up for my Carter YF 787s was only $16.00 at my local Oreillys
Its a Walker kit #15306A. I dont know if its the same kit for a 2100s

Its on the shelf, not to expensive and no shipping cost.
The pumps don't seem to last very long, either due to the fuel or the type of rubber used.
Good Luck

I got mine off of e-bay, took a while to find one, I could not just search for YF- 2100s I had to search through all of the YF carbs, maybe all of the carters, I know I didn't find it just searching for 2100s. Dave

I found mine on Stovebolt in the Truck Parts Wanted forum.

Bill

If you want to spend about $250, Jim Carter has YFs listed in their catalog, but you might want to call to see if it is a 2100S.

$190 plus $150 core at Chevs of the 40s (for intakes through 1949).

Go to www.carb-x.com, the Carburetor Exchange out of El Monte, CA. A few years ago I needed a Rochester B for a '51 Fleetline...all the usual vendors were asking $250+, they had a rebuilt one on the shelf for $135. The carb worked like new, never had a problem with it. The owner said that they rebush all of the old carbs, check for cracks, mounting surfaces, etc.

He also said that they work on and stock a lot of the older carbs, so the chances of them having a Carter on the shelf are pretty good. They shipped the same day, too.

Give them a call.

Chris

Us GMC fellows have a preference for the Zenith breed of carbs. I am not sure on the mounting flange interchangeability but its been one good carb throughout its day. I think Zenith is still in business and can be purchased new although I wager they are not cheap.

Heres a link showing a new Zenith next to the Rochester. http://www.zenithfuelsystems.com/documents/RR15P68-71.pdf

Zenith carbs are considered to be better than both Rochester & Carter carbs - the price is usually considerably higher, too. I'd go with a Zenith if I had one available.