The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Handy "Vari"spped governor on BB 48 1.5 Ton

hi all,

just rebuilt my Rochester 1 bbl carb for the 48. Was getting ready to put the carb back on and noticed that under the carb is a governor as listed in title...
Problem is = it was on upside down and the port marked "to carb" was connected to the vacuum line for the distributor and the port marked "to dist" was connected to the carb...

I had the truck "running" before but just barely, do you think this was put on upside down by previous owner on purpose???

I am thinking I'll install it the way it stated on the unit and report back...I wonder if it was a mistake and the truck never ran right afterwards and that is why I got it at a good price and with such low miles: 16,000.

Curiouser and curiouser...

didn't start but now I have no spark...

I would flip the governor back over then........

try this link: http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1948_51truck/51ctsm0678.htm

Although it doesn't mention any vacuum lines....so perhaps you have a different beast. Is the governor open or closed with the way it was hooked up.....how about if you hook it up correctly? Does your distributor have ports on it for the air lines to run to and from?

My '60 IH has a line for filtered air at the carb to the distributor and then a line to the governor that is integral on the carb. From the description in the manual it sounds like the factory setup does not use air lines or distributor for the governing.

Tad

Yes, the distr. has vacuum port to advance and that was hooked up to the governor. the carb has a vacuum port near the Idle adjusting screw that goes to the governor...
thank you for the link to the manual...still, the governor unit was installed upside down when i got it and the truck did run, but not well...

Here is a link to pix:

Driver's side governor pic http://i1307.photobucket.com/albums/s598/Motoswiz1/DSCF4220_zps7d4c6d29.jpg

and
Passenger side pic http://i1307.photobucket.com/albums/s598/Motoswiz1/DSCF4218_zps6a828d31.jpg

Varispeed pix:

http://i1307.photobucket.com/albums/s598/Motoswiz1/DSCN0113_zpsc2e3594f.jpg

and

http://i1307.photobucket.com/albums/s598/Motoswiz1/DSCN0112_zpsc3862f5e.jpg

this bottom pix shows the markings for the side toward carb, it was installed the other way, with the carb arrow towards the manifold...

Is the only line to the distributor for the vacuum advance? If that is so then it seems to me that the governor would affect the vacuum advance somehow, but that the actual governing is set by an internal spring as the manual describes.

On my '60 IH the distributor actually has lines just for the governing, it uses the rotation of the distributor shaft to affect airflow for the carburetor governor. My truck does not have vacuum advance.

If the governor affects the vacuum advance then installing it incorrectly could very well affect how the truck runs. If I'm understanding the manual correctly, installing it upside down would cause the governor to not function as it relies on airflow(in the correct direction) to close the butterfly. Perhaps the governor was set to kick it at a low enough rpm that a previous owner chose to just disable it to get a higher road speed but did not remove completely.

Tad

I am now think that is the case, Jungerfrosch...it was installed upside down so it did not function but was kept because to remove it would affect the position of the throttle linkage by lowering the carb an inch and a half and also the carb mounting bolts would be way too long...easier to leave it in place as a spacer...