VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1933-1936 1934 Master W-1 Carb

I keep seeing reference to numbers such as 260, 284,285 for these carbs. Mine doesn't seem to have any. Where does one look for that number?

Pat, this may help.
http://www.thecarburetorshop.com/CarterChevroletW1.htm

The number is the Carter carburetor model number. It was on a brass tag attached with one of the screws holding the air horn. Chevrolet attached a tag with the Chevrolet part number the same way. If the brass tag is missing the only way to tell exactly what you have is to check the internal parts.

Thanks guys. Here are photos of them. The one on the left is a 284S, at least that's what the tag says (correct for my car). The other one appears to be a 319s as per Bill's chart as it has a 3-screw air horn.The one on the left has a round shaft and the one on the right has a flat shaft (which according to the FS kit page is a 400 or 500 series).

Bill's chart says they are rare & troublesome. Are there any that are not troublesome? All I care about is trouble-free motoring.

Hi
One other place to look for the number is on the carburetor flange face where the gasket is. A lot of them are stamped on that face, you have to take the carburetor off to see the numbers, they are on the sealing surface

I checked the one on the right (above) and there is 365 stamped on the bottom flange. I don't see any mention of 365 in the documentation I have, unless it is for another make.

Pat,my 33 coupe has the 259s carb which I think is close to what you have except for the idle circuit screw location.I had a problem with the 2 internal check valves which operate with the accelerator pump.One of the check valves locked up and would not let fuel squirt when I tried to accelerate.I bought a kit which was relatively inexpensive,and I rebuilt the carb in about 1 hour.I have never had a problem since.

The 319S has the incorrect lever that the accelerator rod connects to. Note zig-zag in lever and the other carb. does not have the zig-zag. The 1936 and prior engines use the "plain" lever.
The original 1934 unit was perhaps the first half way decent W-1. If its rebuilt correctly there should be no problem with it (if its rebuildable).
The other step-up would be a 569S which is a replacement carb. for 1932-1936 engines. It basically a 1941-1948 carb. with the "plain" lever.

Thanks everyone,

I'll send the 284 to the rebuilder for assessment. If he thinks it is rebuildable I'll go with it. Otherwise we'll do the other one. Can I put the straight lever from the 284 on the other one?

Even the earliest W-1 carbs can be made to run okay. Gas mileage is not the best with the early '32 but the others are not too bad if the rebuilder knows what he is doing. There are a few tricks to make them run well.

I agree with Chev Nut (always a safe bet!) that the universal replacement 569S is a nice carb. I have one on mine and it's been trouble-free. Since it was available from Chevy dealers it is also acceptable for judging. There just happens to be one on ebay with the brass tag that will need rebuilding. Looks like the levers may not be on it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1932...torsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

The 569S would not be correct for judging as it was not available when the car was new (DELIVERED by the dealer).
Had one on my '34 and no judge ever noticed or knew the difference.

TheEbay carb. looks like it does have the lever from what I can see.

My car will NEVER be judged anyway, it was waaaay too rough when I started with it. However I plan to drive the (you choose) out of it.

Well if I'm judging your car I would notice it. Gene is right, not correct for judging at all. I would take points off for anything but a correct carb for the year of the car. There are many ways of telling what carb you have is.

Chip is right, you can make the correct early carb's run really nicely if you work at them.

Pat, the best carb to use would be the one that Gene pointed out which had the filter on it. If you have problems with the vacuum advance when your done let me know, I know how to fix this problem.

When I am judging and I find the wrong year Carter W-1 on a car, I have always taken 1 or 2 points off. For example, if 2 1938 Chevys are being judged at the same VCCA show, the one with the correct year W-1 carb should be "rewarded" for making the effort to have the correct carb on it. In my humble opinion, the Chevy with the wrong year Carter W-1 needs to receive a deduction for non-originality, but the owner should not be killed with massive point deductions. One or 2 point deduction is probably adequate.
dtm

This is all very interesting. However comments like "..can be made to run OK..." imply modifications. That means professional rebuild not just me installing a kit. Then Mike33 in posting #202510 above seems to have cured his with a kit, yet he talks about internal functions which implies he knows what makes it tick.

So if what one does to a 284s to make it run OK is known, I wonder if I could get a description so I can tell the rebuilder I'll send mine to.

Many rebuilders do not give out their "secrets" to the general public or other rebuilders. When it takes years of experience and countless hours of work to figure out how to make the carbs function well, why should they just give it away?

The Carter literature and special tools are a major part of a good rebuild. I personally have corrected "mistakes" from some well known carburetor rebuilders.

Many times all that is needed is to clean the parts well and replace a few gaskets. Then there are the others! Which do you have?

Golly Gee Whiz! Chipper why do I always have the "OTHERS"?

Correct me if I'm wrong but,I believe there are different size metering rods for the main jet which will allow you to make your carb run leaner or richer?If your carb is running too rich or your spark plugs look black,you can install a leaner metering rod which will burn less gas.Also the float height is very important as is cleanliness of all the parts during assembly.Also make sure your needle and seat can handle todays fuels without deteriorating.I'm sure guys on here know much more than I do but I listed a few tips I know.I hope this helps.