VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Mechanical - Engine, Trans, etc "37 carb

Hello Everyone,

My car is back on the road....at least until it snows.

Gave the car a once over and found the spark plugs, AC R43, to be sooty on the porcelain just below the threaded section to the bottom where the porcelain and metal meet.

I was wondering if the Carter YF 964S that is on the intake might be jetted too big for the 216 ??

Should it have a Carter W-1 instead ??

Would anyone know the jet / metering rod difference between the two carbs.

Dave,

I don't know anything about the YF but in owning the same '36 PU for 50 years I've learned that main jets and metering rods are interchangable among all the W-1s that I've ever seen.

On my '36 a 1939-40 W1 with a 94 main jet and a 1-step lean 1938 metering rod is what the engine likes really well in the sea level to 4000 foot altitude range. When I ran it up Pikes Peak in 1976 I changed the main jet to an 89 in Woodland Park at the bottom of the hill and it ran crisply all the way to the top, 14,110 feet.

If you ever need one I have an extra NOS genuine Carter 25-33 all metal needle and seat. It is for 1929-49 Carter carbs. The carburetor gurus have told me that the all metal needle and seat is unaffected by methanol unlike the "viton" tipped and other rubber tipped needles.

If you switch to a W1 and the throttle shaft is loose, bushings for Rochester Quadrajets are a perfect fix for that.

Ray W

The #43 spark plug is a very cold plug used for heavy duty trunk use. An AC45 or 46 would be more suitable.

Hello Ray,

Yes, I would be interested. Both the "white car" and the "black car" came with Carter YF carbs. When I sold the "white car" the new owner brought me back the engine/trans because he was going to build a hot rod and felt the stock parts would serve me better than him.

I have 2 Carter W-1 carbs but they will need to be rebuilt. From what I have been able to determine, the W-1 was used from '32-'37, hence the question about the YF being to big. Any info of who carries the small hard parts, jets and rods, would be greatly appreciated.

Chevgene, Junkyard Dog,

The AC 43's were the plugs that have been in the car and new sets came with the car so that is what I run. I'll take your advice and switch to the AC45's.

The Carter YF has the same throat aize as a W-1- The YF is a fits all replacment and by luck usually works well on a 216.
The W-1 was used from 1932-1949 with MANY changes along the way. The linkage arm has a zig-zag in it for the 1937 and up models. The 1937 version was the last to have the two piece choke plate. The 1938-1940 had little improvements as can be a good replacement.
The throttle bore at the throttle plate is 1 7/16" on the 1937-1940 and 1 1/2 for 1941 and up.

Thank you Chevgene.

I'll decide about which carb I will go with after I have run the car with the AC 45 spark plugs.

"Hello Ray,"

Good morning Dave.

"Yes, I would be interested. Both the "white car" and the "black car" came with Carter YF carbs. When I sold the "white car" the new owner brought me back the engine/trans because he was going to build a hot rod and felt the stock parts would serve me better than him.

I have 2 Carter W-1 carbs but they will need to be rebuilt."

Dave, I've collected a few of these carbs. Being an unrepentant tinkerer I've put bushings in both the throttle shaft bores of some of these and also in the accelerator pump/metering rod bell crank shaft bores. That eliminates inconsistent idle speed and inconsistent metering rod position. I'd be glad to send you photos of the tools I made to do that job and what the modifications actually look like if you give me your email address. Mine is raywaldbaum@gmail.com.

"From what I have been able to determine, the W-1 was used from '32-'37, hence the question about the YF being to big."

The Carb Shop has an excellent online tutorial on these W1 carbs that were used through 1949.

"Any info of who carries the small hard parts, jets and rods, would be greatly appreciated."

The jets and metering rods as well as lots of other stuff are on ebay. When I was jetting the carb for my '36 PU I found what I needed on ebay.

Although it is about Rochester Carburetors there is an excellent book by Doug Roe on carburetor theory as well as how to jet a carburetor precisely for any application by changing the metering orifices. The book even has tables showing the precise area in square inches of every imaginable jet hole and metering rod diameter. That makes it a cinch to give your engine the precise air-fuel ratio it wants from idle to wide open by changing jets and rods. You can feel what the engine is doing by "seat of the pants" or if you're a techie with an O2 sensor and an air-fuel meter.

"Chevgene, Junkyard Dog,

The AC 43's were the plugs that have been in the car and new sets came with the car so that is what I run. I'll take your advice and switch to the AC45's."

I drive my '36 locally with very rare highway driving. Part of my jetting experimentation was "reading" the plugs after running under various condition from light throttle cruising to heavy pulls up long, steep hills. My plugs are AC 46 and I have pictures of what they look like when jetted wrong during the experimentation as well as when the jetting is dialed in. Let me know if you want to have a look.

There are online tutorials on plug reading with lots of pictures. In reading plugs it's important to remember that plug color is an indication of how hot the plug was at the instant the ignition was cut. It's possible for a plug to read "rich" when the mixture is actually correct or even too lean if the plug is too cold for the engine it's in or for your driving conditions. In other words you want correct jetting for the engine, not for the plugs.

Those obsolete AC plugs are generally expensive on ebay but they also occasionally go for only about $1 each. Those are the ones I buy. Summit Racing also has them in some heat ranges.

This is the fun part of this hobby isn't it Dave, actually improving these antiques?

Ray W

Hello Ray,

Tinkering with these cars is half the fun and extremely therapeutic. It just so happens, and I forgot I had it, I have that carb book from my drag racing days. Back then I loved to tinker with the 4 barrel Rochester carbs and all my buddies would bring over any they found and I would strip them down for all the internals. I had a tackle box full of jets, rods, hangers, accelerator piston lengths, and the springs that went under them. That was 30 years ago.

These one barrels are a little harder to find and I don't have the access to them as I did with the 4v.