VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1949-1954 Carter YF carb for a 235.....

Does anyone have experience with Carter YF carburetor on Chevy 235 engines? I have been told they perform better than the Rochesters. Or, is there another carb worth looking into? Are there any exotic modifications needed to make the swap? I'm new to the Chevy scene and appreciate the help. Thank you!!....

I am running a Rochester on my '51 Chevy 2-door with 235 and powerglide. Just finished a tour in Colorado at 7500+ feet for four days. I get ~18 mpg. Except for a bit cold starting at below 40 deg. F performs well. Don't see a reason to switch to another carburetor, spend a bunch of $$$ and get a teensy bit better performance. Does not compute. Don't believe most of what you hear. There are a ton of "mechanics" that talk a good story. Sorta reminds me of the "Cowboy" that has a nice hat and no cattle. If his Wranglers don't have a barbed wire snag, polished seat and a little thin at the knee he ain't no real one (or he just left the general store). Sorry Jon, just had to put down my experience. BTW, my Wranglers don't qualify.

Is there a particular issue you are trying to solve with your current Rochester?

If it's working fine & not leaking, then I would leave it alone.

As for modifications, the correct Carter YF for your application should not require any mods.

See CarbKing's post in this thread for the list:
https://vccachat.org/ubbthreads.php/topics/392853/Carter_carb#Post392853

The 2101S would be correct for your '54 if the engine is original.

Yes! I am a firm believer in not fixing anything not broken! Or sometimes, let sleeping dogs lie.
I am a little new to the Chevy scene and had read on a couple of other sites that the Rochesters was getting a bad reputation. One thought I had was maybe the earlier Rochesters has issues, and the later ones like the one on my 54 got a little better. My carb may "sweat" a little, but does not by any means leak a lot.
I have no interest in getting a few miles more on a gallon with the amount I drive it. Maybe when I retire and I drive it everyday. I also heard the Carter was a lot smoother running. My carb hasn't given me any headache, but I had a thought to look into a Carter if it did.

Thank you guys!