VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Mechanical - Engine, Trans, etc 1946 Carter W1 carburetor

Installing a newly rebuilt carburetor on 1946 216.. Builder sent me a flange gasket to use.
Does the flange gasket install beneath the insulator (between the manifold and insulator)
OR
on top of the insulator (between the top of the insulator and the bottom of the carburetor body?
Only ONE gasket is required, Correct?
Randy

It needs to be sealed well enough to not have any vacuum leaks. I usually install a thin gasket under the phenolic heat block too. Some carbs have small compensating ports or holes that connect to cut outs in the manifold or heat block. Make sure your gaskets do not obstruct them.

Hi RLackey
I could be wrong but...
My 46' only had 1 gasket when I first took it apart, and it was on top of the insulator, between it and the carburetor.
The parts book "seemed" to verify this as being correct.
So, after cleaning the surfaces well... cleaning the insulator well and making sure the surfaces were flat... and using a new gasket...
I put it back together the same way.
I think I put a small amount of Permatex Aviation gasket sealer around the inside edge of the bottom of the insulator where there is no gasket just to be sure.
There is a small sleeve in that spot extending into both the insulator and the manifold, so the sealer probably wasn't needed, but I just wanted no chance of a vacuum leak.

The Carter W1 574s as was used in 1946 has no passages extending into the carburetor flange area, so using a little gasket sealer won't hurt.
And the location of any notch in the gasket won't matter either as it isn't used for anything.

From yhe factory there was NO gasket used. A gasket did come in a rebuiding kit.
I never use a gasket for my cars.

On reviewing the parts book it looks like Gene is right.
Gaskets were used though in several applications such as both sides of a governor if used, and with updraft carbs on COE's.
And if I am reading this right, it looks like a gasket WAS used IF the carburetor was replaced with a 1bbl Rochester.
And then only between the insulator and the carburetor. (Probably due to a passage in the flange area?)
That would explain the usual notch in the supplied gasket.

I think I'd still feel better with just a little non hardening gasket sealer though. :-)

The replacement new Rochester carburetors caME WITH A NOTCHED THICK GASKET SO VACUUM COULD BE SENT TO THE POWER PISTON. wITH NO VACUUM THE POWER PISTON WAS IN THE FULL POWER OR RICH POSITION AND THE GAS MILEAGE WAS TERRIBLE.

The original insulator blocks were discontinued after many years and the notched blocks were sold for all applications making a notched gasket unnecessary.

The use of no gasket for this application can be compared to the V8 Chevrolet engines that did not use a gasket between the exhaust manifold and cylinder head - although they did see gaskets for this application but were nevr used from the factory.

Thanks, all!
I certainly appreciate and value your opinions/expertise.

In the end, when I removed the old Carter W1, it had the original insulator (which I was happy about). It had a paper gasket both on the bottom of the insulator and the bottom of the carburetor flange. Since I had several gaskets available, I chose to put it back together with the newly rebuilt carburetor as it was.

Fired it up, made minor adjustments to idle mixture screw and idle speed screw. It’s running like a top!

Now after the installation of a new gas tank, hard lines, fuel pump and filter…it should carry this time piece into the future, past my lifetime as caretaker.
Randy

Now onto my next project…trying to free the heat riser valve inside the manifold.