IML: Carb rebuild vs. do-it-yourself/CFM

[David Whitney <hazegreen66@xxxxxxxxx>]

I was afraid of carburetors until Kenyon made me rebuild one.  We used the cheap kit that costs $25, and it was a snap.  No special tools required, just cleanliness and experience to identify where all the little gewgaws in the kit go.  There are no instructions, so I bought an excellent book called "Rebuilding Carter Carburetors" or something like that by Dave Emmanuel.  It is the classic work on the topic, covering AFB and AVS (=Edelbrock).

 

The best part of the whole project was learning more than I ever thought it was possible to know about carburetion and fuel systems in general.

 

Now I don't blink before going to the parts store and buying the expensive ($75) kit with the accelerator pump, etc. and happily tearing into any Carter that comes my way.

 

If you pay to have it done, you are paying for the labor and the warranty.  If it's screwed up, you take it back.  I vote for getting a buddy who's done it before and doing it yourself.  It only takes one time to learn.

Chrysler big blocks that are run on the street never see the kind of RPM that demands the much-touted CFM ratings.  A 650 is more than enough for a 383, ditto the 750 for the 440.  I have a hotrod 383 engine with an Edelbrock 650, and it's definitely too much carb for in-town driving but makes a great freeway cruiser.

 

Yes, the Thermoquad was rated at 800CFM, but that was with the massive secondary throttle bores wide open and at an Imperial's redline RPM.  It flows a fraction of that when burbling around town.

 

What you want is a carb that works with your particular engine setup.  I highly recommend rebuilding the stock AVS, which will provide you with many years of reliable and economical (ha ha) service.

 

To determine your original carburetor model number, I recommend going down to the nearest Chrysler dealer's parts desk and making the acquaintance of the most competent worker there.  Ask him/her to pull out the '69 parts book and you can look it up.  While you are there, you may be surprised to learn what parts you can still get for your car.

 

Happy motoring,

 

David

Happy motoring,

David

'91 K-Imperial driver
'66 Crown Coupe project
'66 LeBaron dual air and every option known to man

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