Part Two: The Choke
To get my choke working again, I needed the shaft, plate, and the electric choke conversion kit. I could have put a manual choke on the truck, but since I was upgrading stuff why not go electric?
1. I inserted the main shaft...
1. I inserted the main shaft though the choke tower, making sure the tab pointed to the back of the carb.
2a. The new plate has a few...
2a. The new plate has a few dimples in it that will lock it into place inside the slit cut in the shaft. I had to tap the plate ever so gently with a hammer to get it to snap into position (inset).
2b.
3. Per the provided instructions,...
3. Per the provided instructions, I installed the fast idle lever. The lever consists of two little pieces and a spring. While they will only go together one way. It's still kind of a puzzle, so really look at the diagram provided with the instructions.
4. The choke rod slips through...
4. The choke rod slips through a hole in the main body and connects to the choke lever. Make sure to orientate the rod so the bends point out away from the main body.
5. There are two counter-bored...
5. There are two counter-bored holes in the main body that might be drilled through. I blew compressed air into the holes to check, luckily mine were sealed. Now if air had exited from the bottom of the carburetor, the hole would need to be plugged with the little lead ball provided in the kit.
6. To make things a little...
6. To make things a little easier, I hooked up the choke rod and installed the little retaining clip before securing the choke housing to the main body with the provided screws. Now is the time for a quick check to see if the choke will operate without binding. I rotated the metal tab protruding from the choke housing, and sure enough the choke plate opened and closed.
7. The black choke cap is...
7. The black choke cap is where most of the action will take place. The bi-metal spring will engage the choke when no electricity is flowing through it (cold.) When you hit the key, 12 volts starts heating the spring and opening the choke plate. It's important to note when installing the choke cap, be sure the bi-metal pick-up lever (in the housing) fits into the loop on the bi-metal spring. I checked this by turning the choke cap in both directions. The choke plate opened when rotated clockwise and closed when rotated counter clockwise.
8. To finish off the choke,...
8. To finish off the choke, I secured the retaining ring in place with the provided screws, slipped on the wiring, and hooked up the vacuum hose. The ground wire hooked right to the main body, and the red wire will need to be connected to a keyed and fused 12-volt source. The vacuum hose needs to draw from manifold vacuum to keep the bi-metal spring from overheating.
Quick-Disconnect Fuel Inlet Fittings
Check out these new quick-disconnect fuel inlet fittings from Jiffy-Tite. These will replace the stock fittings and allow for fast and clean removal of the carb. Because each end will seal itself when removed, dumping fuel all over the manifold will be eliminated.
1. The fuel inlet fitting...
1. The fuel inlet fitting threads right into the float bowl and is provided with the proper aluminum seal.
2. Once the inlet is tight,...
2. Once the inlet is tight, the elbow clicks into place. These are much like an air fitting on an air hose, but way cooler. The other end of the fitting will need to be hooked to the fuel line, but since the fittings come with either AN, NPT pipe thread, hose barb, or reusable hose ends this should not be a problem.
3. Here is what it will look...
3. Here is what it will look like when installed. Jiffy-Tite makes these for Holley, Demon, and Carter carburetors with straight, 45-degree, or 90-degree elbows.
The Final Word
With the carb back to fully operational status, the truck fires up nice and easy and doesn't stumble while mildly accelerating. It does make it very nice when I am running late and don't have much time to let the truck warm up all the way. To fix the choke and upgrade the fuel bowls cost just over 150 bucks, which is much less than a new carb and not enough to break me.