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Past time to get the Corvette out

Time to get the '64 out and ready to go. First off it had a flat tire and that just happened to be back in the corner where you can't get at it, more on that later. Tried to start it and no go, opened the hood and removed the breather and set the choke. That's the reason I'm posting this. The piston in the choke stove was frozen up again with carbon/black soot. After I set the coke it started right up. By the way it is stored with no fuel additive or battery charger. All I have ever tried to control while storing a car is moisture and mice. I did start it and take if for a drive sometime in November on a nice day.

I've had the choke apart a dozen times, even blocked the runners in the manifold. Also took the right side manifold off and bored out the stainless steel heat tube and replaced that. Old one was ok but changed it anyhow. New hose and heat tube to the choke bimetal spring housing. Polished the brass piston and honed the pot metal bore in the housing. Put it back together and it works fine for about 100 miles and then it locks up from soot. The way I see this thing working is to suck fresh air from the top of the carb down through the exhaust manifold to heat it for the bimetal spring to release the choke at running temperature.

Somewhere in the world of one Carter WCFB gasket fits all, there must be a port that is being left open or closed that is running exhaust soot into the choke housing and I'm at a loss to know how to ask for or get the right one. That is if there really is one that is correct. Tried three or four so far which all are about the same and it still plugs up way to fast.

Then again is it the way our new fuels burn? I've never seen this much soot in an engine before. Any first hand experience that might help would be appreciated.

Now for the tire, it was leaking badly around the bead. I can tell you why knock off wheels no longer exist, but that's another story. Broke the bead loose and it was loaded with white oxidation. Cleaned up the rim with 120 grit wet/dry sand paper and Dawn soap and then some aircraft aluminum polish. Inflated it to 40 PSI and washed off all the soap I used to find the leak and all is well so far. This tire has been mounted about a year and a half and it had way too much oxidation for just normal moisture intrusion as it is seldom driven in the rain. It might make a case for nitrogen in tires with aluminum wheels though.

Reply to
Dad
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This might be one for the Corvette Forum.

Even if todays fuels make it ten times worse; we both know that the chokes didn't have 1000 mile functional limit back in the day.

Therefore... you need to fix the gasket or *something* once and for all.

Reply to
Clams Canino

A little nostalgia. Years ago when I was in college, I had the opportunity to drive a friend's new '63 Vette -- recall it was a 340hp version. It was an incredible experience -- more power than my

62 Corvair Monza 110 hp 4 speed. Still can see it today -- it was evening on a back road in Ky outside of Owensboro. >
Reply to
tww1491

Dad I put over 200K on my '63, 300hp with an AFB and never had a problem with the choke sticking. It would get a little carbon in it but never to the point of becoming non-functional. Try a high temp lube inside the cylinder to keep the piston working and scrubbing off the carbon, maybe something with teflon in it? Good luck with it.

PDDeen

Reply to
PDDeen

Dad I put over 200K on my '63, 300hp with an AFB and never had a problem with the choke sticking. It would get a little carbon in it but never to the point of becoming non-functional. Try a high temp lube inside the cylinder to keep the piston working and scrubbing off the carbon, maybe something with teflon in it? Good luck with it.

PDDeen

Really doubt lube is the answer for the WCFB plus the choke system on the AFB does not go through the exhaust manifold and has it's passageways in the base of the carb. May try some Teflon lube anyhow just to eliminate one more possible problem.

Thanks

Reply to
Dad

After some more thought on why the choke was seized up again and the guesses heard I decided to tear it down again and retest everything. Each part I removed I cleaned with cotton swabs and pipe cleaners to see where the most soot was traveling to and from where it came.

Although there was some soot in the tube I wasn't sure if that was left over from the other times that I had just cleaned the piston and bimetal spring housing. None, or very little was inside the housing, that's different. My guess now is that the soot that had plugged things up came for breaking loose the 40 years of crap in the tubes and manifolds. Tried to move the piston and it wouldn't budge. Removed the housing and took it to the bench to clean it and check it out closer. Finely popped the piston out and it was clean.

While doing close inspection I remember a Chevy guy telling me that the housing sometimes warp. He is also the same one that told me the tube in the manifold was bad 2 years ago. Sure enough the brass piston was galled on opposite sides. Miked round and so it has to be the housing. Borrowed a telescoping bore gage and the housing checked round. While puzzling over that I noticed the seal on the face was not quite flat. Pushed it back in and it was still not flat, being so small I didn't think it mattered.

Reason told me to mount the housing and recheck the bore, sure enough it was now out of round and smaller in one place than the .490 diameter piston. Removed it and checked the mounting face and there was the problem. Flat filed it until all three screw holes and the port were flat but still had some raw die cast surface in the middle. I didn't sweep the face to see how much it bowed but the bore now checked round when mounted.

Also did a pressure test on the bore and the freeze plug leaked like a sieve. One correction at a time if I ever want to know which one corrected the problem. After everything was put back together the choke set, backed off of high idle in steps and ran fine. Time will tell if the first correction was enough.

Reply to
Dad

Something so small but so much trouble. Hope it's corrected now.

PDDeen

Reply to
PDDeen

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