OT: carburetor paint... safe??

Stripped threads can be repaired with Devcon titanium putty. This stuff is terrific but pricey at around $70 per pound.

JT

I believe that most "factory" rebuilt carbs are "painted" to provide corrosion protection.

Personally, I would rather dip an "about to be rebuilt" carb that has been stripped in alodine but still have not found a readily available source.

JT

it would have been cheaper to use one of many Q-jet inlet repairs rather than taking it in the ass on a used ebay carb.

Can you direct me to some of those Q-jet inlet repairs? I couldn't find them on the internet. The only one I've seen in parts stores is a fitting that is supposed to be slightly oversize and cut it's own threads, but my experience has been that either the fitting goes in crooked (slightly cocked) and therefore doesn't seal, or it also strips when you get it very near the point that the gasket contacts the carb (usually the latter). The ones I've tried in the past were a waste of money.

I'm told a professional shop can do a heli-coil type repair, or re-bore & thread for a special larger fitting, but that those repairs are more expensive than a brand new carb would cost (of course, you can't buy a brand new Q-jet, so if you absolutely have to have that original numbers-matching carb restored, you bite the bullet).

JT, can you expand upon how that's done? $70/pound is not bad if you can buy it in smaller quantities, because it probably only requires a fraction of an ounce to effect a thread repair. I don't understand how you'd repair the threads inside that pot-metal casting with epoxy. Mine are badly stripped, not much thread left.

I know you can epoxy the fitting in place without the filter and add an external filter (I'm surprised no one produces a fitting with a different design that would also incorporate a removable filter). The scary part of doing that is the possibility that the epoxy will fail at some time in the future due to engine vibration and the fuel line vibration, and cause a leak and possible fire.

That, in fact, was what was done to my old carb at some point in the past and not knowing that, I tried to remove the fitting, thus breaking the repair.

Is this the stuff?...

Actually I think you can buy new Q-jets, I want to say Edelbrock is making them but it might be Holley. Of course if you want numbers matching that is another story.

nate

The smallest quantity is a pound. I buy a package about every 4 or 5 years for general purposes.

Titanium putty is a machineable material that is super tough. In fact, the oil pan of my T-Cab was like Swiss cheese and for some reason would not accept brazing or welding repairs. I cleaned it out as best as I could then spread a thin layer of titanium putty over the offending areas inside the pan. That was in 1997 and it is still holding up today.

It is only limited by the creativity of the user.

For tech info, go to the Devcon web site.

JT

WayneC wrote:

Nope. Try this link:

It's much stronger.

Jt

Well, Edelbrock USED to make them, not any more: