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Holley's Custom Shop Carb Restoration - Re-GassedHolley's Custom Shop Breathes New Life Into Vintage Carbs From the September, 2010 issue of Rod & Custom By Rob Fortier
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I don't know about you, but I get a certain amount of gratification when I fix, rebuild, or restore something myself-that is, as long as it works, or at least functions the way it was meant to! But what about all the times when success is not a resulting factor ... what then? Suck up the pride and have whatever it is done right, right? Right. When it comes to carb restoration, my personal skills often fall off at the cosmetic redo level-the mechanical aspects are typically left better in the hands of the professionals, or at the very least someone much more skilled in the art of rebuilding than I. Sure, I've redone tons of early single barrels; some work great, while others, well, let's just say that "working" is not the word best used to describe the end result. Whether it's in the technique, the tools/equipment used (or better, "not" used) in the process, or simply the quality and condition of the carburetors used to begin with, sometimes, it's a crapshoot whether or not they'll be any better after going through them. Ultimately, I don't feel there's much of a difference, if any, between the early carbs when it comes to making them function correctly. While the mass public appeal has adversely affected the costs related to anything with the number "97" attached to it (thankfully, reproduction models are available-and obviously much better in the way of performance), as far as the other garden varieties go, typically it doesn't take a whole lot of dough to restore, let alone purchase outright to begin with. (Personally, I've never jumped the Stromberg 97 bandwagon, and thus never understood the whole thing with the astronomical prices-but then again, I'm a Chevy guy, so, that probably explains most of it right there ... but I can have a "trio" of GM-based one- or two-barrels for what it'd cost for just one 97! Just my 2 cents.) Inside a bustling maze of... Inside a bustling maze of state-of-the-art assembly lines, Holley's Custom Shop is an oasis of old-school craftsmanship. In contrast to the hundreds of employees who assemble Holley's current-production carbs, just one person handles each custom shop carburetor. The skilled hands of a rather enthusiastic Greg House handled the rebuild on our Rochesters. So, the million-dollar question is, "Just who can I trust with rebuilding my vintage carburetors?" Well, the answer is quite simple-and it won't cost you anywhere near that-Holley's Custom Shop. How much more insurance would anyone need than that: just knowing a company like Holley (who's practically been doing carbs since they were first conceived) is handling the job of not only giving my carburetors a face lift, but rebuilding and subsequently bench-testing them. It's money in the bank as far as I'm concerned. That's why, when it came time to go through a pair of Rochester B-series for the 235 inliner that I'm running in my '39 Chevy, I didn't think twice about whether or not I should fool with them in the first place-they were boxed up and shipped to Bowling Green, Kentucky, without hesitation. And save for those vintage induction experts among us (you know who you think you are!), I'd suggest the same for all of you with similar carb needs. According to Holley, they can repair and restore any early Rochester, Carter, Motorcraft, and, of course, Holley carburetor to original, factory specs-inside and out.  When each carburetor arrives,...  When each carburetor arrives, it's tagged, photographed, and a work order is started. While House has seen worse, our carbs were nowhere near show-quality-but the important aspect was, they were complete and in excellent re-buildable shape.  House made quick work of tearing...  House made quick work of tearing down our carburetors, ensuring that each and every component-internal and external-was not only removed with care,...  ... but as previously stated,...  ... but as previously stated, itemized and bagged accordingly.  The original throttle plate...  The original throttle plate screws are staked into place. House uses a tiny belt sander to grind them down before removing them; same goes for the choke butterfly.  The throttle shaft is carefully...  The throttle shaft is carefully deburred and smoothed after the butterfly is removed-...  ...this will prevent the throttle...  ...this will prevent the throttle body bores from getting damaged when removing (and reinstalling) the shaft.  Parts are separated into groups:...  Parts are separated into groups: steel for cadmium chrome plating, zinc for dichromate, steel for black oxide, and non-ferrous for vibratory polishing and/or cleaning. Damaged parts are replaced, but not discarded (saved for reference). Small parts are wired together to prevent loss during the plating process. House dislikes fishing tiny parts from the tanks.  All but the most delicate...  All but the most delicate parts-throttle body, float bowl, air horn/float cover-are carefully media blasted...  ...prior to plating or vibratory...  ...prior to plating or vibratory polishing.  A few dunks in these cleaning...  A few dunks in these cleaning tanks was all it took to get the parts-like our main carb body-bright and shiny.  The dunking continued until...  The dunking continued until the end result was a perfect shade of yellow ...  ... zinc dichromate yellow...  ... zinc dichromate yellow plated, that is, just like the originals.  The steel parts are processed...  The steel parts are processed with an automated yellow zinc cadmium chrome plating process.  Our carb's major bits are...  Our carb's major bits are clean, plated, and ready for re-assembly. Note the cast throttle body/baseplate that's been given the black oxide treatment-when it was new, some or most of the early B/BC carbs featured "raw" castings, but this not only looks better, it holds up to the elements better.  After cleaning and plating,...  After cleaning and plating, the carburetor jigsaw puzzle is ready for assembly.  New brass screws were used...  New brass screws were used for the choke butterfly and retained with "blue" Loctite.  A host of new parts are used...  A host of new parts are used in reassembly, such as accelerator pump hardware, needle and seat assemblies, and gaskets  (note the use of "two" gaskets-with...  (note the use of "two" gaskets-with the age and condition of the early bodies, it's simply added insurance). Holley keeps an extensive stock on hand for the most common carburetors.  One of the "reused" components...  One of the "reused" components was the float assembly, which was tested accordingly before being reinstalled and, more importantly, adjusted (level-wise), in the float cover.  And with that, the aforementioned...  And with that, the aforementioned float housing is assembled. But before being reunited with the main body, the remainder of the internals must be tended to.  Next is the float bowl, which...  Next is the float bowl, which also receives all new internal components, including the discharge pump mechanism.  Once the guide is inserted...  Once the guide is inserted into the discharge passage, House stakes it in place.  Holley uses the newer-style...  Holley uses the newer-style accelerator pumps with plungers that are impervious to modern fuels. The pump assembly also features a new spring, while the pump rod is a reconditioned original.  Finally, the two halves of...  Finally, the two halves of our Rochester B-series are carefully (so as not to damage the fragile float assembly, among other things) reunited with one another.  The B designation refers to...  The B designation refers to the "manual" choke provision on the Rochester single-barrels (House is installing the restored-original cable bracket); Holley is fully equipped to handle the Auto-Choke BC models as well.  One last step before calling...  One last step before calling the reassembly done-initially setting the carburetor's idle adjuster, as well as the throttle return.  House looks much more enthusiastic...  House looks much more enthusiastic than he did from the start, and our Rochesters look better than ever! However, their session at the Custom Shop isn't over quite yet.  What separates the men from...  What separates the men from the boys-or at least the shade tree re-builders from the professionals-is Holley's flow stand. Each carburetor is thoroughly tested for proper air/fuel ratio from idle to full-throttle. Related functions, such as spark advance, are also checked. All settings are recorded on a work order and shipped to the customer with their carburetor.  And that's all she wrote,...  And that's all she wrote, folks-another set of vintage carbs resurrected courtesy of Holley's Custom Shop.
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