Carburators.....

[Bob Carriere]

I am making this a seperate thread because I want to single out a particular business that I have had pleasure dealing with in TO.

Some of you will know that in rebuilding my C15a with a rebuilt Chev 261 engine, I have had carburator issues.... I call them issues not problems ....silly me.

After playing with a number of carburators purchased at flea markets and EBay....some NOS..... the various Rochester B would not run smooth.

I finally brokedown and admitted that even after rebuilding my own "B" it still did not function well. So I took it to a TO shop for total rebuild including the yellow chemical sealing treatment so it looks like and performs as a new one.

Don Oake
Carburetor Rebuilders
60 Eugene st.
Toronto, Ontario
M6B 3Z4
416-781-8114

donoake@rogers.com

That outfit in Toronto has been in business for decades....the father has now stepped aside, although still works in the shop, and the sons are now running the business. They are well known in the Hot Rod circuit and for restoring antique carburators.

Well they did my Rochester "B" and it works as a charm.... because they have the old fashion mechanical vaccum flow testing bench, when you receive your carb it is 98% set up....bolt on and start for final touch up tuning. The new carb runs like a charm.....

Never satisfied with well enough.... I discovered that while trying to negotiate steep hills over 30 degrees.... the top vented Rochester carb leaks raw gasoline and can be dangerous..... so my quest was to find a suitable carburator that would be designed for such extreme driving and looked at for an original carbs for the 270 GMC .... which is a Zenith 28 228.
Amazingly, they are still available NOS from California at around $650 +
So I passed.

I explained my technical problem to Don who recommended using a Carter YF which was used as an aftermarket carb on some Chev engines. A few months later he called me back.... they had found a suitable core and rebuilt it for me.... got it before Xmas but did not get around to playing with it until a few weeks ago. Carb was done very professionally BUT the bolt pattern was for an old 216 or early 235 and would not fit the 261 manifold.

Emailed Don back pictures of the rebuilt carb and a picture of and old one I had that I believed would be a better fit.

see pictures below.

1 is the rebuilt Carter YF 735 whcih has the wrong bolt pattern/throat size.
2 bottom view....small size is 2 5/8 bolt pattern.....fits ealry 216 and early 235
what I need for the 261 is 2 15/16 bolt pattern with 1 11/16 throat.
3 the 735 next to the proper size 966.


Well got back an email this morning.... his Dad found a good Carter 966 carb and totally rebuilt it ready for installation. He will take back the one they did in exhange...... pick up / switch will take place next week when visitng TO.

I would recommend there services to anyone that needs carb services.
The owner is on site.... you can talk to him.... he will answer your questions and will follow up with you. A rare thing these days !!!

Still looking for an elusive Zenith 28 228......

Bob