CARBURETOR CLEANING

CCcC

One of the most important jobs on any restoration is to re-build the carburetors, and before a re-build they need a thorough cleaning.  There are numerous expensive acid-based carb cleaning liquids on the market, but a cheaper method that works is as follows ;–

1)  Get hold of an old saucepan (pot) that is big enough to enable the carb components to lie on the bottom without being on top of each other.  I have commandeered a pot that was going to be thrown out because it had been allowed to cook dry at some stage..

2)  Fill it enough to just cover the carb parts with a third each of water, white vinegar and lemon juice, ( the kind you can buy in a plastic bottle at the grocery store called ReaLemon)

3)  Wait till she has gone shopping, and boil on her stove for about 20 minutes.  (It must be bubbling and it stinks!)

4)  Tip out the hot liquid and rinse several times with cold water.

5)  Blow out excess water with an airhose through all the airways and lay out on a clean cloth and allow to dry.

6)  The parts and air passages are beautifully clean but everything will be covered in a very fine grey powder which is easily brushed off with an old tooth brush or similar. If you want a nice dull shine, a soft brass bristle brush works fine (I bought a whole set including the brass bristle one, from Dolarama)

A dull grey fine powder like the “bloom” on a grape!
The bloom removed and parts brushed
Re-built carbs with new gaskets & jets etc.

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