How do I ID my carb??

My 48 Ford has a 53 Merc flattie with a Rochester 2 Jet carb. I want to get a rebuild kit for the carb, but can't find any numbers on it to identify the model or get a possible year range. What do I do?????? Robert

 

Most elderly Rochesters have last four or so digits of PN cast in, later ones the whole number...if there's really nothing (some rebuilders ground them off), it can be put into a family group by the size of the bolt pattern and then ID'd as Chevy or other by orientation of fuel inlet...then we take a flying guess at an appliction that uses a similar carb. Usually close is good enough, as kits cover multiple applicationd. A picture would be real good if you have the tech.

 

Early Rochester carbs had a metal tag with the carb number held on by one of the screws. They often vanished....and there are a bunch of different spec but similar looking carbs....so you're screwed.

 

If it's bolted to a Merc intake, it's the "small" 2GC like was used on Chevy 265/283/307 engines. If you print a picture of the driver side of the carb, I may be able to narrow it down. What sort of choke control does it have, the type with the thermostat on the air horn, or the divorced type that had the remote thermostat in the manifold? Aftermarket rebuild kits for this carb are quite universal; I'm sure you can find a kit that will work in it.

 

Just order a kit for, say for instance, a 64 Impala w/283. The Napa rebuild kit covers ALL of the 2g series Rochester 2 barrel. I think the kit from NAPA was $8.

Karl

 

I looked all over this thing and only found the numbers C 2 up near the air horn on the throttle linkage side. Does this help? Robert

 

This was NOT the answer I was looking for! LOL

 

The air horn is the small type, maybe 2 or 3 inches across. There was a white plastic vaccuum diaphragm choke deal up by the air horn. It didn't work ( full of old gas) so I put a manual choke kit on. Robert

 

Sounds like a '64 or newer 283/307 carb. NAPA kit number 2-5146C should get you going.

 

heh...sorry! those guys building these things 50 years ago sure weren't thinking ahead, were they?

 

I'm beginning to think that very thang!

 

Ok, I will give that a shot. Don't have Napa, but maybe I can crossreference the number with Autozone or Oreillys.

 

IMHO you would be better off switching to a ford intake and using a ford carb or a stromberg. Those merc carbs look real funky and it is an easy switch..

31acoupe

 

I always thought the Rochester 2g to be the perfect carb for a near stock flathead. With almost twice the cfm of a 94 or 97 bolted on a stock, good flowing Merc intake, you'll eliminate many of the hassles involved with 2x2 set-ups (94 power valves, linkage, etc..). Plus, a 2g is about as simple as a rock.

Karl

 

I use a kit from Niehoff part # is CK-289-C

 

It's not a Merc carb. It's a Roch 2GC that a previous owner installed, backwards I'm sure, that way the linkage hooked right up. Very good upgrade IMHO.

 

I don't think its mounted backward. The bowl is in front and the linkage is not stock for a 48 Ford. The accelerator is hanging above the floor, and is cable operated. Robert

 

haha.. thats funny. I wonder why they didnt just put it on backwards. Linkage would've hooked right on.

 

this sounds like a good tech article , i have examples of all the currently popular carbs except the Ford flatty 2 bbls (94's ,97's,81's etc) but they are self explaining really,I'll take some pics

 

Mike,

That would be a cool idea, I need to be schooled on the old rochesters since I have a few of them.

whitey

 

one day I'll have to sort out this mess

 

I am hurting actual # id's , but locations i can do , the Roch's are easy enough , 4 main variations , 2G ,2GC (w choke) lrg and sml venturi's ,both in tri power (no idle mix screws ever drilled on end carbs) and nontri power , all can be varified visually, I am good on Holley #'s ,carter/Roch I am dirt poor for #'s

 

DAMN!

 

look like my carb corner in my dump, oh, i mean shop

 

I got a Rochester manual that goes up to sixty something if I remember right. So, if your carbs still got the tags, I can prolly figure out what it came off of.

 

Putting the 2G on that 4 bolt Merc intake was a popular thing ever since the Chevy 265 hit the junkyards and mounting backwards works the balls for stock linkage.
The cfm improvement over the stock Holley teapot was roughly 45 cfm, enough to be felt.

 

I guess that simple things get missed sometimes. Robert

 

Thanks for all the input. I now have a couple of numbers to check on kits, hopefully they will work. Robert