Need a little help. Anyone know of a parts source for a carburetor float for a 1924 Cadillac single barrel carb?? The fuel we have these days eats the cork float in a short time. Draining the carb is helpful but the float is still soaked and doesn't tolerate the gas well. A replacement material source would be fine too. Appreciate any help. Thanks in advance.
with some modifications, this may work. It's made for a Model A I used this once for a tractor fuel tank float. IIRC, it has an 1/8" through hole. The rod & hairpins were part of the existing gauge a'y. btw, ignore the Made in C%$&@
Whats it look like? A lot of the small engines use brass floats, maybe they could be adapted. The old Rochester Model B carb used a dual float set up, just one side could be used since they are really small, they are also brass. Joe
I have heard of people using seals all to coat old cork floats. I would want to test it first on a wine cork in a jar of gas for a week or so before coating the existing one. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Thanks a lot fellas---some real good suggestions. Gets old replacing the float, and draining the carb.
Might be able to take a modern black nitrile float and cut it to the size you need. It's been done. I bet one of the antique carb specialists has run into this before.
I have coated my cork float with fuel tank lining stuff and it is holding up for a year now. It sits lower so it took some adjusting.
Cadillac during this time period used Johnson carburetors. The float is more or less in the shape of a doughnut with several very precise cutouts for various components extending into the float bowl. Also, Johnson used a double float pin arrangement with a flipflop such that the float rises and lowers almost in a vertical plain rather than a conventional pivot. This feature was necessary to make the float as large as possible very nearly filling the bowl. To function correctly, a replacement MUST be virtually an exact duplicate of the original. In retrospect, a much larger bowl and a conventional float would have been a much better idea. Too late for that now. At one time we were making these out of the new polynitrate closed cellular foam. However, the required precision of the various cutouts meant approximately a 4 hour machine shop time-frame to make one float. Machine shop labor rates are NOT at the minimum wage. We had price resistance to selling the floats, and have discontinued them for this reason. Most modern cork is a composite, make up of ground cork and glue. IT IS HEAVIER THAN FUEL! Natural cork is quite difficult, maybe impossible, to find in small quantities. Balsa wood in a chunk large enough to use may be found in many hobby shops. Either natural cork, if you can find it, or balsa will have to be sealed after you machine the float. We have tried gas tank sealer with terrible results, but have been successful in using POR-15. We have had a number of customers tell us that the fabric dope used to treat the fabric on model airplanes will work well, if you live in an area with a model airplane shop. Jon.
(1) probably, although for the Cadillac float allow an 8 hour day when you start the day in a good mood. And with the Cadillac float, a milling machine with a slitting saw, and a number of different size end mills is very useful. (2) I don't know. About 8 years ago, we were notified by the manufacturer that they were moving to China, and discontinuing their non-OE blocks. We bought all we could afford (hoping it would be a lifetime supply). We have already used more than half, so not selling except in those kits (mostly Marvels, Kingstons, and Ensigns) which require a float. We currently have no source. Jon.
Model airplane dope. We coat them all the time with it. The kits we get for 30s era marvel carbs come with bare cork blank. After finish fitting I brush two wet coats on and it works great.
Snyders Antique Auto Parts sells a large puck of float material designed for the Model Ts but it can be carved into any shape desirable using a sharp pocket knife.
Superglue works also , when you can t find the modern airplane thing. I use it on cork vintage outboards floats.
I wonder if there might be a suitable material that could be used to duplicate the float with one of those 3D "printers" used for prototyping and making one-off parts?
As for a coating, you could also try using the 'hot fuel proof' epoxy for the flying gas model airplanes. I have liked SIG brand since using it in the 70's. Eventually it gets brittle w/hairline cracks, but for me that was equating to something like 10+ years. I did a friends' OT (~'37 wheelhorse garden tractor) float like this, used a large replacement bottle cork cut down to size, then sealed with 2 thin coats. Marcus...
OT, but by garden tractor, do you mean a small one ? I d be curious to see it. I love vintage engine, I have a few outboards, the oldest is a 1929.
Hey, Nali; I don't have any pics (sorry), but yes, it it the small 2wheel walk-behind type. I call them rear-tine roto-tillers, but these have attachments that do more/other things. It has a large (physical size) engine, but lower hp rating, due to slow rpm. Typical of the day. Marcus...
Float Slug <FORM id=frmProduct style="FLOAT: left; CLEAR: left" method=post action=/cart/add.php> Modern material that is resistant to the ethanols in today's fuels. We have had a lot of requests from customers with other applications wanting this material for making their own floats. Hole in the middle is 1.250", diameter is 3.850", 3" high. <TABLE><TBODY><TR><TH>Part Number</TH><TH>Specifics</TH><TH>Price</TH></TR><TR><TD class=part><LABEL><INPUT class=auto size=3 name=7452> T-6201-B</LABEL></TD><TD>Any</TD><TD>$25.00 / ea.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><INPUT title="Add to your shopping cart" class=addToCart src="http://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/images/button_cart.gif" type=image> Return to the product list </FORM>
[ Either natural cork, if you can find it, or balsa will have to be sealed after you machine the float. We have tried gas tank sealer with terrible results, but have been successful in using POR-15. We have had a number of customers tell us that the fabric dope used to treat the fabric on model airplanes will work well, if you live in an area with a model airplane shop. Jon.[/QUOTE] If you use airplane dope , be sure to bet butyerate dope also called "hot fuel proof " the Nitrate based dope will not stand either gasoline or model airplane fuel which is nitromethane based.
[ Either natural cork, if you can find it, or balsa will have to be sealed after you machine the float. We have tried gas tank sealer with terrible results, but have been successful in using POR-15. We have had a number of customers tell us that the fabric dope used to treat the fabric on model airplanes will work well, if you live in an area with a model airplane shop. Jon.[/QUOTE] If you use airplane dope , be sure to get butyerate dope also called "hot fuel proof " ---------the Nitrate based dope will not stand either gasoline or model airplane fuel which is nitromethane based.
No but it can't be rocket science. shape the brass, flux, then solder. may have to form some of the parts, brass is soft.