The center carb is the bigger of the three with a 1 1/16 venture. My distributor uses only centrifugal advance, so I will not be using the vacuum ports. A former owner installed a threaded iron heater hose fitting into the 573. It's frozen. I've been down this road before. To keep from destroying a vintage manifold, I'll be working with my Dremel tool. I will be disassembling the carbs to see what they need. I'm sure I will be replacing all three bases.
I spoke with Charlie on the phone yesterday. He is a busy guy and doesn't have a lot of time to bench race. He gave me good advice and answered my questions. He told me to make a list of what I need and call him back. I can tell he doesn't have time for cheap rebuilds. I see this as a good thing. I know I'm going to put money into this setup if I want it right.
As far as the hood clearance issue goes, I think the only way to be sure is to remove the hood scoop chrome trim and mount the tri carbs and manifold. I believe I can see the clearance through the hole. I'm thinking about building a three hole aluminum base and using foam to seal it to the hood like 60s Ram Air.
