Since so many people have been pleased with Pony's rebuilt "T-pot" carbs I decided to get rid of the bogging on acceleration problem I started having last year. Once I got rolling it would do 100 with no problem, but stumbled trying to pull out onto a main street.
When I saw gas gushing out of a Mark II's carb at Motor Muster a couple of years ago I understood how so many caught fire. The bowl is open to atmosphere. When the seat sticks open, gas flows out of the top as fast as can be. It fills the oil bath air cleaner and becomes explosive when the car backfires. This often happens whenn cars sit for awhile and varnish builds up in the bowl. I'm sure there are more than a couple of '56s out there that were retrofitted to the Carter carb and single pot distributor used on the '57 for just that reason. That change allowed you to use a paper filter and sleep sounder at night.
First and foremost in removing the carb is to wrap that rascal before you do any damage. Remember to leave the top of the radiator exposed, so you know exactly where it is. I caved the top of my tank resting my arm on it while removing the air cleaner. Use a prop stick to keep you from working from the front, further protecting the tank
Removing the air cleaner is a little tricky, for the uninitiated, but I've found it's best done by loosening the two Phillips head screws on the snorkel and then remove the star and washer. Lift the unit over and up to clear the snorkel. Some would have you remove the oil bath tank but I've found that oil can get in-between the air cleaner housing and the tray, causing it to drip on everything.
You'll only need a few tools. A 1/2" open end wrench, a 3/8" tubing wrench, a 3/4" open end, a 5/8" tubing wrench and a 1/2" socket and short extension.
The carb has three main connections. The vacuum advance tube is on the front of the carb. It seats directly into the cast carb housing. Using a tube wrench gives you more contact with the nut, decreasing the chance that you'll strip it and increase the chance of getting it out. This connection is on the radiator side of the carb. It turns counter clockwise.
The fuel line enters the back of the carb. It has a brass insert that threads into the housing while the fuel line threads into it. This arrangement allows you to tighten the fuel line connection better without stripping the threads of the carb. It's essential that you use two wrenches in this operation. Hold the brass insert while removing the fuel line connection. This will protect the threads in the carb. This connection too loosens counter clockwise.
The last pipe connection is the choke tube. Turn the nut clockwise to loosen it. I sat that because it will be clockwise from your perspective.
Remove the clip that holds the accelerator linkage, remove the 4 1/2" nuts from the manifold studs. Carefully remove lock washers so that they don't drop into the manifold. Lift the carb off the manifold. You're done.
This brings me to project #2. This project will eliminate the need to ever replace the manifold tubes, and, get rid of the inevitable burned intake manifold runners.
To those that don't know why this happens, I will explain.
On our cars we have a damper on the passenger side exhaust manifold. When the engine is cold a bi-metal spring keep the damper closed. When you start your car the damper is designed to create back-pressure in the exhaust manifold. Needing a place to go it, like water and electricity, follows the path of least resistance, which is a passageway in the head that connects all of the exhaust ports to a single port in the center of each head, in-between the center intake ports.
The hot exhaust gasses from the entire passenger side bank goes directly under the center of the chamber below the carb. This super-heated gas heats the chamber to aid in atomizing the air/fuel mixture for faster warm-ups in cold weather. After the under-hood temperature reaches normal operating temperature the spring on the damper relaxes, opening the exhaust system on the passenger side. Once that happens the pressure under the atomizing chamber equalizes and cools down to normal operating temperature.
Here-in lies the rub. The vast, vast, majority of us don't really need this feature because we either don't use our cars in cold weather, or, our car reside in warm climes.
The solution I see is not a new one. Hot-rodders and showmen for years have used manifold gaskets that block off the center exhaust port, eliminating the heat and thus eliminating the ugly condition all of our cars suffer. Does anyone know of this product for the 368?
If I find some gaskets I'll pull the intake, blast and powder coat it. Looks like the valve covers could use some detailing, too.
1956 Continental Mark II convertible
'56 Mark II convertible'51 Royal Spartanette'56 Chris Craft Continental
'68 Lincoln Continental Limo '77 Town Car '55 356 Porsche Continental cabrio
'69 Mark III convertible,'88 BMW 750iL, '88 BMW 325iX, '97 BMW Z-3, '98 ML-320