Hello friends. Newby here, I usually lurk on the Corvette Forum, but I have an issue with my dual WCFB carbs on my 57 Vette that hopefully somebody can help me with. I have narrowed the problem to the front carb, secondary float needle/seat assembly. It seems that it will not totally seal to the air horn no matter how tight I attempt to torque it. The air horn seat is rough, maybe from age or pitting, and I am wondering if anyone has used a sealant to correct this issue? Only other idea I have is to maybe smooth out the seat with some fine emery cloth. I have had the air horn off numerous times, have tightened it only to have problem occur within a few miles of driving. Any help or thoughts would be appreciated!

John

 

Why not try using something like JB weld or some type of gas tank sealer on the seat gasket, where it gasket seals to the air horn.

(you would need a gasket that would be subjected to gas, something out of another carb kit would be a good source) .

You would only be sealing the gasket to the air horn not the seat, that way if it didn't work you could get it off and change the seat at a later date if needed.

The thickness of the gasket would need to be adjusted into the float setting

 

Can you post a picture of the affected area?

 

Thank you for the replies. I think I may have come up with a solution. I ended up smoothing out the airhorn "seat" with a smooth metal rod to eliminate the pitted/rough surface the needle seat fastens to. Went on a long cruise last Sunday, and so far, so good. I think the old age of the carb contributed to the problem, but now that there is a smooth surface for the fiber gasket to seal to, hopefully it will last longer than me!

John

 

I have also found that too large inside diameter and the thickness of the gaskets that come in rebuild kits make it hard to get a good seal there. I always pressure check with soap bubbles that area before assembling the carb