The rest of the carb story

[mikealeus]

As you may have seen I posted a question as to how to remedy my carb problems due to a mouse using my air cleaner as a house. Well I decided to bring to a shop since I didn't feel comfortable taking the carb off and apart. Actually the off and apart woulda been easy , it's the back together that seemed too much. Well, just got a phone call and the carb does need rebuilt, secondary diaphragm needs replacement, vacuum leaks at base of the carb and at intake manifold. Cost to fix= $836.00 I won't be making the Pismo this year. This thing ran great before I did some minor but time consuming upgrade /restoration took me a about 14 months due to a surgery on my shoulder. Guess things can go bad in a hurry when they sit without running.

 

[Pighead]

$836!?!
You can do better than that. Heck, you could probably buy a brand-new OEM for that. Is it driveable? Could you get it to Sac?

 

[Downey]

So many on this forum recommend a rebuilt factory carb that I must do a good job of keeping my big mouth shut, but $836 is 3/4th of the way to fuel injection---can't keep my big mouth shut about that!!!! Fuel Injection won't need to be rebuilt every time you turn around, and it will score you about 21 mpg.

 

[PabloCruise]

Mark A or Jim C will rebuild for somewhare around half the price of your quote...

 

[Trollhole]

They are ripping you off for 800+ dollars.

Drive it or get it towed home. Take the carb off a do what post #4 suggests.

 

[CruiserStuff]

What? $836? Dude's smokin. I think I have a spare secondary diaphragm that's good if you want it... Vacuum leak at the bottom of the carb is not a big deal....intake leak is a little more involved, but definitely not an $800+ fix.... Mark A just quoted me $250 for the rebuild, $28 for the kit, $40 for his performance enhancement "tricks"....

 

[Robert LaDuke]

It's real easy to take the carb off. I'm not a mechanic by any means but I have had the carb off and back on my truck several times. Send it to Jim C. When it gets back you just bolt it back on , reconnect the linkage and run it. Easy as pie.

 

[mikealeus]

You guy are really making me rethink. My preference would be to send my carb off to Jim C. It's all the freaking linkages/hoses that are stopping me. I have a FSM and have looked but it does not have every little detail that I need. I can take digital pics and try that, but they also seem lacking when following tubing. I'm sure he spent about and hour doing what he has done so I have $80-90 already spent. Oh, been in touch with Jim C and he is 4-5 weeks out on rebuilds.

 

[mikealeus]

So many on this forum recommend a rebuilt factory carb that I must do a good job of keeping my big mouth shut, but $836 is 3/4th of the way to fuel injection---can't keep my big mouth shut about that!!!! Fuel Injection won't need to be rebuilt every time you turn around, and it will score you about 21 mpg.

Hmmm, this sounds pretty appealing . Mine must be Calif. smog certified , isn't that a nightmare if doing this?

 

[mikealeus]

$836!?!
You can do better than that. Heck, you could probably buy a brand-new OEM for that. Is it driveable? Could you get it to Sac?

I 'think' it might limp to Sac at about 45-50 and two tanks of gas. Why?

 

[Robert LaDuke]

You guy are really making me rethink. My preference would be to send my carb off to Jim C. It's all the freaking linkages/hoses that are stopping me. I have a FSM and have looked but it does not have every little detail that I need. I can take digital pics and try that, but they also seem lacking when following tubing. I'm sure he spent about and hour doing what he has done so I have $80-90 already spent. Oh, been in touch with Jim C and he is 4-5 weeks out on rebuilds.

Mike, Mine's a Cal '78 also. It's all stock with the vacuum lines hooked up correctly.Don't let the linkages and hoses stop you. If you get stuck just ask . I can walk out to the driveway and take pics.

 

[Mtrunner]

Even if you pay your mechanic his $90 and walk away you'll still save money. You should find a buddy who can help and do it yourself. You'll save money, spend time with a friend AND get to know your carb even better.
$800 is a ton of money for what you would get in the long run. My 2 cents...

 

[mikealeus]

Left a message on the mechanics VM that I will come and pick it up. My plan at this point is to do it my self. With a little help from my MUD friends of course. There are no MUD members in my immediate area that I know of so will be relying heavily on you guys. Thanks for changing my mind.

 

[mikealeus]

Even if you pay your mechanic his $90 and walk away you'll still save money. You should find a buddy who can help and do it yourself. You'll save money, spend time with a friend AND get to know your carb even better.
$800 is a ton of money for what you would get in the long run. My 2 cents...

Robert, I'l most likely be taking you up on your offer. Thanks in advance.

 

[Southeast Overland]

$836 is a fuggin' rip off! Do it yourself or send it to Mark A or Jim C. Have you contacted Mark A to see what his turn around would be?

 

[Pete]

Left a message on the mechanics VM that I will come and pick it up. My plan at this point is to do it my self. With a little help from my MUD friends of course. There are no MUD members in my immediate area that I know of so will be relying heavily on you guys. Thanks for changing my mind.

Do it yourself is the way to go. Don't be intimidated by the tubes, linkage, etc. Just use some masking tape to label the end of a tube and the port where it connects, take digital photos, draw sketches, make notes, use your manuals and you can't miss. A big secret to rebuilding a carb is to CLEAN everything.

Not sure of the present situation, but I ordered a rebuild kit for my '76 from Jim C. about 5 or 6 years ago and it was about $40-$45 (including shipping!). It included the secondary diaphragm which most vendor's kits don't.

Good luck,
Pete

 

[Pighead]

Why? I'm thinking if you could get your rig to my place, we could rebuild that carb in a day...

I 'think' it might limp to Sac at about 45-50 and two tanks of gas. Why?

 

[mikealeus]

Why? I'm thinking if you could get your rig to my place, we could rebuild that carb in a day...

Another amazing offer of help from one Mudder to another. That's a heck of an offer and I'd take you up on it if #1 I was confident it would make it there. #2 if I did not also have to deal with the intake manifold leaks #3 I'm leaning towards the Jim C and doing the uninstall and reinstall myself. I'm thinking the hardest part of the intake job will be getting the bolts off. Again, Pighead thank you for the VERY much for the offer. If you are EVER up this way, look me up!

 

[car-car]

Do it yourself is the way to go. Don't be intimidated by the tubes, linkage, etc. Just use some masking tape to label the end of a tube and the port where it connects, take digital photos, draw sketches, make notes, use your manuals and you can't miss. A big secret to rebuilding a carb is to CLEAN everything.

Not sure of the present situation, but I ordered a rebuild kit for my '76 from Jim C. about 5 or 6 years ago and it was about $40-$45 (including shipping!). It included the secondary diaphragm which most vendor's kits don't.

Good luck,
Pete

x2. Do it yourself if you have the time (or even better, take Pighead up on his offer and learn from someone so that you can do it again if ever necessary or help another in the future). You are going to have to take the carb off the truck regardless if you are going to ship it off or rebuild yourself, so you will already be well on the way. There is plenty of documentation with pictures around here if you don't have a manual, and everyone is always willing to jump in and help if you have questions along the way.

I ended up getting a kit (Keyster) from MAF for $19, and ordered the secondary diaphram from Napa for $17 (MAF wanted $45). There are probably better kits and parts out there, but it seemed to do the trick and the price was right. Took me a little while on my first go around, but wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, and learned a lot in the process.

Good luck, and let us know if we can help.

 

[Pin_Head]

If the intake manifold leaks and needs a new gasket at the head, it is not that bad of a deal.