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4300 Autolite Carb Rebuild

5K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  Ivy66GT 
#1 · (Edited)
I need some suggestions for an experienced shop / business to help with my carburetor rebuild.

I do not want to buy a new carb. This Mustang has been in my family since it came off the showroom floor and is still pretty much all original (minus a fender), and I would like to keep everything as original as I can.

The car has an Autolite 4300 4 barrel carb and a 289 C Code V8 engine.

Here's the thing... I took the carb out, disassembled it, cleaned it in carb cleaner and ordered the rebuild kit. When I started to put everything back together, the secondary needle, seat, gasket assembly wouldn't come out and while I was trying to get it I broke a piece off the carb. I got the primary in fine before this happened, but now I have a hole in the carb. I have attached some pictures for reference...

Basically, I would like to box everything up and send it off for someone else to finish now, but they would have to have the right piece lying around somewhere, unless there is a way to put the broken piece back on?

I had heard of a place called Pony Carburetors. but apparently they are out of business. Any suggestions and experiences would be greatly appreciated!

- Allison
 

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#3 ·
I would suggest one of the epoxy metal adhesives, another thing might be super glue it works well on pure aluminum, I am not sure how well it works on the aluminum pot metal the carbs are made of, if the hole is at the top of the fuel bowl, it just needs to be sealed, as far as the secondary needle and seat that is broken sometimes a pair of diagonal cutters can grip a part and give more leverage than a screwdriver. And you could always look on ebay for a carb for parts. Good Luck.
 
#4 ·
Allison, you want to send it to Chris's Carb Shop in Dayton, OH. He's kind of a hick, but he's a carburetor wizard. Better check with him to make sure he does Autolites...I don't know why he wouldn't. He's very nice, and very helpful and informative to talk to on the phone. Plus when you get it back, if you have questions on something he's really good about taking the time to talk you through it. He had my carb for about 2 weeks, mine was a Holley, came back in awesome shape and it works so well. He doesn't have a website so I just googled him and found his number.
 
#5 ·
Rebuild Complete

Thanks for the input, y'all.

I ended up rebuilding the carb. I used the JB Weld (after confirming that it wouldn't be a problem) to put the prong back on that holds the float.

Rex - The tip about the cutters is greatly appreciated. I finally unscrewed the secondary needle and seat with a pair of wire cutters without nearly as much frustration as with the wrench.

Lizer - I called Chris at Chris's Carb Shop, as I had hoped to send it off and have him rebuild it. My first question was "do you rebuild Autolites", to which he responded "yes, but I won't touch a 4300!". He confirmed that the JB Weld would be fine in this case since the fuel would not be sitting on it and gave me a few pointers for the rebuild process. He was extremely nice and helpful as you said... he even invited me to swing by and he would show me some of the things he was referencing, but I couldn't as I am states away. He also provided me with the correct Holly carb, just in case things didn't pan out.

Thanks again for the suggestions, and check out the finished product below!
 

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#6 ·
This Mustang has been in my family since it came off the showroom floor and is still pretty much all original (minus a fender), and I would like to keep everything as original as I can...
Glad you got it fixed, but are you certain that is its original carb? You don't say what year your car is but 4300's were not used until 1967. And no matter what year, a C-code engine was a 2V and not a 4V.
 
#7 ·
if you ever plan to slap a holley on I know a guy who knows a thing or two about them;)

nice work on the carb!

you will have to get back with us and let us know how it works!
 
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