Steve Harrison wrote:The one I have for my zenith's for the 'fun' motor has the left hand thread rod broken off. I brazed it,...but it's a cob job at best.
(this post seemed to have gotten lost in the ozone; did I attack someone?)
When I was rebopping Z's, every pile of parts got a close look for the L/H rods and bold nuts; those, for reasons that aren't hard to fathom, got broken in amounts far in excess of the expected 1:1. Ab should have a market if he focused on those.
Here is a response to an email inquiry related to the above post and other references throughout the topic.
No, I do not have a kit price nor do I offer a kit of parts. This may, however, be a good idea. The parts shown in the classified are for repair of broken or missing or wrong parts. One part is for the correction of a fatal flaw in every carburetor that left the facility of manufacture and perpetuated by procurers of same for installation on their vehicles. It was an attempt by the bean counters to maximize profits while simultaneously reduce the logistics of inventory and documentation. You may have this condition as an impending failure. When the carburetors are in service, it is readily apparent--the bracket at the spring interface that is secured by the cover retaining screw will be rotated in the direction of the center-line of the vehicle. You can observe the condition by just walking by.
The accelerator pump adjustable link is another story. Original ones had brass bodies and there were two designs. The assembly offered today "works". It violates form for function and could not, technically, be considered valued engineered. Still, the price seems to be continually escalating.
The spring offered was prompted by "copies" of the real spring that seriously violated form and I wonder even today where they were made. I only made a very small quantity at considerable expense and they were intended for "concerned" owners that occasionally or regularly show their cars. It is an easy correction for a point of judging in the engine bay that can drop the entrant a place or two. Don't laugh, at the 2005 Porsche Parade, the documentation will show that a class win was "lost" because the coil number was not "correct" for the car. Having these springs installed upside down or the bracket for the mounting of the springs at the float bowl cover located on the wrong housing screw [DIYer fatal flaw correction] are other points that the knowledgeable judge will not overlook.
Cost wise, it is just best to order the parts that are broken, missing or wrong or order those also needed for cosmetic reasons. In this regard please note that I do not offer the Factory float bowl housing screw. The latter is shown on the exhibit for comparison only. Many times when you buy kits they are universal and,for example, a shim kit for a distributor rebuild covers many applications. In particular the one sold under the Bosch label for our little cars contains parts that are not used[not even appropriate] and does not contain the correct quantity of a part that is always needed. The cost of this "kit" has escalated in price nearly 10 fold[$8.50 to almost $90]since I started repairing/restoring distributors for the 356 community in 2004.
A carburetor rebuild kit is offered by all the usual suspects--a term arising frequently on the 356 Talk. These kits are all made by one source and not too well to boot. In particular, the needle valves are poor. some gaskets are missing and other gaskets are not of the same material or thickness as original. It just seems that every corner is cut to maximize the return. I sold many rod ends and some springs and even a couple of correct LH nuts to Ron.
So, determine what you need and LMK. It will be far less expensive than buying complete assemblies.
