Topic: 4 cable carb project

[Don R]

  I bought a set of K0 carb bodies from a well-known parts stripper on ebay. They have the idle screws and choke linkage and mounting plate, that's about all. I'll be assembling them with the 4 slides, tops and 4-1 cable I found at an estate sale.
  Missing are the brass parts, I'm hoping to swap them from a parted-out rack of K1 carbs.

[BenelliSEI]

Don….. when I did the S/C carbs there was a weirdly bent emulsion tube. I used one from a damaged cb750K1 carb set (and a few more bits of brass) and they all seemed identical. It also runs great, so I think you have a good plan.

[Don R]

 I'll post some pics and maybe we can learn a little. I'm trying to find the post that shows differences between the early and later Sandcast carbs.
 These have a silver/green sticker on the left carb. I think it came on them new.

 It seems there was a difference in the humps on the left side of the carb body, double humps on newer carbs? These have the two humps, I have a single #1 carb I'll have to look at it. Search didn't help.

[Don R]

 I remembered late that the carb bodies were out for delivery and checked the porch, they are here and are gorgeous, they look like the original finish.  I'm still waiting to find out why someone would strip them down and sell them naked.
  After a shot of WD40 and blowing out the passages, my old slides and needles went right in, I carefully screwed on the tops and the threads all matched up, there's something going on with my old cables, two of the slides are hanging on the cables but I have a couple sets of them.  It appears that I'll have a sweet set of carbs to swap onto one of my bikes or trade for Speed Parts.
 Next- test fitting brass

[Don R]

 I had to take apart a grisly gnarly set of later carbs for some parts, where do float pins go? I also seem to have only # 110, 112.5 130, or 140 main jets. hmmm. When I made up the Mikuni jet kit from mine and my brother's stuff I thought I also had a small box of Keihen stuff but where did I store it? 

[Don R]

  I opened the other set of 4-4 carbs and omg. The #3 was lovely, the other three were full of white corrosion I had to heat the 3 float pins to get them out. Heat, penetrating oil, tap tap, repeat. I got too much heat on a float and unsoldered it lol.
  Tomorrow I'll get the ultrasonic cleaner out. It appears I'll spend some $$ on new stuff.

[BenelliSEI]

Don….. On my first K0 I did buy some carb bits and brass kits from Yamiya (the bike had been totally dismantled and a few margarine containers were missing!). It was all first quality and worked/ ran very well.

[Don R]

   Thanks, good to know. I got the carb bodies for $300 and had the slides, tops, springs, and cables from a two tote buy at estate sale. All in all, not a bad deal. The real deal is a set of carburetor bowls on ebay polished for $100 by CycleX. That's cheaper than gnarly used up ones.  I can swap them to a modified bike.
   

[Don R]

 A float post on the #3 of the old set was "breathing" penetrating oil through its corrosion. With heat and patience, the pin came out, I got it to move out, then filed the end to a taper and tapped it back and forth for a few strokes. It finally loosened. I'm wondering if there is any chemical that will stabilize it. I have some gas tank epoxy putty that I might try after it's back together. 

[Don R]

 After opening the carbs I've sat on for years, I now have some insight on how a set of slides get separated from their bodies. This set has a perfect #3 and I had a spare #1 so that leaves 2 and 4 to clean up. They suffer from the dreaded white corrosion. I'm going to attempt to polish them up inside but there are some nice K0 carb parts on ebay for sale. I might just buy two or even a set of them. 
  I bought a lovely set of brass floats tonight.

[Don R]

  The combination of the ultrasonic cleaner, vinegar and WD40 helped dissolve the white deposits from the "old set". The ebay set of carb bodies got the ebay floats and a set of brass from a later model set of carbs with a broken rack.
  Today I assembled the best of the remaining parts into the "new set" and cleaned everything. Two pilot jets were gummed up badly, I was careful to not ream them when I opened them up.
 
 

[BenelliSEI]

  The combination of the ultrasonic cleaner, vinegar and WD40 helped dissolve the white deposits from the "old set". The ebay set of carb bodies got the ebay floats and a set of brass from a later model set of carbs with a broken rack.
  Today I assembled the best of the remaining parts into the "new set" and cleaned everything. Two pilot jets were gummed up badly, I was careful to not ream them when I opened them up.

Don….. The methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) that I used on my last gas tank to dissolve the “varnish” would be worth having. I bet it would clean that brass instantly!

[Don R]

   We only have MEK substitute around here. It must be some good stuff. I'm convinced someone painted one bowl to body gasket area with rubber cement. I used brake clean and a soft bristle brush after fingernail scraping.
 One set has idle screws with holes, one set is without holes.  I need to list the incomplete but good carb bodies that I have.

[Don R]

 I just bought one top cable adjuster for $20 to get the brass nut. L0L! The things we do for our old Hondas.

[Don R]

  I bought a set of 4 jet needles, 4 C needle clips and 4 K0 butterfly clips off of ebay. The way these things disappear it can't hurt to have a set on standby. This should make the 4 cable carbs complete, when they make it around in the project rotation I'll have a sweet spare set tested and ready to use.
  I love that the #4 body still has the sticker on it, never been in a hot tank.