Well, I pulled them inside, moved my keyboard to the side, and started with the old carbs tonight. I sprayed them thoroughly with WD several times today but didn't try to get them to move until I sat down with them. Almost immediately the one stiff carb moved smoothly, it only hesitated for a couple of mm before it slid free. I rocked the throttle bar up and down several times and all four moved almost as smooth as glass.
I removed the bracket and gently pulled the choke connectors apart, then pulled the carbs apart. The first thing I found was a bunch of green crud real thick on the fuel intake T tubes. I cleaned that all up and set those aside, then started pulling the tops off of each carb in turn.
I started with the carb that didn't want to move and after working it in and out several times it finally slid all the way out. There was a ton of crud on the top of the slide, so much that it concealed the screws that hold the top rod in place. I finally dug enough out to get a screwdriver on the screws and with a little finesse got them to come out without stripping them. I then slid out the needle and started cleaning all the parts with NevrDull and a wire brush. No, I didn't use a wire brush on the slides
There was some kind of white film on the slide and it took quite a while with the NevrDull to get all the film off and the slides as clean as a whistle. Using paper towels and a pick I cleaned the inside of the slide repeatedly until the towels came out clean. I used the wire brush to clean the rod bracket, screws and then wiped out the insides of the carb until those towels also came out clean.
Once all the crud and rust was removed from each and every part, I started putting that carb back together. The top rubber gasket was still soft and pliable so I didn't see a problem with putting it back in, then tightened everything back up again. The slide moved so smoothly I figured I must have done something right, lolol.
After the first carb was done and set aside, I started pulling the slides out of the other three in turn. None of the others had any rust or crud buildup, but all four slides had that white film on them. To the finger it was kinda rough, almost like a salt film, but harder. Eventually I got the rest as clean as the first and put them all back together, then when I started putting the choke connecting bars back on I realized the cotter pins were beyond saving, two broke while removing and I didn't trust the others. I'll go to Ace tomorrow to get a set of new pins and reconnect the chokes. I remounted the carbs back into the bracket and saw that the throttle cable wings were bent and not aligned with the cable mounts. I realigned those while I was at it and wiped the carbs down one mare time for good measure.
I'll have to remove the bracket to put the choke connecting bars back in place but it was a great experience pulling everything apart, cleaning everything, and putting it all back together. I can now go to sleep and feel I really accomplished something, something I was really worried about. I've never had much luck when working with carbs and since I wasn't planning on using the old carbs again, I didn't feel bad about experimenting on them. I knew I had to be careful, and I was. Nothing got stripped or cross threaded, and I don't see why someone can't use these in the future. They aren't polished, don't look brand new on the outside, but they are clean and move very well. The bowl gaskets obviously need to be replaced, it needs new slow and main jets and probably new floats and needles, but if someone is interested in them, let me know. The carb numbers are 657B. I will include the floats, needles and seats if they are wanted. The bowls are all pretty clean and fit well onto the carbs and all the bowl holders are there and look to be in good condition.
More to come soon,
Peace and Long Rides,
Jeff
