Why is it this hard to find someone local to tune carbs, and work on my baby

scottevest

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this has been VERY helpful.
The local shop has declined to work on my car.
My options now are:
-do nothing for now
-bring vehicle back to my boise shop, which does ok work but just not proactive or exhaustive imo, but MAY do well if directed to do per a list
-bring vehicle to Bill Arnold in SF who I know could do everything i needed well
-bring to the Reno guy per @tmason which is closer than SF

In my perfect world, Boise would be the solution. Just need to ensure they can do the work.
 

mulberryworks

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I pulled my tank and found it had rust under the lip that had been repaired with something like JB Weld. I didn't have a welder available and had to resort to brazing. I also thought it would be less likely to warp the tank. In the end, it couldn't get a perfect seal and used a tank sealer to coat the inside. That took care of the leaks. The red circle marks the place the sealer came through.
Gas Tank weld braze seal hilight IMG_6492.jpg
I was fortunate and had virtually no rust inside the tank.

I've taken old gas out of tanks before, and even gas that's old enough to smell funky will burn in a regular car if added in small amounts to the tank. It took a week, but I burned up over 5 gallons that way. In a 1995 supercharged Toyota Previa. I don't have any lawn equipment, but I wouldn't put gas that bad into one, since they seem to gum up their carbs on regular gas often enough.

Ian
 

scottevest

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Thanks again for all your help.
Digging deep into all this. I am LOVING the coupe, now that it is running well especially. It is soooo much more fun than ever before by a magnitude of 100 now that Bill Arnold fixed the minor issues. I can only imagine it will get better once new carbs and pollution stuff removed.
Unrelated questions:
1. any advice on how to set the choke? I was told: pump gas x3 quickly to engage OR depress gas fully ONCE to engage. I can't seem to figure it out.
2. do you recognize this piece? It was sitting on the floor and no idea what it is.
3. recommended way to use ventilation system. Seems a bit counter intuitive and duplicative in terms of fan, vent, ac.

going to do a search on above and this but thought I post anyway before doing so out of laziness, admittedly.
 

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Stevehose

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1. You can do both, once to the floor sets the cold start linkage, pumping it a couple times will make the accel pumps spray some gas into the carb as a primer. You may not need the latter if the car hasn't been sitting too long.

2. Heater duct grill from where the heat comes into the footwell either on the passenger or driver side of the console??? Not sure.

3. With a/c on I have the fan and vent slider switches off to the left and the large temp slider to the left on Cold (blue).
 

coupelady

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To add something to "how do you find someone to work on your carbs" - I had the same problem when we relocated from Atlanta to rural NC. Asking the local BMW club president could help. Go to any and all car events, ask around there. I even used a Ferrari mechanic as older Ferrari's have Webers. I have found myself, with hat in hand, just asking lots of shops/folks about who is sympathetic with older cars. Sometimes they don't do the work but know someone else. When we moved to NC I got rather worried as we had so many true artisans in Atlanta who did all sorts of work from trim work to you name it. I found many of them, who did work on my car during the restoration, did not advertise so it was word of mouth. Cities have more wealth of shops, have you tried your nearest city? Having said that, some shops are in the darndest places. Yes it can be frustrating and I feel for you.
 

Markos

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To add something to "how do you find someone to work on your carbs" - I had the same problem when we relocated from Atlanta to rural NC.

I know that it may be a hike, but you are a lot closer to a leading BMW carb tuner than most of us:

http://www.kormanautoworks.com/contact.htm

Contact Korman Autoworks

Korman Autoworks, Inc.
2629 Randleman Rd.
Greensboro, NC 27406

parts: [email protected]
service: [email protected]
restorations: [email protected]
shipping: [email protected]
general information: [email protected]

Phone: (336) 275-1494
Fax: (336) 274-8003
 

Ohmess

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Further to Amy's comments, you may want to look for an Italian car guy when seeking someone to work on Weber carbs -- Ferrari, Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo, etc.

Another thing you may want to consider, which seems odd but seems to be more and more popular, is flying in a mechanic. You may be able to get several days work for the price of shipping your car somewhere. And I hear Idaho is very pretty.
 

scottevest

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I know that it may be a hike, but you are a lot closer to a leading BMW carb tuner than most of us:

http://www.kormanautoworks.com/contact.htm

Contact Korman Autoworks

Korman Autoworks, Inc.
2629 Randleman Rd.
Greensboro, NC 27406

parts: [email protected]
service: [email protected]
restorations: [email protected]
shipping: [email protected]
general information: [email protected]

Phone: (336) 275-1494
Fax: (336) 274-8003

San Francisco is much much much much closer but thank you. I can't believe it is that hard to find someone to do this


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E911

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I would road trip to one of the choices... road trip to SFO, dinner by the bay and a short flight back doesn't sound horrible. Repeat in reverse a couple weeks later.
 

CSteve

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I would road trip to one of the choices... road trip to SFO, dinner by the bay and a short flight back doesn't sound horrible. Repeat in reverse a couple weeks later.
Since so many marques used Webers, why not go to every service manager of every marque dealer and see if there is someone still working there(a longshot), or they know of someone who knows someone?
Steve
 

Tony.dreamer

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Nor-California carburetor
4461 Peralta Blvd, Ste 5, Fremont, CA 94536
510-796-5474

I found it on Yelp . You might want to read the reviews on yelp . Has plenty of good reviews as a Carburator rebuilder. If he doesn't know about your Webber or Zenith ,( don't know which one you have) odds are he knows someone that does.
I am not sure how mechanically inclined you are. But as a car hobbiest I find it comforting to learn more about how Carburators work and there are plenty of videos on You Tube that you can learn from. There are some basic tools you can buy and after a while you might find it fun to work on them(while I have someone as a back up to call on to rescue me if I end up with too much fun and excitement ).
It is essential for the Carburator to be set within the range of correctness. Too rich or too lean set Carburators can be damaging your engine after a while if you don't correct the setting. Also use pure Gas , no ethanol. Alcohol makes all rubber components(seals plungers, etc) of your Carburator dry out and brittle, requiring replacement. Have the gas tank removed and inspected. Rubber gas line tend to collapse or peel from the inside while the out side look perfectly fine (ethanol is also damages the rubber lines). A lot of time your poor running car is not caused by Carburator and it is caused by gummy or collapsing fuel lines, suction of the fuel pump actually pinches the collapsing line, and a constant flow of gas can not be supplied to the Carburator.......
Replacing rubber fuel lines with good quality "rubber fuel lines" is one of the simplest thing you can do to eleminate issues that might be associated with it... or change to metal lines which is much better but that is a lot more work...... sorry for getting off the subject .... but there has been many time my issues end up being the supply of gas & not the Carburator....
cheers everyone !
 
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jefftepper

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I suppose this almost goes without saying that the reason the OP is having difficulty finding a competent carb guy is that so few cars have carbs now, a guy can't really make a living as a carb specialist. The most respected auto tech program around here does not teach their students much about carbs. Most techs from that program end up working in new car dealer service departments and the skills that pay do not generally include working on carbs. Essentially, it is a cottage industry at this point and will continue to shrink as the old guys retire. As time passes, vintage hobbyists will likely need to acquire more skills to be able to competently turn their own wrenches. My son is a factory trained tech for Lexus and he was never schooled in the intricacies of rebuilding the Holley 750 carb on his vintage hobby car. The skills that are in demand now are those related to computer controlled engines with fuel injection.
 

scottevest

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So, I created this complete list of things that need to get done in My Baby. I tried to be as specific as possible to avoid confusion and ensure goals are met. I am just circulating here to be sure my thinking is in-line.


Thanks so much for all your help to date. My couple is driving amazingly well right now and frankly not tempted to do much if not needed. Here is a short video summary from my recent road trip with my blind and deaf poodle Margaux, https://www.facebook.com/rootformargaux/videos/vb.107039736421856/320665351725959/?type=2&theater


I tried to break up the list methodically below.


  • Mechanical Issues-

    • Who should do this work: My shop in Boise or Bill Arnold in SF who I know can do this

      • My shop in Boise http://eurosportboise.com/

        • Pros:

          • 2.5 hours away

          • Claims they can do the work

          • Reasonably priced

          • Replaced the cyndendar head and seems that they did a good job

          • Has a good reputation dealing with Porsches, BMW, and Mini, but mostly newer models

          • I like them personally
        • Cons:

          • Although they did a good job replacing the cylinder head, I don’t think they did a good job getting me ready for my big trip generally -missed rusty tank, accelerator not adjusted properly, didn’t think overheating was much of an issue, and not sure carbs were properly tuned

          • Couldn’t figure out how to adjust the idle down when I installed new cam shaft. It was idling at 1500. Bill fixed it easily.
      • Bill Arnold in SF who I know can do this https://www.yelp.com/biz/bill-arnold-bmw-repair-san-rafael

        • Pros:

          • Bill knows this stuff and I trust him

          • Reasonably priced

          • Nice guy
        • Cons:

          • 12.5+ hours away

  • Priority 1- Safety

    • install a new fan for radiator, which I have the parts already. I am told it is a fairly simply install. - confirm if other parts are needed, e.g. water pump, fan clutch engine cooling. Note, Don replaced the radiator and the vehicle is no longer overheating so not sure if the new fan and other things are necessary

  • Priority 2 - Performance

    • Install new carbs and tune properly for my altitude, which is ~5900ft. Note the current carbs seem fine, but per Bill Arnold, they are tired and should be replaced. I bought the new Webers aleady.

    • Fix accelerator. Per Bill Arnold, it was not right only depressing about 50% before he fixed it but indicated it needed much more adjustment to get right. He didn’t have time, but it is night and day better than it was before.

    • Per Don Lawrence: You need to remove all that smog stuff. Need to understand what that means specifically. I am guessing Bill will know this, but not sure if my shop will.

  • Priority 3 - Minor/Not Urgent

    • need to clean and coat gas tank to remove the rust, and examine filters and fuel sensors

    • many hoses and wires should be replaced, including the missing hose for windshield washer

    • Teach me how to set choke- supposed to pump 3x quickly to set but not working.

    • tire place said "nut on pitman arm is loose -may need to drop the crossmember to get the nut gear box leaking" and not properly aligned as a result --Gearbox is leaking slightly May be able to put a power steering sealant on it

    • Steering wheel not completely centered

    • adjust idle


  • Blue Sky - Not Urgent

    • Slight gaps in windows I'm going through car wash it gets water in the car. See the discussion on gaps in the forum

    • Sunroof often needs manual interaction to get moving open.

    • Slight door and trunk gaps

    • trip odometer doesn't work

    • clock doesn't work

    • All windows slow operating. Not sure if worth dealing with or just be patient

    • not sure if worth fixing temp adjustment for AC which is missing. Frankly, I only run it on max cold when I run it so not sure needed

    • can't get either headrests to go up/down -stuck

    • replace rear brake lens which is cracked - i have replacement

    • the center console where gear shift doesn't seem to be properly in place and needs to be adjusted

  • Cosmetic Issues
  • Install Chrome bumpers

  • Paint and fix minor problem areas - I was quoted $4500 to repaint same color and install chrome bumpers.

  • Nice to restore some of the wood in dash

  • Replace the small plastic, colored silver piece that fell off internal drivers door handle

  • Part that looks like a grill on dash related to ventilation which was off from radio install

  • When repainted, fix slight Rust areas
Any thoughts would be much appreciated. Thanks.
 

adawil2002

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I'd go to Bill Arnold. Pays dividends to go to someone who knows these cars and is less expensive in the long run.
 

Stevehose

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Get the pitman arm nut tight - this is your steering - you don't want this to disconnect.
 

sfdon

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Keep in mind that Bill is at 43' elevation.
What elevation are you at? 5900'

From the inter web...

Main jet metering is of great imortance when operating at considerably varying altitudes for which the
following rule-of-thumb may be applied: change main jet calibration by 6% for each 1,000m (3280')
altitude variation. For example,( if ) normal main jet calibration at an altitude of 400m (1312') is 0115;
proper jet size for an altitude of 1400m (4592') is 0110
 
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Arde

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Keep in mind that Bill is at 43' elevation.
What elevation are you at?

For higher elevation can you ask Bill to tune the carbs on the lift?

Anyway, the todo list is depressingly long. I am a "one item at a time" person.
 

Ohmess

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As Steve notes, the loose Pitman arm nut needs to be addressed right away, and it seems odd that it is loose. It should be a castle nut with a cotter pin through it to prevent it from backing out. The only way it would get loose is if the cotter pin is missing (or if the cotter pin is there, if it was not properly installed the last time the nut was removed). I don't recall how tight it is in that area, but I would get this properly torqued and make sure the cotter pin is there to keep it in place.
 

scottevest

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As Steve notes, the loose Pitman arm nut needs to be addressed right away, and it seems odd that it is loose. It should be a castle nut with a cotter pin through it to prevent it from backing out. The only way it would get loose is if the cotter pin is missing (or if the cotter pin is there, if it was not properly installed the last time the nut was removed). I don't recall how tight it is in that area, but I would get this properly torqued and make sure the cotter pin is there to keep it in place.

I don't believe it is actually loose. In fact, I brought it in to get fixed and a guy spent over an hour and they're trying to deal with it. If it was just a loose not he would've taken did but he just noticed that there was evidence of something perhaps leaking under there and could not seem to address it. He did not think it was a big deal.


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