'56 Meteor

F

Fortunateson

Well-known member
I have a '56 Meteor Rideau hardtop. It is the only one I have ever seen, Meteor or Ford, that has a manual choke. This stock as all knobs match the others on the dash, not after market. I'm thinking this might be rather rare. Thoughts/ comments?
 
Agree, '56 was the first year for auto chokes on 2 and 4 barrel carbs. Not the one barrels.

Even stranger..., Boss 302 Mustangs had manual chokes too. Maybe the Boss 429's too.

Sal
 
Also, '55 four barrel cars had auto chokes, but manual on 2 and 1 barrel carbs.

Seems like Ford slowly migrated to auto chokes.

Sal
 
scicala said:
Also, '55 four barrel cars had auto chokes, but manual on 2 and 1 barrel carbs.

Seems like Ford slowly migrated to auto chokes.

Sal
Click to expand...

Sal do you have any photos of what the linkage looked like and how Ford would have handled that weird setup on the 55 intake where the auto choke was mounted on the intake itself? Some of the older guys I know wanted me to convert their 55's to a manual choke but the only thing I could ever find for a teapot manual choke was to simply use an aftermarket kit that set up the arm through the original thermal cap... Any ideas?
 
Fortunateson said:
Forgot to mention that the car has the original engine, 292ci with a four barrel. So... rare?
Click to expand...


There was never a factory four barrel in '55 or '56 with a manual choke. I don't know what you have there unless some made a makeshift manual choke setup over the years, or the car was originally a 6 cyl. ("A" first in the VIN), or someone installed an original choke cable from a 6 cyl.

Sal
 
"Sal do you have any photos of what the linkage looked like and how Ford would have handled that weird setup on the 55 intake where the auto choke was mounted on the intake itself? Some of the older guys I know wanted me to convert their 55's to a manual choke but the only thing I could ever find for a teapot manual choke was to simply use an aftermarket kit that set up the arm through the original thermal cap... Any ideas?"



Reverend, unfortunately Holley never made a teapot carb for a passenger car with a manual choke, and all that is available are the hokey aftermarket manual kits like you described. I guess it's possible to do, but the choke lever on the carb is so short it makes pulling the choke cable very sensitive. Extending the lever somehow would work I guess. I will try to post a picture of the factory manifold choke set up used in '55.

If it were mine I would repair the corroded heat tube in the intake and rebuild the choke assembly on the side of the intake manifold to make it work as original.

Sal
 
Not to Hijack but a question on the tea pot manual choke. If it were a 52 or later F-7 or bigger truck with the Lincoln V8 would it have had a manual choke or auto or even had a teapot? Just curious.
 
I think the guy I got the car from about thirty years ago is still around. I would really like to know the facts. Installing a manual choke knob on an auto choke carb does not make sense. I wonder if it was for something else altogether and was meant to blend into the dash versus aftermarket do-dads.
 
5851a said:
Not to Hijack but a question on the tea pot manual choke. If it were a 52 or later F-7 or bigger truck with the Lincoln V8 would it have had a manual choke or auto or even had a teapot? Just curious.
Click to expand...



Yes, the big trucks had manual chokes on the teapot style 2 and 4 barrel carbs. But they also had governors on them, and the manual choke parts are not interchangeable to install on a passenger car teapot 4 barrel.

Sal
 
Thanks, hadn't thought about the governor. Back in the day around here the manual choke conversions were popular. No one understood new fangled automatic anything. Manual transmission conversions were popular too.
 
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