Had it with the Teapot carb! Argggg.....

bigd1101

bigd1101

Senior Member
So after a $400 carb rebuild and my mechanic doing his best to try and dial the carb in, and of course checking all other possibilities causing the under-par performance, with the new flathead engine, I'm tossing in the towel on the teapot. The manifold is a square 4 bolt mount, so I'll need another 4 bolt carb or an adapter for any 3 bolt carb that's NOT an effing teapot. My mechanics word after his attempt to set it right... "Good luck with that carb" and he's been working on these engines for many moons.

I wrote a while back about this and there were some suggestions on a comparable replacement, but I think it was a 3-bolt carb and some discussion on if the distributor will work or not, so once again, any help here will be much appreciated. The semi-rough running and now and then stalling does not hake it a fun driving car, to say the least.....:mad:
 
A small base Rochester 2G is perfect. It will bolt directly on to the Merc manifold, but the manifold should be bored out to match the throttle bores. Bolt it on backwards, and everything (throttle linkage, fuel line, and automatic choke) falls right into place. You're lucky to have a Merc instead of a Ford because the automatic choke really simplifies things. I'm not enough of a Merc expert to know if your car has a "divorced" (on the manifold) or regular (on the carb) choke, but the Rochester's came in both versions, so if you look, you will find one that fits. I have done both kinds and on the "divorced" choke version, all it needed was a bend in the actuating rod, and in the regular version, you simply have to shorten the tube to the choke chamber on the carb.

Of course, "there is no free lunch" as these carburetors do not have a provision to supply the proper vacuum signal to the "Load-a-Matic" distributor, so a distributor change is in order. You can either use a GM distributor converted by Charlie Schwendler in New York, or find an after market model, made by Mallory or MSD.

EDIT : There is one other problem that has to be addressed. The 2G has some voids cast into the bottom of the cast iron base that have the potential for vacuum leaks. I had some plates made out of .060" aluminum to eliminate this problem. You install a base gasket, this plate, another base gasket and the carb.
 
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tubman said:
A small base Rochester 2G is perfect. It will bolt directly on to the Merc manifold, but the manifold should be bored out to match the throttle bores. Bolt it on backwards, and everything (throttle linkage, fuel line, and automatic choke) falls right into place. You're lucky to have a Merc instead of a Ford because the automatic choke really simplifies things. I'm not enough of a Merc expert to know if your car has a "divorced" (on the manifold) or regular (on the carb) choke, but the Rochester's came in both versions, so if you look, you will find one that fits. I have done both kinds and on the "divorced" choke version, all it needed was a bend in the actuating rod, and in the regular version, you simply have to shorten the tube to the choke chamber on the carb.

Of course, "there is no free lunch" as these carburetors do not have a provision to supply the proper vacuum signal to the "Load-a-Matic" distributor, so a distributor change is in order. You can either use a GM distributor converted by Charlie Schwendler in New York, or find an after market model, made by Mallory or MSD.

EDIT : There is one other problem that has to be addressed. The 2G has some voids cast into the bottom of the cast iron base that have the potential for vacuum leaks. I had some plates made out of .060" aluminum to eliminate this problem. You install a base gasket, this plate, another base gasket and the carb.
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Sounds a tad complicated. I wish it were a bit more simple that boring out the manifold, which I'll assume will have to be removed. Then we are also talking about another distributor (the easier part) but more $$$

Is there a way to replace the manifold with one that has a carb set up on it or that another complicated ordeal? I'm guessing yes.

It almost looks like I'm stuck with the teapot POS.......life ain't fair I tell ya:o
 
I feel for you. The issues I had with my "teapot" carb, were resolved by having the distributor dialed in correctly on a Sun distributor machine, to the proper specks. You wouldn't believe the difference it made.

I wish you lived closer, and I would gladly let you drive mine, since they are identical.

Good luck, with what you decide.
 
Merc Cruzer said:
I feel for you. The issues I had with my "teapot" carb, were resolved by having the distributor dialed in correctly on a Sun distributor machine, to the proper specks. You wouldn't believe the difference it made.

I wish you lived closer, and I would gladly let you drive mine, since they are identical.

Good luck, with what you decide.
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Tell me more about the distributor adjustment? Was your car doing the same thing mine is as far as an inconsistent RPM? I figured a rebuild would have solved the carb issue, but it hasn't. Driving me nuts.....
 
I know nothing about teapot carbs on Mercs, but can't believe you paid $400 for a rebuild that didn't work. Who did the rebuild, your local mechanic? Why did you pay full price for a product that doesn't work.

Don't say it's a faulty part, as Mercury made millions of them, and I doubt they were all replaced at the dealership. Maybe yours has a broken or warped part, but your rebuilder should have found that. If he didn't, he didn't earn his money.

Or, maybe the problem is not the carb after all, and your mechanic is inept. Find a distributor guru and make sure the bushings are good, the points are nice, and the advance is working properly.
 
The top float Holly carburetors can be damaged pretty easy due to soft castings. The carb and distributor are set up to work properly together but older worn units may need bushings or repairs for vacuum system leaks. If properly brought back to serviceable specs, they have respectable performance. A person has to test everything to the best way possible to insure serviceability. There is a learning curve to this old stuff but once a person understands the system, the battle can be won. I have the 49/51 top shroud units on my Mercs but after massaging them back to specs, they work pretty well.
 
I totally agree with the last few posts. You were asking about alternatives, so I gave you the best one. The original carb, properly rebuilt, is still probably your best bet. You could always put a Ford carb and manifold on it to get by.

Doesn't "scicala" on this board specialize in the Holley "Teapots"?
 
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tubman said:
I totally agree with the last few posts. You were asking about alternatives, so I gave you the best one. The original carb, properly rebuilt, is still probably your best bet. You could always put a Ford carb and manifold on it to get by.

Doesn't "sciala" on this board specialize in the Holley "Teapots"?
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Yes, Sciala does.
 
I agree. yes, I do have experience with all teapot type Holley carbs from '49 thru '57 two and four barrel on Ford, Mercury, T-Bird and Lincoln.
Is your issue just inconsistent idle RPM ? If so, it could be a sloppy throttle shaft fit (vacuum leak), and maybe the peening on the throttle shaft that holds on the throttle lever has worked loose and sloppy. I've seen that before.
For other performance issues, do like was stated in an earlier post and make sure the ignition system is up to snuff. No sloppy dist bushings, good advance diphragm, and leak free connections on the vacuum line at the carb and dist.
I'm not sure what your issues are.

Sal
 
bigd1101 said:
The rebuilders here ( https://nationalcarburetors.com/carburetor-rebuild.html) said to send it back to them and they will open it up and see what the problem is. They have a warranty on it... they say. I really do want to keep the car as original as possible and with the correct oil bath air cleaner. I'll keep you all posted.
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You never have really said what the performance issue was with your carb.
Sounds like you have the mind set that it has to be the carburetor, which is the most blamed component for performance issues, but not even close to always the case.

Sal
 
87% of all carburetor problems are the ignition. But then, 76% of all ignition problems are the carburetor.
 
I have rebuilt two of the earlier 49-51 885 Holleys and two of the 52-53 1901 Holleys. They are odd carburetors, but follow the same principles as any other carburetor of the era. My experience is most 1901 Holleys seem to be missing parts. The last one I rebuilt required two carburetors to get everything needed for one complete carburetor. It worked well once fully cleaned and properly assembled. I recommend reading up on the carburetor to understand how it works and what parts are supposed to be there. A nice site with a scanned manual you can click through for information can be found here: http://www.oldcarmanualproject.com/manuals/Carbs/Holley/H1901-1952/MCarbHoll190119522.html
 
If you have an electric fuel pump, make sure your fuel pressure is correct for the carburetor. I spent half the summer figuring out that issue on my 40. It kept stalling out until I corrected the pressure.
 
when i put the 49 mercury engine in the 46 big truck i carefully set the distributor advance to the exact vacuum specifications, the teapot just got a kit and cleaning, good power, good fuel economy (could get 18 mpg with 2 ton load if kept under 60), it is important to have the vacuum correct
 
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