hulleywoodworking
Member
I have been restoring a 1951 F1 for the past 3 years, trying to keep it mostly stock. However, the PO had made a number of modifications that I had to work with and around. The PO had changed the intake manifold and carburetor to all Edlebrock, using the High Rise Aluminum Manifold and the Performer Series 500 CFM Carburetor. This carb has the throttle linkage on the opposite side of the factory location, so the stock throttle linkage won't work. The PO had had the stock linkage modified, by cutting it apart and welding it together in a configuration that sorta worked. I thought it was a little too crude looking, so I set about to design a more elegant solution. Research here led me to a design that worked well and looked good, which I adapted.
I purchased a NOS stock linkage from someone on ebay, so I had the modified one and an unmolested one to work with. I cleaned up and primed and painted the NOS set, and installed it in the stock location. Now I had to figure out how to get the linkage to the other side of the carb. I stared at it for a while, went away, came back and stared at it some more, went away again, came back one more time to stare at it, and the solution came to me.
I took the modified linkage and cut it apart, salvaging only the center tube and the 2 eyebolts. I ordered a length of 5/16" steel bar stock from McMaster Carr, and a couple of aluminum throttle arms and 4 quick release linkage ends from Speedway. While I waited for the UPS man, I made my modifications to the center tube and eyebolts. I took a piece of steel, about 8" x 1" x 1/4", bored 2 holes for the eyebolts, and 2 holes for attachment to the manifold. I removed the carburetor and the high rise base; I laid out the 2 holes from the steel plate onto the back of the riser, then bored and tapped the holes. I had to fit a 1/4" thick spacer behind the plate so that it stood far enough off the riser to clear the nuts on the back of the eyebolts. After painting the parts, I assembled them to the riser, then reinstalled the riser and the carburetor.
By now, the other parts had arrived, so I dry fitted the 5/16" bar stock with the throttle arms into the tube/eyebolt assembly. I used some all thread to make temporary lengths of linkage rod, threaded the ends at 10-32 to fit the quick release linkage ends, and put it all together. With a few adjustments, it actually worked!! All that was left to do was make a couple of spacers to take up the spaces between the ends of the center tube and the throttle arms, turn and thread 2 lengths of the 5/16" bar stock to make the linkage rods, trim the main rod to length, and put it all together.
And it works!!
I purchased a NOS stock linkage from someone on ebay, so I had the modified one and an unmolested one to work with. I cleaned up and primed and painted the NOS set, and installed it in the stock location. Now I had to figure out how to get the linkage to the other side of the carb. I stared at it for a while, went away, came back and stared at it some more, went away again, came back one more time to stare at it, and the solution came to me.
I took the modified linkage and cut it apart, salvaging only the center tube and the 2 eyebolts. I ordered a length of 5/16" steel bar stock from McMaster Carr, and a couple of aluminum throttle arms and 4 quick release linkage ends from Speedway. While I waited for the UPS man, I made my modifications to the center tube and eyebolts. I took a piece of steel, about 8" x 1" x 1/4", bored 2 holes for the eyebolts, and 2 holes for attachment to the manifold. I removed the carburetor and the high rise base; I laid out the 2 holes from the steel plate onto the back of the riser, then bored and tapped the holes. I had to fit a 1/4" thick spacer behind the plate so that it stood far enough off the riser to clear the nuts on the back of the eyebolts. After painting the parts, I assembled them to the riser, then reinstalled the riser and the carburetor.
By now, the other parts had arrived, so I dry fitted the 5/16" bar stock with the throttle arms into the tube/eyebolt assembly. I used some all thread to make temporary lengths of linkage rod, threaded the ends at 10-32 to fit the quick release linkage ends, and put it all together. With a few adjustments, it actually worked!! All that was left to do was make a couple of spacers to take up the spaces between the ends of the center tube and the throttle arms, turn and thread 2 lengths of the 5/16" bar stock to make the linkage rods, trim the main rod to length, and put it all together.
And it works!!
