[DavidG]

Apart from thorough cleaning of every component (applicable to all carburetors), there are only three things that can go wrong with a D/L carburetors. (Assuming that the carburetor has either all '32 parts or all '33 parts as some of them differ as deuce roadster has indicated.)

The first is sticking vanes. They must move freely in the carburetor's center section and the collar in which their studs insert must move up and down freely without binding. The spring retracting the collar must be in good working order. Both the vanes and area where they move within the carburetor's center section must be free of blisters and other imperfections in the zinc die castings (which tend to blister with age). Also care must taken when assembling the vanes to ensure that the choke arm is in the correct position relative to the vanes.

The second is a worn float level valve pin which will stick and limit the flow of fuel into the carburetor. NOS valve pins are near impossible to find, but used pins can be reground by a competent machinist to restore the proper fit and operation.

The third is a worn throttle shaft. Excessive wear on the shaft will cause erratic idle speeds.

Excluding the very earliest '32 version, The D/L has far fewer parts than any Ford carburetor that followed and in one respect its simple design is far advanced compared to those that immediately followed as it has a variable venturi, a feature found on carburetors used just before carburetors were replaced with fuel injection.

I rebuild my own D/L carburetors and have used them successfully for over fifty years. And yes, if you do it yourself you will either need to find or make a replica of the KRW special tool to completely disassemble and reassemble one (which you need to do to achieve total cleanliness). Also, to do the job right, you will need copies of both the '32 and '33 service bulletins.

They do run a little rough until the engine warms up if it's cold and may leak a little in hard right hand turns, but no carburetor is without idiosyncrasies.