The Ford Barn

Ggmac · 08-12-2025, 03:10 PM

There’s good and there’s cheap . Can’t have both . Too many reports of the cheap carbs failing . After all the work most of us have in these toys the last thing we want to happen is a fire from a cheap carb .

tubman · 08-12-2025, 03:26 PM

That looks like a generic Holley 94. Look the carb body over over carefully for further identifying marks. If there are any, post them here and we can help identify the carb and give proper advice. If there are none, it's probably a cheap clone and should be tossed.

Mart · 08-12-2025, 03:34 PM

Get that "condenser" off there just to save confusion.
It is definitely flooding (as stated). You have an electric pump? Try turning the pump off and on so it runs intermittently. It is delivering too much fuel and overpowering the needle valve.
Either the needle valve is faulty or the pump pressure is too high.
Get a fuel pressure gauge and tee it into the fuel line near where it enters the carb. You want no more than 2 or 2.5 psi.

Take note of this guidance and report back when you've tried something.

Best bet is to reinstate a mechanical fuel pump.

Mart.

hueyhoolihan · 08-12-2025, 03:52 PM

if trying to diagnose a fuel pressure excess, one might try simply bypass the pump and rig up a gravity feed from a plastic container (until about 1932 that's what Ford used from what i've read). the PSI will depend on how high the source hangs above the carb. i've seen numbers around .5 PSI per foot, at sea level. so four or five feet above the carb should do it if some of the numbers expressed in previous posts are correct. if you're in Telluride, you'll have to do some ciphering ha.

...could be convenient and simple to vary the pressure by raising and lowering the bottle.

signsup · 08-12-2025, 08:42 PM

Let me bonce something off this crowd that has not been mentioned. I have seen on some Bubba jeeps, a adjusting valve on fuel lines that restrict the pressure or volum of gas going into a carb or pump. Would some sort of regulator on the fule line going into the carb give me not only an initial pressure reading, but the ability to adjust the pressure going into the carb? Has anyone done something like this? If my electric fuel pump is pumping too much pressure, a new or rebuilt carb will not help. So my first plan of action is to get either a pressure gauge for the fuel line or a reducer valve for same. Sound like a plan?
The car has no radio, so the possible radio static condensor or filter is interesting. I may try and trace that line in my spare time. It does go through the firewal, so I don't think going to distributor or coil.

Mart · 08-13-2025, 05:19 AM

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A fuel pressure regulator could help.

Ggmac · 08-13-2025, 05:50 AM

A decent fuel regulator isn’t cheap . Holley or equivalent has been my go to when needed . The little round chrome regulators I’ve tried have been nothing but unreliable. It just adds another variable to the equation.
If your new low pressure fuel pump is coming, that should work . An in expensive inline clear fuel filter could help determine if garbage is messing with the needle and seat .

signsup · 09-01-2025, 01:30 PM

I hate it when threads are started and the end of the issue is not posted, just left hanging. Got pulled away from the Mercury, but got back on today, removed the top of the carb and removed brass float. See pics. Two large splits in the brass float and full of fuel and sinking, causing float bowl issue, hence the gas leaking from the carb body. It's a General Tsu special, not worth rebuilding, but a local carb guy might have a new float and I can get it bacck to roller status. He can rebuild me a Holly 94 with no coare for $400, so I'll give that some thought.
But, for now, I'm calling this issue resolved once I get a new float installed. Don't think trying to solder these two splits are worth the time and effort for Tic Tock trash.
Just wanted to get back and post ending. Thanks to all who posted.

petehoovie · 09-01-2025, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by signsup

I hate it when threads are started and the end of the issue is not posted, just left hanging. Got pulled away from the Mercury, but got back on today, removed the top of the carb and removed brass float. See pics. Two large splits in the brass float and full of fuel and sinking, causing float bowl issue, hence the gas leaking from the carb body. It's a General Tsu special, not worth rebuilding, but a local carb guy might have a new float and I can get it bacck to roller status. He can rebuild me a Holly 94 with no coare for $400, so I'll give that some thought.
But, for now, I'm calling this issue resolved once I get a new float installed. Don't think trying to solder these two splits are worth the time and effort for Tic Tock trash.
Just wanted to get back and post ending. Thanks to all who posted.

JayChicago · 09-01-2025, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by signsup

I hate it when threads are started and the end of the issue is not posted, just left hanging. Got pulled away from the Mercury, but got back on today,.....

Agree. Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you found.

Terry,OH · 09-02-2025, 06:12 AM

You can get a new float from Daytona parts in Fla. or Vintage speed. See their web sites. No other numbers on the carb anywhere? Daytona has the best rebuilding kits and can also rebuild. Charlie Schwendler also a good source for rebuilding.

38 coupe · 09-03-2025, 05:38 AM

The carburetor in the video looks like one of the new cheap chinesium carburetors. I am curious if any parts are interchangeable with the original carburetors, and if the tolerances on the new cheap carburetors are held close enough to work well regardless.
Personally I will stick to using original carburetors I go through at home. I recommend others learn to do the same, it isn't that hard and is very rewarding.

Flathead Fever · 09-03-2025, 06:02 AM

At work we used to take the carb floats that filled up with fuel and light them just for fun. First, we'd look for the leak, but you could never see them, no fuel would be dripping from them. So, for fun we lite them on fire, and boom, up would pop a good-sized flame coming out of it until the fuel finally burned out. Probably not the smartest thing to do but we were young and prone to lighting or blowing something up every day for fun. It seems only the leaded seam floats would fill-up with fuel, we had a couple of them do that a year. We lit every one of them on fire for fun. We had a fleet of 400 vehicles and sinking floats happened quite a bit during the carb era. Some carbs you could floats that were either one or two pieces soldered. If it's possible to find floats that are not two-pieces of soldered brass, I would use those. At least it's an easy fix.

signsup · 09-03-2025, 12:35 PM

The float I have coming, the seller mentioned that I may have to file the tab at the front for good fitment, but maybe not. So, we'll see when it arrives. I'm going the cheap route for now and just getting the communist carb back to running the engine while I prep the car, paint and install all new glass and then all new interior. Probably next spring or summer till I'm ready for the show circuit and can use that time to find me a decent Holly 94 and maybe even a mechanical fuel pump and correct air filter. But, for now, it, hopefully, gets me going.

08-12-2025, 03:10 PM	#21
Ggmac Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Lake worth Florida Posts: 1,466	Re: 42 Mercury Sedan Idles Then Dies Video There’s good and there’s cheap . Can’t have both . Too many reports of the cheap carbs failing . After all the work most of us have in these toys the last thing we want to happen is a fire from a cheap carb .

08-12-2025, 03:26 PM	#22
tubman Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Minnesota, Florida Keys Posts: 12,132	Re: 42 Mercury Sedan Idles Then Dies Video That looks like a generic Holley 94. Look the carb body over over carefully for further identifying marks. If there are any, post them here and we can help identify the carb and give proper advice. If there are none, it's probably a cheap clone and should be tossed.

08-12-2025, 03:34 PM	#23
Mart Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Solihull, England. Posts: 9,239	Re: 42 Mercury Sedan Idles Then Dies Video Get that "condenser" off there just to save confusion. It is definitely flooding (as stated). You have an electric pump? Try turning the pump off and on so it runs intermittently. It is delivering too much fuel and overpowering the needle valve. Either the needle valve is faulty or the pump pressure is too high. Get a fuel pressure gauge and tee it into the fuel line near where it enters the carb. You want no more than 2 or 2.5 psi. Take note of this guidance and report back when you've tried something. Best bet is to reinstate a mechanical fuel pump. Mart.

08-12-2025, 03:52 PM	#24
hueyhoolihan Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2024 Location: central coast california Posts: 593	Re: 42 Mercury Sedan Idles Then Dies Video if trying to diagnose a fuel pressure excess, one might try simply bypass the pump and rig up a gravity feed from a plastic container (until about 1932 that's what Ford used from what i've read). the PSI will depend on how high the source hangs above the carb. i've seen numbers around .5 PSI per foot, at sea level. so four or five feet above the carb should do it if some of the numbers expressed in previous posts are correct. if you're in Telluride, you'll have to do some ciphering ha. ...could be convenient and simple to vary the pressure by raising and lowering the bottle. Last edited by hueyhoolihan; 08-12-2025 at 04:06 PM.

08-12-2025, 08:42 PM	#25
signsup Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2017 Posts: 205	Re: 42 Mercury Sedan Idles Then Dies Video Let me bonce something off this crowd that has not been mentioned. I have seen on some Bubba jeeps, a adjusting valve on fuel lines that restrict the pressure or volum of gas going into a carb or pump. Would some sort of regulator on the fule line going into the carb give me not only an initial pressure reading, but the ability to adjust the pressure going into the carb? Has anyone done something like this? If my electric fuel pump is pumping too much pressure, a new or rebuilt carb will not help. So my first plan of action is to get either a pressure gauge for the fuel line or a reducer valve for same. Sound like a plan? The car has no radio, so the possible radio static condensor or filter is interesting. I may try and trace that line in my spare time. It does go through the firewal, so I don't think going to distributor or coil.

08-13-2025, 05:19 AM	#26
Mart Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Solihull, England. Posts: 9,239	Re: 42 Mercury Sedan Idles Then Dies Video Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) A fuel pressure regulator could help.

08-13-2025, 05:50 AM	#27
Ggmac Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Lake worth Florida Posts: 1,466	Re: 42 Mercury Sedan Idles Then Dies Video A decent fuel regulator isn’t cheap . Holley or equivalent has been my go to when needed . The little round chrome regulators I’ve tried have been nothing but unreliable. It just adds another variable to the equation. If your new low pressure fuel pump is coming, that should work . An in expensive inline clear fuel filter could help determine if garbage is messing with the needle and seat .

09-02-2025, 06:12 AM	#31
Terry,OH Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 5,394	Re: 42 Mercury Sedan Idles Then Dies Video You can get a new float from Daytona parts in Fla. or Vintage speed. See their web sites. No other numbers on the carb anywhere? Daytona has the best rebuilding kits and can also rebuild. Charlie Schwendler also a good source for rebuilding.

09-03-2025, 05:38 AM	#32
38 coupe Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: South Texas Posts: 2,135	Re: 42 Mercury Sedan Idles Then Dies Video The carburetor in the video looks like one of the new cheap chinesium carburetors. I am curious if any parts are interchangeable with the original carburetors, and if the tolerances on the new cheap carburetors are held close enough to work well regardless. Personally I will stick to using original carburetors I go through at home. I recommend others learn to do the same, it isn't that hard and is very rewarding.

09-03-2025, 06:02 AM	#33
Flathead Fever Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Yucaipa, CA Posts: 1,492	Re: 42 Mercury Sedan Idles Then Dies Video At work we used to take the carb floats that filled up with fuel and light them just for fun. First, we'd look for the leak, but you could never see them, no fuel would be dripping from them. So, for fun we lite them on fire, and boom, up would pop a good-sized flame coming out of it until the fuel finally burned out. Probably not the smartest thing to do but we were young and prone to lighting or blowing something up every day for fun. It seems only the leaded seam floats would fill-up with fuel, we had a couple of them do that a year. We lit every one of them on fire for fun. We had a fleet of 400 vehicles and sinking floats happened quite a bit during the carb era. Some carbs you could floats that were either one or two pieces soldered. If it's possible to find floats that are not two-pieces of soldered brass, I would use those. At least it's an easy fix. Last edited by Flathead Fever; 09-03-2025 at 06:23 AM.

09-03-2025, 12:35 PM	#34
signsup Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2017 Posts: 205	Re: 42 Mercury Sedan Idles Then Dies Video The float I have coming, the seller mentioned that I may have to file the tab at the front for good fitment, but maybe not. So, we'll see when it arrives. I'm going the cheap route for now and just getting the communist carb back to running the engine while I prep the car, paint and install all new glass and then all new interior. Probably next spring or summer till I'm ready for the show circuit and can use that time to find me a decent Holly 94 and maybe even a mechanical fuel pump and correct air filter. But, for now, it, hopefully, gets me going.