Mark Maras

That's correct.

If crap is that grey area I referred to, then yes. There are many variables in the floats, some that come to mind are, are all floats the same after forty five years, the differences in needle valves, wear in the float pivots etc. Just bend the tab a little, remove a little fuel from the bowl, reassemble the carb, fire it up, shut it down (choke off), remove domes and pistons, check fuel level in nozzles, if it needs adjusted, just bend the tab a little bit, etc.

Low is just a guess. take a look at the fuel height in the nozzles. That will tell you which way the fuel level needs to go.

Ignore your mechanic. He couldn't get it right. When you get the carbs set and the engine is running good, he'll be asking you questions about tuning. Turn the mixture knobs until the nozzles are at the top. Then turn them both 2 1/2 turns down. Start the car, use the choke if you have to BUT be sure the choke is off before checking the fuel level in the nozzles. The choke physically pulls the nozzles down. let the engine run for a minute and pull the domes and pistons. The fuel level should be 1 /16" BELOW the nozzle tops. If it needs adjusting, you could try a thicker (5/8") or thinner (1/2") gauge (depending on which way it needs to go) or just bend the tangs a bit and try it again. Either way it's going to be trial and error until the fuel level is correct. A note on choke cables. Be sure the cables are adjusted so the nozzles fully return to the top when the choke is off.

Let me start with a correction. The fuel level is supposed to be 1/16" BELOW the tops of the nozzles. The reference point you're looking for is the smallest hole in the fuel nozzle. The small hole that the jet needle slides into. The optimum setting is to have the fuel level about 1/16" below the tops of the nozzles, with the nozzles at 2 1/2 turns down. The fuel,1/16" below the nozzle tops, will allow the nozzles to be lowered a bit to richen the mixture without the fuel puddling over the nozzle tops. You may need a flashlight to see the reflection of the fuel surface in the nozzles.

It's possible the floats are a bit low.

The typical symptom of a leaking needle valve is over filling the float chamber. A little leakage will influence the performance, a lot of leakage and fuel would be running out of the over flow tubes and or the carb throats. Needle valves are pretty resilient. I don't think that you have a bad one but since you're in doubt and have new ones, put the new ones in. The easiest method of checking the fuel level in the float chamber to see if a needle valve is leaking is by pulling the domes and pistons. The float level in the float chamber is the same as the fuel level in the nozzles. If the needle valve is leaking, the fuel level will probably be over the nozzle top.

Briggs & Stratton engines used an aluminum flywheel key as a "failure mechanism." The keys were often offset after years of use.

I've not tried the 10 turns down but I believe (someone correct me if I'm wrong) the 10 turns down, is read with the float removed. In your last sentence you said you removed the dome. If the float was still installed, the fuel level should have been 1/16" below the nozzle tops at 2 1/2 turns.

A flattened piece of copper tube works great as a back up strip when welding the holes.

Try heating the area around each stud with a heat gun prior to pulling on it.

My first guess is the filter in the banjo fitting. It's the "last chance" filter where the fuel line enters the float bowl. If that's OK, I'd suggest a fuel pump pressure and volume test. Where is the fuel level compared the the nozzle tops and how many turns down are the mixture screws?

Wrong key?

I'd go with blue Loctite. Someone may need to remove the key in the future. Out of curiosity, does the key way look OK?

Wait and see if the new key is any tighter. You may not need it.

If the pump is oriented in the proper direction and the clamps are tight, turn it on and check for leaks. No leaks, fire it up. You'll probably take it for a spin but if it doesn't run well, remember, we still need to verify the fuel height in the nozzles at 2 1/2 turns down. Then we can move on to fine tuning.

Good job. That looks closer to the proper angle. Drive it a bit and let us know how the engine feels, cold and hot. Are the mixture screws set to 2 1/2 turns? In the report be sure to tell us where the fuel levels are in the nozzles.

Eastwood just announced a sale on goodies for treating rust.

If you need some parts, I have a usable disassembled late 71 door. Glass and lock linkage are gone. I believe I have everything else.

I agree with David. That float is set too lean. Bend the float tab so the float sits a bit closer to the lid. Install the lid, fire the engine up (no need to drive it), shut it down and pull the domes and pistons and look at the fuel level in the nozzles. Be sure to do the drop test on the pistons when it's reassembled to be sure nothing is binding. . I'd like to congratulate you. Good to see the parts in your hand rather than a mechanic's verbal description. Keep up the good work.

Update. There are some burned wires. Don't know which ones yet. Pete has tested the starter and says it needs to be replaced. Starter is on order and Jai will have it back tomorrow.

Cliff's got it right. The key is installed tilted just enough to allow the h-balancer to slide onto it easily. The key will rotate as the h-balancer is slid over the key. I think I'd use a dab of blue tread locker on the key but in reality the key can't come out once it's been installed.

All I heard was burned wire(s). Yesterday I asked Jai to tug on both ends of both battery cables to see if any were loose. She checked the solenoid wires too. She says they're all clean and tight. She's getting it towed to Pete's shop, her older mechanic friend who's worked on RB before. I'm still leaning toward a shorted wire. I doubt it's anything too serious.

Yahoo, you got it and it's as good as you hoped.

RedBird (Jai) has been having intermittent starting problems for a few days. I listened to an audio. It sounded like a low battery problem. Battery is about a year old. Starter engaged and barely rolled the engine over. A couple of times it started fine. The engine starts and runs fine with a push. Today when Jai tried to start RB at the gas station, smoke came from under the hood. Inspection by someone says the wires going to the starter are burned. My long distance guess is a bare wire short circuit down by the starter. Possibly intermittently bleeding enough elec. to ground to deprive the starter. Today the wire must have welded itself to the chassis. Thoughts from the Georgia gang?