I'm running WCFB carburetors on my car with no problems but would like to replace them with the so called Ford teapot units. I am requesting pictures of how and where the vacuum advance lines and fuel lines are routed. Notice in one picture that there is a small line looping up in the air on the right of the forward carburetor. Notice also that the air cleaner has an indentation in the same area which I presume is for that line.
Would someone please explain what that is and is it the vacuum advance?
I would like to get it looking somewhat correct when I start making up the respective lines. Pictures are going to be a huge help. Thank you in advance for any and all responses.
Why in God's name do you want the Texas flaming tower? ??? ??? ...... do you hate your car now?......
What did that sweet 57 ever do to you?
Theres an article in Hemmings called "E-code encounter", goggle it and it has a few detailed photos of the engine compartment with the air cleaner on and off.
Nothing cooler than a e-code Custom!
Jeff
Yes I have heard that some people call the teapots Texas flaming towers. I just want to try them and make a decision. I could also use some more vacuum to run my power brakes. I think that the teapots have a vacuum port. Not very sure because it has been a long time since I saw one.
Thanks RMK57
I'm going to try to get into that site right now.
I restored an e retractable a number of years ago. I'll look up the photos. I am currently building an e convertible. Felix Natoli (natolibird on e-bay) can provide you with everything you need (fuel, vacuum, distributor advance, etc.) but the heat riser lines right now. I think he could make them as well but I have not asked him. On the subject of burning carbs, most of the fires were caused by owners not maintaining their ignition, when the dwell got to far out of line the motor tended to backfire. Since the fuel bowls (vented) were above the venturis, usually a carb fire followed. I drove that retractable for years without any problems, along with the 20 years of driving an f code t-bird. As for the ignition issue, if you use a pertronix or some other electronic ignition system you should have no problems at all. PM me if you need help.
Ray, Here's some photos of my factory E Code. As you can see I have installed electric chokes, although the hot air chokes worked fine I couldn't get them synchronized to my satisfaction. A pressure regulator has also been added, a must with these teapots. Yes the looped up line is the vacuum advance, no idea why it is shaped that way. The quarter inch pipe plug rear of the carb bases are vacuum outlets. I teed mine together as I used a period aftermarket brake booster, Airtex, and wanted as much and balanced vacuum as possible. Plus my added PCV system is also connected to the teed lines. The odd 1/2" pipe sticking up by the front carb is PCV pipe from side of block to air cleaned, fabricated. Whole system works fine although carbs needed sorting out.
I must have did something wrong when posting pictures. Trying again.
Still doing something wrong
I'm getting better, a couple more.
Ray
I sent you a PM.
thomasso
Those pictures are answering a lot of questions. In tracing your fuel line, it looks like the fuel comes in on the left, them crosses over between the front and rear carb, then goes to the right slightly under the rear carb and hooks up to the back of the rear carb.. Is that right?
I also notice that you are using both vacuum ports tied together for your power brakes.
Jay
You are correct. The PCV is also connected to the vacuum although not visible in picture. My air cleaner does not have that indention. Be aware that T Bird air cleaners are different and Tbird carbs are mounted backwards. If you need more pictures ask.
Thomaso
I had heard that the Thunderbirds had the carbs hooked up backwards. Hopefully the pics that you posted are not for a Tbird . It has been many many years since I set my eyes on or played with a Ford teapot carb. At the moment I don't have one in my possession. Hopefully within a week or so I will have at least one of them to get me more orientated. It's great to know that they have a PCV port on them. That's a plus. Jay
Quote from: thomasso on 2017-06-02 20:49
Here's some photos of my factory E Code. Yes the looped up line is the vacuum advance, no idea why it is shaped that way.
Does someone have any idea why that vacuum advance line is strangely looped up like that? It must have been important because Ford even went through the trouble to put an indentation in the air cleaner for it.
Jay, I haven't dealt with a teapot in 50 years so my memory is really bad but if I recall they used two different model carbs for the front and rear. The loop sends me for a loop :003:
Also the teapots for 57 were different from earlier models. They used a different vacuum port for the vacuum advance, the earlier models were ported for the Load-A-Matic distributors.
I don,t think the indent in your air cleaner is for the vacuum adv. line, but rather for oil cap clearance. As you can see the adv. line is further back and is attached to the rear carb. Could your air cleaner be a 56 or perhaps Mercury? As I said mine does not have that indention.
HA...Jim
I was just about to send you an mail and ask you that question about the vacuum advance loop on the dual quad setup, but you beat me to it.
Thank you ...You just reminded me about the pre 57 setup with that crazy
Load A Matic . I have to keep that in mind when I get enough parts to rebuild and start swapping them out with my existing carburetors.
We have a lot of real smart guys on this site and someone knows the answer to that loop question. It has thrown me for a loop also, however I do intend to do it when I find some teapots to rebuild.
Quote from: Ecode70D on 2017-06-03 08:53
HA...Jim
I was just about to send you an mail and ask you that question about the vacuum advance loop on the dual quad setup, but you beat me to it.
Thank you ...You just reminded me about the pre 57 setup with that crazy
Load A Matic . I have to keep that in mind when I get enough parts to rebuild and start swapping them out with my existing carburetors.
We have a lot of real smart guys on this site and someone knows the answer to that loop question. It has thrown me for a loop also, however I do intend to do it when I find some teapots to rebuild.
Good luck Jay, the 57 teapots or at least the rear one was a one year only model ported for the 57 vacuum advance that I can remember.
Quote from: thomasso on 2017-06-03 08:38
I don,t think the indent in your air cleaner is for the vacuum adv. line, but rather for oil cap clearance. As you can see the adv. line is further back and is attached to the rear carb. Could your air cleaner be a 56 or perhaps Mercury? As I said mine does not have that indention.
There seems to be a big difference in the height of the body between yours and Jays also.
I just noticed what appears to be an OD relay on your firewall, too cool. Beautiful car.
Jim
Maybe the height difference on mine is because when I purchased my air cleaner, the stock base piece did not fit the WCFB carbs. I stored my stock base piece away and made one to fit, thereby altering the height in order to be able to close the hood. When It goes together with the Ford carbs, everything should hopefully be the right height.
You have sharp eyes. Now I see the cool OD relay on Thomiso's firewall.
Jay
Quote from: thomasso on 2017-06-03 08:38
I don,t think the indent in your air cleaner is for the vacuum adv. line, but rather for oil cap clearance. As you can see the adv. line is further back and is attached to the rear carb. Could your air cleaner be a 56 or perhaps Mercury? As I said mine does not have that indention.
Thomaso
I bought my air cleaner as a 57 Ford, but who knows what model it could have been made for. I have been told that mine might have been an over the counter purchase because there is no trace of the Argent color which it will be eventually. I'm still learning about these things.
Yes. T85 with R11 OD and 4:11 rear. Really sounds good with low gearing.
I'll offer an idea about the reason for the "raised loop" in the carb/distributor vacuum line. This design was common on many Ford V8's during the 1950's and early 60's, while they still used steel vacuum lines. I was always told it helped prevent gas from backing up into the distributor diaphragm. It just offered a trap, like in your sink trap.
That said, I have also discovered many Fords that had the distributor hold down springs stretched to the point of not holding the distributor cap on tight. What happens is the vacuum advance goes bad (gets a hole), and the gas/vapor backs up into the distributor and gets ignited by the points spark. The small explosion raises the cap, and stretches the hold down springs. Eventually, it comes into the repair shop "on the hook", with a broken rotor and/or distributor cap.
So, the raised loop works only if the vacuum advance is still good.
John
That idea sounds pretty good to me. Jay
It makes sense that the "trap" shape would be for gasoline vapor. Loops like that are common in piping systems to prevent gas flow. That was my best guess.
Lynn
I'm in agreement with you and John. That must be the reason that Henry did that loop thing.
Thomasso
Back in the 50's and 60's after blowing up countless Ford lightweight transmissions, I found a Borg Warner T85 in a Mercury and installed it in my Ford. In my my honest opinion they are just unbelievable transmissions, both the regular ones and the overdrive ones. I used them in plenty of my 50's Fords over the years. I never blew up another transmission after that.
Yeah. Wish I had knowledge of T85s in the 50s and60s. As like you I exhausted the local junk yards of transmissions. Broke a ton of 3 speeds in my 50 Ford, Ugly ex FBI interceptor car. Hotter than even most modified flatheads. Finally switched my Buick powered 53 Merc to Lasalle trans. T85 would have been by far simpler and cheaper as I actually broke a lasalle case and adapting was a problem. Never had any money.
Thomasso
I went through the LaSalle phase also and found out that those transmissions had the cluster gear very close to the lower case housing. The smallest piece of something that got between them blew the case open.
The only good thing that came out of my blowing up so many early Ford Transmissions is that I had
to learn real fast how to rebuild them. In those days, who had the $20 - $25 every few days to pay the junkyard guy for another one? I had to carry a spare transmission in my trunk like a spare tire so I could do a swap on the side of the road somewhere with a flashlight in order to get home. These days, I wouldn't attempt to do that.
I trashed (13) 3 speeds before buying a T10 4 speed. I could change a 3 speed in about 40 minutes at a cost of $35, the T10 cost $100 back then! BEWARE OF MY OLD MEMORY :003:
Quote from: lalessi1 on 2017-06-05 08:34
I trashed (13) 3 speeds before buying a T10 4 speed. I could change a 3 speed in about 40 minutes at a cost of $35, the T10 cost $100 back then! BEWARE OF MY OLD MEMORY :003:
Lynn
I think that you may have had a lead foot just like me. I'm not going to say how many transmissions I blew in my 56 Ford. I too was quick at replacing them. I never put the upper left transmission bolt in because it was hard to reach (just used 3 tranny bolts) and instead of using all 6 bolts on the cross member , I just used 4 of them. I figured that there was no need to have all those bolts in it because I was just going to have to pull it out in a few days anyways. HAHA