Water boiling in carby throats

[outcruisen]

This is going to sound a little dumb, but has any one ever had an issue like this....

Took the car out for a run last weekend (1957 4 door Victoria hardtop with a 312 Y block and auto) when I hear a noise like a kettle whistling under the bonnet.. I was not far from home so got the car into the garage, lifted the hood to see steam coming out of the air cleaner.. I took off the air cleaner to see what was going on and all I could see was water boiling in all 4 throats of the carby (600 Holly)??

I have no vacume lines that connect the carby to any of the water system of the car, but after stripping the top end found I had blown a head gasket between the water jacket and cylinder bore.. I would think that if water was going into the combustion chamber it would dry up, or spat out of the exhaust before it went back up a valve to the carby?

Anyone have any ideas.. I even took video on my phone of the event to prove it actually happened to my mates.. Most have been working on cars for 20 plus years and have never seen anything like it..

Any ideas?

Cheers

[rmk57]

Maybe the car was overheating and pulling water in from the radiator boiling over when you were driving.

[suede57ford]

With all the alcohol in todays fuel, the boiling point of the fuel is lower.  The fuel can actually boil in the bowls and flood the motor on a hot day.

My supercharged sedan does this on a hot day, especially after shutting off the engine and the heat soaking into the fuel.  The blower actually heats the air, making the issue worse.

All new cars are fuel injected, so it is not really condisdered a problem for the general population, but becoming more of an issue for us guys with carbs.

Try to block the head riser on the intake, use a phenolic carb spacer, and use a return line with electric fuel pumps.

[outcruisen]

Can gas boil in the car by without catching fire.. Coul it have been fuel and I thought water?

[lowrider]

Moved from Mi. to Az. back in May & had to park my 57 because of the same situation. Would flood something terrible after I shut it down & let it sit for 15 mins. I'm running a 3X2 setup so it was boiling on all 3. Installed spacers on all 3 & later discovered the block offs I put in the exhaust crossover had both burned through. Doesnt boil over like it did but with those old 94s you always seem to be tinkering with them.

[Frankenstein57]

My buddy has a 64 Vette, we rebuilt his 600 holley in the spring, he called me saying his was bubbling over. Maybe this is the problem.  Mark

[F570RD]

Happened last Saturday night with me.Had the car out with some crap gas.I knew better to put that **** in but I had a half a tank of nonoctiongenated.Ran the car hard out in the country and came to a stop sign in this little town.Car stumbled and died.You could smell the lousy fuel and I knew I goofed up.All that to save 5 bucks.

[outcruisen]

Pulled the top end down and had a blown head gasket.. Engine guy tells me due the pre ignition in the badly set up distributor and poor quality gaskets, the head gasket just gave in.. He seems to think the water was running into cylinder and being forced up into carby back through the valves..

Either way, I will buy some felpro gaskets this time, get a new distributor (electronic) and give it another top end rebuild.. not all gaskets are the same!!!

Better luck this time I hope..

Cheers