The carburetors for our early Porsches are no longer being manufactured. And with few
exceptions, neither are the various pieces and parts that they need to function. And so we
rely on receipt of cores and our own restoration work on those used parts.
Rebuild kits that are necessary for routine maintenance are manufactured by companies that
are producing thousands of parts for different purposes, some with various levels of quality
control. For the Zenith carburetors, we use the Walker kit. Walker has worked with us on
improving the quality of their float needle valves and at this time, its a much higher quality
than 5 years ago.
If your volume control screws look better than those in your rebuild kit, re-use yours.
Pumps are an issue, even with the extra attention Walker is giving to their manufacture.
There are several problems that occur with Zenith pumps that are beyond anyone's ability to
predict. One of the problems we all run into, is the nature of the leather collar on those
pumps to dry out and so shrink, vs expand when soaked with fuel. Because of this, the pump
will work differently if the car has been sitting, than it will when run frequently. Always give the
pumps a chance to have that leather collar expand before setting your injection.
The other problem for the working of the pumps, is over time, the hollow in the body may
erode a bit from the action of the pump, changing the size of the space where the pump sits.
If that is the issue, one has to experiment with different pumps to find one that will work
properly. We have the same issues and can switch pumps several times while doing our
engine testing before being satisfied with their performance.
We also purchase commercial rebuild kits for our single barrel solex work.
For the Solex 40PII-4, we buy much of these parts from an European source. There is some
production of quality parts for carburetor maintenance and we buy the various pieces and put
together our own kits. For much of these, we are able to sell rebuild kits, or just individual
components, like the needle valves.
There are a certain number of pieces we are producing in house, like pump rods for the
Solex, especially for the pump rod we use on our Split Shaft Conversion.
We also produce the parts for the Zenith pump link. This work is very labor intensive, and is
only to supplement recycled parts from cores.
Throttle levers are repaired in house also. Welding and redrilling the holes for the springs is
another time consuming chore.
We have currently sourced custom throttle links/cams (again, for those conversion carbs),
butterfly/throttle plate screws, as well as our Solex Chrome Moly shafts. Also the Solex float
level guage. And we are working for a design for a Zenith float level guage. We have
injection measurement vials available. These are plastic, not the old glass, but work just fine.
We purchase special metric brass for making the butterflies.
Parts like Check/Ball valves are cleaned and restored. Jets have to be sized and sometimes
resized. Floats are reused. Injectors on those solexes are taken apart, cleaned and
re-assembled. All the top screws, and other fasteners are cleaned up and re-used. And for
these parts, we can only do the best we can. We cannot guarantee operation life on used
parts and hope you understand. more on cores and their condition can be found here
One of the most common problems with installing the restored carburetors is "stuff" getting
into the idle jets. The opening is tiny and something as innocuous as a bit of metal flaking off
while screwing in your banjo bolt can block one. Be patient and give us a call.
Also note that while we restore your carbs to book specs, years of wear or service
modifications can change what you need for a smooth running engine. Unfortunately, we
don't know this until its on the car. So if you have any problems with idle, or top end, give us a
call and lets see if a change in fuel or air correction jet will solve the problem
Remember to call us on any problems you have. While we cannot supply any and all parts,
we do have a fairly nice inventory and can often help you with a replacement top screw, a jet
cover gasket, an extra gasket for under your needle valve to lower your float level, or even a
replacement top should the one you have get damaged.
Our goal is to help your car run better, which is why we are now offering distributor and fuel
pump restorations.
exceptions, neither are the various pieces and parts that they need to function. And so we
rely on receipt of cores and our own restoration work on those used parts.
Rebuild kits that are necessary for routine maintenance are manufactured by companies that
are producing thousands of parts for different purposes, some with various levels of quality
control. For the Zenith carburetors, we use the Walker kit. Walker has worked with us on
improving the quality of their float needle valves and at this time, its a much higher quality
than 5 years ago.
If your volume control screws look better than those in your rebuild kit, re-use yours.
Pumps are an issue, even with the extra attention Walker is giving to their manufacture.
There are several problems that occur with Zenith pumps that are beyond anyone's ability to
predict. One of the problems we all run into, is the nature of the leather collar on those
pumps to dry out and so shrink, vs expand when soaked with fuel. Because of this, the pump
will work differently if the car has been sitting, than it will when run frequently. Always give the
pumps a chance to have that leather collar expand before setting your injection.
The other problem for the working of the pumps, is over time, the hollow in the body may
erode a bit from the action of the pump, changing the size of the space where the pump sits.
If that is the issue, one has to experiment with different pumps to find one that will work
properly. We have the same issues and can switch pumps several times while doing our
engine testing before being satisfied with their performance.
We also purchase commercial rebuild kits for our single barrel solex work.
For the Solex 40PII-4, we buy much of these parts from an European source. There is some
production of quality parts for carburetor maintenance and we buy the various pieces and put
together our own kits. For much of these, we are able to sell rebuild kits, or just individual
components, like the needle valves.
There are a certain number of pieces we are producing in house, like pump rods for the
Solex, especially for the pump rod we use on our Split Shaft Conversion.
We also produce the parts for the Zenith pump link. This work is very labor intensive, and is
only to supplement recycled parts from cores.
Throttle levers are repaired in house also. Welding and redrilling the holes for the springs is
another time consuming chore.
We have currently sourced custom throttle links/cams (again, for those conversion carbs),
butterfly/throttle plate screws, as well as our Solex Chrome Moly shafts. Also the Solex float
level guage. And we are working for a design for a Zenith float level guage. We have
injection measurement vials available. These are plastic, not the old glass, but work just fine.
We purchase special metric brass for making the butterflies.
Parts like Check/Ball valves are cleaned and restored. Jets have to be sized and sometimes
resized. Floats are reused. Injectors on those solexes are taken apart, cleaned and
re-assembled. All the top screws, and other fasteners are cleaned up and re-used. And for
these parts, we can only do the best we can. We cannot guarantee operation life on used
parts and hope you understand. more on cores and their condition can be found here
One of the most common problems with installing the restored carburetors is "stuff" getting
into the idle jets. The opening is tiny and something as innocuous as a bit of metal flaking off
while screwing in your banjo bolt can block one. Be patient and give us a call.
Also note that while we restore your carbs to book specs, years of wear or service
modifications can change what you need for a smooth running engine. Unfortunately, we
don't know this until its on the car. So if you have any problems with idle, or top end, give us a
call and lets see if a change in fuel or air correction jet will solve the problem
Remember to call us on any problems you have. While we cannot supply any and all parts,
we do have a fairly nice inventory and can often help you with a replacement top screw, a jet
cover gasket, an extra gasket for under your needle valve to lower your float level, or even a
replacement top should the one you have get damaged.
Our goal is to help your car run better, which is why we are now offering distributor and fuel
pump restorations.