Well, I've decided to try the 1945 again. Before I go on, please don't give me any comments on how they suck: I like them and can notice a noticable improvement in how my car performs.
That out of the way, I tried using it earlier this year, only to take it off because of hot starting problems. Now that I have reinstalled it, it will not start cold. It appears to flood very easily when I press down to get the engine on high idle. I adjusted the accelerator pump rod, and also lowered the fload level. Once started, it runs great and restarts at the tap of the key. I set my adjustemets to a '74 passenger car (oldest year rebuild kit instructions go back to). Vacuum reading is 19Hg. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Engine runs flawlessly once started. Thanks.

Just an FYI, all the 1974+ cars with the Holley 1945 indicate you give the pedal a single 'kick' to give the intake a pump shot, then leave the pedal 1/4 down while cranking to give the mill enough air to light the overly rich mix...(or so the manual and the instructions on the visor of my '74 say).

I'm right behind you, I just rebuilt a 1945 to replace the one on my '74...will know more next week when I install it.

-D.Idiot

p.s. make sure you qualify all the adjustments to the 1974 measurements if using those calibrations, they measure from different point than the 1975-1980+ qualifiers...

Take the air cleaner assy off. With the engine cold and while looking down into the carb's ventiris, move the throttle lever to fully open. You should see fuel flow from the accelerator pump. If you did not, then you must address this. If you see fuel, then allow the throttle to close. Verify the choke vacuum pulloff is set to spec. Start the car. What happens? If it does not catch the first time without touching the throttle, you will have to determine if you have too little or too much fuel. Without touching the throttle, open the choke plate. Do you see/smell fuel above the throttle plates? Manually hold the choke plate open and without touching the throttle, see if the engine will start. If it does, you have too much fuel. If the engine does not catch, with the choke plate still held open, pump the throttle two/three times. If the engine starts or tries to start, you do not have enough fuel. When the engine is fully warm, move the fast idle cam into the cold setting and adjust the fast idle. I have mine set to about 900 RPM. Let us know how you made out.

Mitch

Alright, I won't say they suck. I'll say you can't polish a turd, and for any given level of care in rebuilding and adjustment, a better-designed carb works better than a worse one. And the 1945 qualifies as a worse one.

I have never had much luck getting 1945 to work great but I can get them to work...fair. For the time spent I can have a 1920 or BBS working better from a performance and "drivability" standpoint. The one thing I found with a 1945 is that I can get better MPG numbers with some "fussing".

As for the starting issue, I agree with MitchB, it's most likely a choke setting. Do the checks described, I also have a little squirt bottle of gas to help me determine if it's a low fuel / no fuel condition.

My current Holley 1920 seems to somehow drain overnight so it has a no gas condition when I first go to start it. I found that if I crank it, then set the choke, crank it again, it "pops", give it one more pump and it starts.
Every SL6 Carb I have seems to like a slightly different starting sequence and the choke settings seem to need adjustment depending on the weather / season. (Summer vs Winter)
DD

...ever try a Stromberg W? One-year-only 1bbl used on '63 B-bodies with 225s. Largest-bore/largest-venturi 1bbl ever to come from the factory on a 225...

I have the same issue. I will say the 1945 runs far better than the 1920 ever did on my engine. Maybe it varies with the engine? Anyway, my engine has the wrong air cleaner on it. Because of that, it sits too low and restricts the movement of the choke and related linkage. I built a riser for the air cleaner from a soiled pipe repair fitting. The choke now closes but the high idle still is not right. I need to examine that part further. Maybe you have a similar issue?? I also noticed my mileage is bad, I continue to make the mixture more lean and keep measuring.

Mike

I really think the impression that a "1945 works better" is the result of comparing a 1920 in bad condition to a 1945 in better condition. The 1920 isn't a super terrific carb (the Carter BBS is a much better design).

The 1945 on my 80 Aspen runs teriffic! But... I altered every calibration on the carb: the pump shooter size, delivery rate, jetting, idle feed restriction and power valve restriction. But I would tune any carb to the whatever engine it was on. Could I get better performance from a different carb of comparable CFM? Maybe. But I would not say the 1945 is inherently flawed. The only variable I could not tune is when the power valve opens. But the engine has absolutely no flat spots, is responsive in all ranges, gets a best of between 23-25 mpg at steady highway speeds (in a boxy aero challenged 3600+ lb car) and starts at any temperature with one pump. Most 1945s are calibrated very lean and need some recalibration. If I installed a 'better' carb, I would have to start tuning all over again. I am happy with what I have.

Mitch

I deciced to use the 1920 again untill I figure out the problem with the 1945. I'll throw another rebuild kit at it and do some further adjustments...I don't like giving up and letting a dang carburetor beat me! Thanks for the replys, even you Dan....

You might want to use some of your spare puttering-around time to try and find a Carter BBS specced for a '74 D100/D150 pickup with 225 engine. Everything will hook up and you'll likely find you like it a lot better than either the 1920 or the 1945.

Actually if you pry out that lead plug on top of the carb you will find an adjustable screw to adjust the power valve with.

Craig,
Would the lead plug covering the 1945 PV adjuster need to be reinstalled?
Also, is there a PV adjuster on the 1920? And if covered by a lead plug, does it need to be reinstalled?

Cecil

kind of reminds me of an idea I had for the metering block on my 1920... replacing the brass frost plugs on the block with setscrews to make it cleanable. Should I?

There's gotta be a good carb repair manual... even for these 1BBL units.

_________________
I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

Mine continues to burn very rich...carbon ash is everywhere, even clogging the air filter. I have the screw backed almost all the way out. Do I need to set the float lower now? I set it to specs when I rebuilt it. I get poor mileage too. Thanks.


Mike