Hey guys- Just bought a great 71 Dodge Dart (225, 1bbl) and am having a bit of a problem. The car starts great, warms up and idles fine but will sometimes kill during turns. Also tends to chug a bit or stall when you accelerate. Both symptoms seem to go away after I've been driving a bit. I'm assuming this is something with the choke? Fuel delivery? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Also, the old 1bbl Holley is a bit ragged and the throttle linkage is loose (I think its missing a bolt that connects the bottom of the bracket to the intake manifold). Could that have something to do with it?

Maybe this is an excuse to replace the carburetor and linkage. Should I put a new 1bbl on it or try to upgrade to a Super Six? Can I even find a decent carb to fit the 1bbl intake? I don't know much about performance carbs but I'm assuming they are all too powerful for my pokey 225.

Thanks!

You've nailed it—stalling in turns (especially left turns) and the other symptoms you mention are classic symptoms of Holley 1920 carbs worn and abused to the point of unreliability. Solution is a new carb. There are good carbs (such as Carter BBSs or newer/better Holley 1920s) for the 1bbl setup, but if you're up for the 2bbl "Super Six" swap, and can reasonably find all the parts, definitely go that route.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Thanks for the help! I think I'm going to try a new 1BBL for now and tackle the Super Six over the summer. I live in Brooklyn and don't plan on spending all winter outside wrestling with an intake manifold.

That said, is there anything I need to know about buying a Carter BBS? I can't seem to find one online at the usual parts sites. Found a few on eBay but I'm not sure about compatibility. Will any Carter BBS 1bbl carb do the trick?

Thanks again!

Tricky to find. Remember, "remanufactured" is not the same as new, and is definitely not first preference (though I'd take a carefully-picked reman BBS over a worn-out 1920!). Best either to find a new carb (tough these days) or find an original core and have it completely refurbished by a qualified and appropriately-skilled craftsman (e.g. Old Carb Doctor or one of the others who've been mentioned on this board before...think OCD is in NC or SC, and there's been one mentioned in Maryland).
Optimal choice is a '70-'71 California or '71 Federal/Canada BBS for a Dart or Valiant with 198 engine. Tag number 4955 or 4956. You may not have the luxury of such a specific choice. Pretty much any '67-'73 BBS will have most or all of the same hookups as your existing carburetor. If you want to point out some particular eBay auctions, we can take a look and help get you pointed in the right direction.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

There is a reman Carter BBS on ebay but doesn't have numbers. Hmm. I emailed the seller. Any thoughts?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... RK:MEWA:IT

And thanks again for all of the help.

Negative, that carb is not for a slant-6. Seller's wrong; it's a '55-'59 flathead-six carb. Definitely not what you need. Here, get this one. Or, second preference, get this one.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Whew! Thanks for saving me from that mess.

On the Carter you pointed me to on eBay, should I have that rebuilt before giving it a shot? Description says NOS. Is that alright?

Thanks a ton. This is great.

NOS = New Old Stock, that is, never ever installed on an engine. Yes, you'd maybe want to toss a quality kit in it just to prevent leaks due to old gaskets, and the leather accelerator pump plunger would want oiling and reflaring. 25 minutes' work.

Choke will hook up. Distributor vacuum will hook up. PCV hose will hook up. Fuel tank vent system (primitive and problematic in '71) won't hook up; reworking this is not hard. Fuel feed line will need modification due to different fuel inlet location on Carter vs. Holley. Do the fuel line mod and kill a bunch of issues and problems all at once. Air cleaner is a direct fit, as is air cleaner control hose.

Fuel bowl will vent direct to atmosphere. 1971 evaporative emission control system uses the *crankcase* as a fuel vapour storage chamber...really not a good idea, causes driveability problems. Easy and inexpensive to retrofit a charcoal cannister (storage chamber used '72 up). For now, though, just plug the vent hose running from top-right-front corner of present carb to nipple on fuel pump body (since this hose has nowhere to attach on indicated carb). Leave all other lines intact.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

mine does that too with a carter 2 bbl super 6