Trashy Rochester

[Caddy Wizard]

Like the Johnny, I am often thinking that most carburetor troubles aren't -- they are often ignition problems that make you think the carb is bad.  Recently, my 55 FW began running horribly.  It would idle perfectly, but power was poor and uneven.  It seemed like it was always on the verge of quitting while I was driving it, but it never did.  The carb had been redone before I got the car and so I figured it was good. 

I replaced the fuel pump (the old one was seeping) and confirmed the operating pressure.
I replaced the ignition coil -- this felt just like a bad coil or bad wire(s).  I ended up replacing the wires too. 
My vacuum advance was shot -- it was not advancing and was a dead vacuum leak.  So I had that rebuilt by Terrill Machine.
I checked the rest of the ignition and it was all spot-on.

Finally, I concluded it must be the carb, despite my prejudice against carbs being the culprit everyone thinks they are.  Well, something strand-like (but fatter at one end than the other) had gotten past the filter and into the bowl.  It had been sucked into the passenger side main jet and became lodged there.  So the car was just about running on 4 cylinders under power.  Of course, the idle is a separate circuit and was unaffected.

I cleaned it all out and put it all back together and the car will literally squeal the tires in first and second. I've never had a Cadillac that was this powerful.

Ugh!  I feel like an idiot.  But at least the car is running like a scalded dog...

[dadscad]

Looks like a piece of Teflon pipe sealer tape.

[Caddy Wizard]

Looks like a piece of Teflon pipe sealer tape.

But it was silvery, not white.  If felt more like a bit of aluminum.  And I don't use teflon tape, in part because it can plug up a carb and in part because it isn't fuel-resistant.  If you want to use something to seal threads in a fuel system, get the special Permatex thread sealant that is fuel-resistant. 

[Jeff Rosansky CLC #28373]

Thanks for posting this-for 2 reasons.
1st is that it gives us all a reminder. 2ndly, for people like me who scratch their heads ALL the time trying to figure things out------- well, misery loves company. Makes us realize that even the best like you struggle from time to time.
Jeff

[Caddy Wizard]

BTW, I wet sanded and buffed the car several weeks ago.  It looks a lot better.  Still needs a paint job someday, but for now I am happy.  Nice to keep its 50% original paint still showing well...

[35-709]

A beauty!

[Cadillac Jack 82]

Nice 55!

[Lexi]

Good post and lovely car Art. In the photo it does look like teflon tape, but wonder if it was that gas pipe fitters tape which I believe is gas resistant, works like teflon but is a lot thicker and not as stretchy. Wonder if it changed color and over time had hardened to simulate a light weight piece of metal??? If it is metal hope it is not some stripped thread that separated from your carb's fuel inlet. Big troubles when they go. Clay/Lexi

[Caddy Wizard]

Good post and lovely car Art. In the photo it does look like teflon tape, but wonder if it was that gas pipe fitters tape which I believe is gas resistant, works like teflon but is a lot thicker and not as stretchy. Wonder if it changed color and over time had hardened to simulate a light weight piece of metal??? If it is metal hope it is not some stripped thread that separated from your carb's fuel inlet. Big troubles when they go. Clay/Lexi

Maybe it was Teflon tape after all.  I just didn't inspect it too closely.  I noted that it seemed stiff, like plastic or metal.  It looked silvery, not white.  When Teflon tape is exposed to gasoline, it gets all gummy and gooey. This wasn't like that.


I should have been more curious.

[Jeff Rosansky CLC #28373]

Looks pretty good Art. Like the dark roof..... nice bumper ends.
Jeff

[Caddy Wizard]

Looks pretty good Art. Like the dark roof..... nice bumper ends.
Jeff

All chrome is original -- never rechromed.  Dark roof color was added sometime in the past (looks like Cobalt Blue).  As delivered from the factory, it was all Ruskin Blue top and bottom.

[fishnjim]

Very nice 2 tone.  Looks good.   
Only point: if the feed filter screen was in, then that had to come in during assembly.   The importance of a clean bench for those doing carb work.

General Aside:
I think most don't go through a methodical check out based on forum questions, they try to pinpoint one cause, instead of thoroughly checking all systems which is the key on the old cars.   
I recommend it better to use compound(s) than wet sand original paint for the reasons you indicate, the paint is thin already, needs respray, why make it thinner and risk burn through?   Some colors can be touched up and cut back and will match, but it's an art.   I'll use a spot sand, if I have to(like orange peal which is heavy), but the old paint seems to fair better with compound.   (There's some more tricks I won't go into.)   Exception being a respray that was never flattened to begin with.   I used to detail for pocket money back in the day, and hand rubbing was the state of the art back then.   We didn't have as good of buffers as today, and the lambs wool would burn through easily so it was safer to hand buff.   Hard work.
The new 2 part urethane paint with a thick clear coat is much harder and can tolerate a wet sand much better.   Few lacquer jobs where clear coated, except the show paint.  You sanded lacquer between coats.   I still like shooting lacquer but it's fading out of existence.
The factory enamels and acrylic enamels were difficult to get a shine on and seemed to oxidize easily and needed to be waxed frequently.(wax on wax off)   (Look at cars in the old movies)   
We have it easy now and easy to get exceptional finishes without much effort.   

[savemy67]

Hello Art,

Thank you for your post and photo regarding the debris blocking one of the carb jets.  It emphasizes the fact that so many of the components on our cars were manufactured to very close tolerances.

Most of us have at least a theoretical notion of how small one thousandth of an inch is, but it is good to remind folks, with a picture, of what can happen when some really small item of debris gets lodged where it shouldn't.

This is also a reminder for those of us who do our own work:  cleanliness is next to Henry Lelandliness.

Christopher Winter

[Caddy Wizard]

Here is what the car looked like when I got it. 

[Dan LeBlanc]

Whoa!  Now that's a transformation!!!

[D.Yaros]

Hard to believe it is the same ride in both pics!  The work was well worth the effort!

[Caddy Wizard]

Hard to believe it is the same ride in both pics!  The work was well worth the effort!

And the "before" picture doesn't do justice to how bad it really was.  It looked a lot worse in person.  The seller didn't think it could be cleaned up and didn't try...