Rehab of 63 AFB Carburertor

[Stuart F.]

Have decided to rehab my original AFB Carburetor for my 63/340 HP which I removed for a replacement around 1992. I took it off for several reasons, not the least of which was for Choke problems, and it was just crudy looking. I recently solved my choke problems with it (I think) and got a rebuild kit from Dr. Rebuild (made by Holley??) and rounded up all the correct fittings, etc. My main concern is how can I make this unit look presentable with out spending a lot of money on it? How should I clean it and refinish it to look almost like new (or is that asking too much). I'm sure there are people out there who know how to do it, but they do it as a business and won't share their trade secrets (and I can appreciate that). Guess I'm just looking for quick and easy way to rehab it as a backup which I may or May not put back on the car. The replacement is working fine and only an NCRS judge could tell it's not original. But the old one just looks better what with the brass vent tubes and correct markings on the castings, etc.

Stu Fox

[Timothy B.]

Re: Rehab of 63 AFB Carburertor

Stu,
If sent to a carburetor shop it's taken apart and put in a tumbler and the finish is restored. My suggestion is to send that nice 3461 to Bob Kunz and let him restore and fix anything the carburetor needs then bolt it on and go driving with piece of mind. The carburetor is worth it and getting hard to find so it's money well spent.

[Stuart F.]

Re: Rehab of 63 AFB Carburertor

Thanks Tim for your reply and advice. I have the carb all apart now and, although it's been awhile since I've done one of these, I think I can get er done ok. My main concern is for the cosmetic aspect as I would like it to look nice. Back in the day I spent the better part of a year setting up multiple carburetors, some special 4-Barrels, and even a few Fuelie units for both drag and oval track racing. In fact, I did a total of 102 jobs and still have the 3" x 5" cards in a file to fall back on. As a kid in my early 20's, I made a living at it with a little lawn cutting on the side. It kept my 57 Bel Air at the local drag strip in tires and gas, and brought me all those trophys that I still have stored in boxes in my garage, Ha!

Thanks again. I'll concider your suggestion seriously as I'm getting too old and temperamental for this "hands on" kind of stuff.

Stu