Thanks Don, and Merry Christmas to you & your family and the rest of the forum as well!
Since the fuel system was empty above the fuel pump, it seemed like a good idea to run down to the custom hose store and pick up a couple of elbows for the pressure gauge. I bought both a 45 and 90 degree fitting, and ended up going with the 45 degree version. Five minutes later it was much easier to read:
My wife engaged the electric pump and the reading was five psi, exactly where I wanted it. So for the many forum members that have asked how many turns equal a pressure change, one full turn out reduced the factory 7 psi to 5 psi, or ½ turn per pound. I wouldn’t use this as an absolute figure, it just happened to be what my regulator provided. But if you don’t have a gauge, it might get you in the ballpark.
The bad news being, even at 5 psi the carburetor was clearly leaking from numerous sources indicating the floats were stuck open. So after a quick break, the carb was on the bench getting torn down. Everything was thoroughly hosed out with carb cleaner and compressed air. The floats were inspected and the level and drop checked and both remained perfect. Surprisingly however, there was quite a bit of crud in the bottom of one of the bowls.
I was a little concerned because I hadn’t really found anything wrong, but there was enough crap in the bowl to have potentially caused the needles to stick. Easily reassembled it was back on the engine and all the attachments buttoned up. After charging the carb with the electric pump, the engine fired right up and ran beautifully – and NO MORE LEAKS!
The last task was to fabricate and install a support arm from the bottom of the regulator to the nearest carb stud. I thought about it all last night envisioning some kind of a flat strap link with holes on both ends. I knew I’d seen something like that in my mind, that would work perfectly but I just couldn’t figure out was it was. Maybe something from a bicycle? Or maybe a piece of fence hardware, or a sewing machine or firearm part? I even searched online and couldn’t come up with anything.
So this morning I gave up and started digging through the junk metal drawer figuring I’d just have to fabricate something. Digging to the bottom, there was the piece I was envisioning! It was the bent and worn arm from one of my original door checks! I quickly remembered I had a nearly new door check left over after I replaced them both with NOS units.
It was quickly disassembled and bent it to the proper angle. Unfortunately the carburetor end needed to be drilled out to 5/16”. The problem being the link itself is file hardness, the same as a drill bit, so the hole couldn’t be drilled or filed bigger. But there’s always a way, so I hogged out the hole with a Dremel tool grinder bit. I put a lot of pressure on it which both opened up the hole and also made the end of the link blistering hot. When nearly the right size and as hot as I thought I could get it, I shoved a 5/16” step drill through the hole which sized it correctly and also cleaned up the wallowed out grinding mess.
Here’s what it looks like in position.
With this in place the regulator and fuel lines are completely immovable so everything should stay nice and tight for years to come. I’m looking forward to having the next few days away from the constant smell of gasoline!
Merry Christmas everybody!