Re: Resurrecting my 56’ Patrician

Posted by CarFreak On 2023/10/20 8:46:06

When it comes to interior fabric it really depends on how much money you want to blow compared to how original you want it too look. SMS will match your factory fabric perfectly, but as it was stated, it takes years for them to deliver. It took two years to get the seat covers to my door from when I initially ordered them back in 2021 and they are not cheap. If your okay with it not using the stock fabrics you can take it to really any good upholsterer and have them match the pattern in what ever fabric or color you want.

Tuning a car with a vacuum gauge is a good way to go, but I have struggled with using that method in the past. I try to tune the carb with a tach and use the vacuum gauge as a back up. With your timing set (I believe Ross states 10 BTDC is what is best) you can set your idle fuel mixture by adjusting the screws at the base of the front of the carb. You are correct in adjusting them in small measurements at a time. What your looking for is screwing them out until you see the idle speed stop increasing, then back them "in" just before it starts to go back down again. in order to do this you may have to make smaller turns like an 1/8 or so.

Given the amount and size of the passages in a carb, I feel the best way to clean it is with an ultrasonic cleaner. People have plenty of opinions on what to use in an ultrasonic cleaner but I have found the purple Simple Green stuff mixed at a 1:1 does a pretty good job and doesnt discolor the aluminum/pot metal. Rebuilding a carb isnt too bad, but a lot of damage can be done depending on how much varnish has been left in there over the years. I have had carbs from the 60s/70s be complete junk because the jets were essentially welded in. There are instructions online on how to rebuild these Rochesters, but if you are too concerned, there are people who rebuild them and have been mentioned above. I use rebuild kits from Mikes Carbs.