60s Refugee
Well-known member
It didn't take very long to realize that I needed a choke. Even with the carbs and linkage tweeked, it was all but impossible to drive the car after a cold start. I didn't want to fool around trying to get an automatic choke to work when I knew how well a hand choke works. Besides, there just wasn't any place for a heat riser tube. I never had much luck with electric chokes either. I used parts from a new kit I bought at Auto Zone and a bracket from a Holley 4bbl conversion kit I had laying around.
First, I needed a place to put the knob under the dash. There were already two holes right next to the fog light switch. Since I only have a left hand, that is the ideal spot! Here's a pic. Don't let that long bolt worry you, it's already been cut off!
I slid the cable out through the fire wall along the steering column. It easily slid out between the rubber seal and the tube and is really the ideal location for where it needs to run considering both the inside car and outside car route. In this pic you can see it coming through below the master cylinder. Don't confuse it with all those brake lines and stuff!
Next, the cable had to be secured to the center carb. I discarded the choke cover/spring thing and used the upper left hole where the cover screw was threaded in. I took the bracket, drilled a mounting hole in it, and bent a tab down to prevent the bracket from rotating. The tab fits snuggly against the inside of the housing and when bolted tight there is no movement in any direction. The cable was just the right length and I only had to trim off about 4" of the pull wire. I turned two loops in the wire to form a short coil to fit over the choke shaft crank lever. The tab on the lever is plenty long enough to heep the cable from falling or being pulled off. I adjusted the throw, and tightened both bolts.
The result is as expected! It is now possible to drive the car after start up. Even with the warm weather we've been having here it has been almost impossible to get a good idle when engine is cold. It doesn't take very long to warm up enough to open the butterfly and after that the cable keeps the choke open without having to keep adjusting it (I once had a hand choke that would close itself as you drove! You had to keep pushing it in all the time). Here's a pic of the finished look.
Don't be afraid to try this at home
!
Harry
First, I needed a place to put the knob under the dash. There were already two holes right next to the fog light switch. Since I only have a left hand, that is the ideal spot! Here's a pic. Don't let that long bolt worry you, it's already been cut off!
I slid the cable out through the fire wall along the steering column. It easily slid out between the rubber seal and the tube and is really the ideal location for where it needs to run considering both the inside car and outside car route. In this pic you can see it coming through below the master cylinder. Don't confuse it with all those brake lines and stuff!
Next, the cable had to be secured to the center carb. I discarded the choke cover/spring thing and used the upper left hole where the cover screw was threaded in. I took the bracket, drilled a mounting hole in it, and bent a tab down to prevent the bracket from rotating. The tab fits snuggly against the inside of the housing and when bolted tight there is no movement in any direction. The cable was just the right length and I only had to trim off about 4" of the pull wire. I turned two loops in the wire to form a short coil to fit over the choke shaft crank lever. The tab on the lever is plenty long enough to heep the cable from falling or being pulled off. I adjusted the throw, and tightened both bolts.
The result is as expected! It is now possible to drive the car after start up. Even with the warm weather we've been having here it has been almost impossible to get a good idle when engine is cold. It doesn't take very long to warm up enough to open the butterfly and after that the cable keeps the choke open without having to keep adjusting it (I once had a hand choke that would close itself as you drove! You had to keep pushing it in all the time). Here's a pic of the finished look.
Don't be afraid to try this at home
!Harry
