• From: Houston TX
  • Registered: 2009-05-11
  • Posts: 181

Topic: repair help - leaky float

Help, need ideas. working on a friend's 78 rolls royce - it has v8 and dual side draft solex single barrel carbs. Its also a nightmare to work on with all the smog crap.

Anyway, one carb was flooding and venting out the spill tube, I tore it down and found the plastic hollow float filled with fuel.

I have tried many resources but cannot find a new float for this carb. What do y'all think? I thought I remembered you could get that float foam stuff, and I could cut it up maybe jb weld it to the float arm? SOB, I know this sound hokey, and it literally took me about 4 hours to get the carb off it was so covered in crap and blind nuts only a crow's foot would fit, etc - anyway, point being I REALLY don't want to open this up again so hokey pokey fixes not going to work. I have tried Ebay, rockauto, Pelican, etc and no one has this part.

Also, what about draining it and gluing the hole assuming I can find it? what glue would hold up to gasoline and ethanol?

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Scott
Speed Racer Mach5 Mustang
Houston TX
  • From: Van Nuys, CA
  • Registered: 2011-02-11
  • Posts: 3,862

Re: repair help - leaky float

http://www.carbsonly.com/ try calling these guys and see if they have a float. Whenever I've been there they had everything

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  • From: Elburn, IL
  • Registered: 2010-12-16
  • Posts: 3,425

Re: repair help - leaky float

Holley!!!

Why go with a crappy (or is that crapé?) Rolls carb when you can the aftermarket has so much to offer?

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  • Registered: 2011-10-14
  • Posts: 4,167

Re: repair help - leaky float

Stovebolt wrote:

Also, what about draining it and gluing the hole assuming I can find it? what glue would hold up to gasoline and ethanol?

Brass or plastic float? 

Brass...just solder it. 

Plastic, if it is a pinhole...find, drill it and plug it with a fuel safe rubber plug.  Adjust the loaft arm for the extra weight.  Seam leak...you are probably screwed but Solex carbs were use on some many cars there has be a body of knowledge out there.

  • From: Santa Rosa, CA
  • Registered: 2010-01-08
  • Posts: 538

Re: repair help - leaky float

If the float is metal or plastic & you can find a hole JB weld will seal it. If the  float is plastic,metal or foam & can't find a hole, dry it out completely, this can be difficult with the plastic & metal sometimes requiring drilling a very small hole to drain it out, & paint it with Model Airplane Dope or 2 part epoxy paint. I have used the "Midwest Aero Gloss" Brand & made new foam floats using the original metal hangers.  The dope is lighter, cheaper & available at any good hobby shop.

Tired Iron Racing, Class A Winner of 2023 Days of Thunder & the Hooptie-Con Engine heat Cooking Competition, otherwise just a 50x loser, which is somehow able to finish in the top ten, if we don't step on our own dicks.