Looking for a brilliant idea.....

[33IMP]

.... to help me disassemble my 4781-3 holley.
It's the gold colored one, with great color..... and also the brown original gaskets that glue the sob together like it was welded!
I know 100% that all the gaskets must be destroyed, and I'll have torn-up gaskets stuck to everything, but I'm hoping someone has an idea from previous experience to avoid this.
This carb has had gas in it years ago, but is virtually new.
The main problem is... I can't even get the bowls off!! There's no place I can find to pry them off, I have smacked them HARD with soft hammers and dead blow. No joy.
I can pull some plastic parts off, as long as there's no gasket, but ANYTHING that has a gasket will not come apart.
I'd like to soak it in something, but I'm afraid of ruining the plating, and internal part.
So.....what do I do?
(Will check back in a few hours for any ideas. Thanks.)

 

[ch1ll]

If they used a shellac based sealer like Indian head, soak it in alcohol. Be aware this will destroy all rubber parts. If they used a silicone based sealer, good luck. I guess I would try boiling it in a pot of water for a while to try to soften it up. You can get a used pot at good will( I have one specifically for this purpose, sometimes it helps with stuck jets) throw it on an old grill outside you don't use to cook food on, a campfire works as well. Try prying it apart hot wearing a pair of gloves.

 

[33IMP]

If they used a shellac based sealer like Indian head, soak it in alcohol. Be aware this will destroy all rubber parts. If they used a silicone based sealer, good luck. I guess I would try boiling it in a pot of water for a while to try to soften it up. You can get a used pot at good will( I have one specifically for this purpose, sometimes it helps with stuck jets) throw it on an old grill outside you don't use to cook food on, a campfire works as well. Try prying it apart hot wearing a pair of gloves.

I don't think holley used any kind of gasket sealer, these are the old brown gaskets that welded parts together, probably better than any sealant!
Remember the old chapstick trick? It was used to help these horrible garbage gaskets come apart. Unfortunately, nobody (previous owner) ever took this carb apart to chapstick the gaskets! Just ran gas in it, then parked it.

 

[crackedback]

IIRC, those brown gaskets had a sealer embedded in the material. I hated taking those apart in the 70-80's until the new no stick gaskets came along.

That's why we used chapstick, vasoline on them to keep them from activating.

Only issue with boiling it is the finish on the carb. Good luck, I got nothing in the way of suggestions.

 

[33IMP]

I had a friend who was literally known locally as Mr Carburetor. He had a suggestion for me a few years ago, but I didn't do it then, I've forgotten what he recommended, and he has since passed away.
My own fault that I'm in this fix.

 

[Oldmanmopar]

soak the carburetor in enamel reducer or mineral spirits for a while with the screws loosened. It takes a while but they will fall off.

 

[33IMP]

soak the carburetor in enamel reducer or mineral spirits for a while with the screws loosened. It takes a while but they will fall off.

I can give mineral spirits a try. Thanks.

 

[1WildRT]

If you remove the bowl screws find a phillips screwdriver that the shaft fits in the screw holes, you can apply a good bit of steady pressure with out causing any damage... Apply pressure so the shaft inside the bowl is pushing on the outer wall of the bowl & the handle of the screwdriver is pushed toward the center of the bowl...

The other option is remove the base plate & pry on the bottom of the bowl/metering plate where any tool marks won't be visible....

I agree soaking should help but the gold plating is pretty easily damaged..

 

[33IMP]

If you remove the bowl screws find a phillips screwdriver that the shaft fits in the screw holes, you can apply a good bit of steady pressure with out causing any damage... Apply pressure so the shaft inside the bowl is pushing on the outer wall of the bowl & the handle of the screwdriver is pushed toward the center of the bowl...

The other option is remove the base plate & pry on the bottom of the bowl/metering plate where any tool marks won't be visible....

I agree soaking should help but the gold plating is pretty easily damaged..

Base plate won't come off either. And I've tried to lever-off the bowls. Even put shafts in the bowl screw holes, and tapped them with a hammer (hard as I dared, which wasn't much, lol) I can't even find any place to pry the bowls off.
Looks like I'm gonna risk the plating, and give soaking a try.

 

[Bewy]

I would try immersing the carb in boiling water with clothes washing detergent added.

 

[1WildRT]

I would try immersing the carb in boiling water with clothes washing detergent added.

I can tell you from past experience that tide detergent will strip the plating off a Holley

 

[Daves69]

I'd give the mineral spirits a shot. Fill those bowls as well.

FWIW post #5..........

https://www.camaros.net/threads/holley-what-does-100-wet-tested-mean.147705/

 

[oldkimmer]

I got a Holley dp at home now that I can’t get apart either. I was b/n 40 years ago. Used a few years now won’t come apart either. I’ve tried a few different things but nothing has worked yet. Pretty frustrating. Never tried boiling it yet. That may just work. Kim

 

[George Jets]

Might try an Ultrasonic cleaner, use distilled water with a few drops of dawn dish soap as the cleaning solution.

Heat the water up hot. May take multiple cycles of cleaning 15 minutes at a time.


☆☆☆☆☆

 

[TT5.9mag]

In the past I’ve clamped a bowl in a vice with soft jaws and used the entire carburetor as a lever to pry the bowls off. I hate those gaskets.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Try some good penetrating oil. Sea Foam Deep Creep comes to mind.

 

[oldkimmer]

Try some good penetrating oil. Sea Foam Deep Creep comes to mind.

Rob, any penetrating oil never helped on mine. I got the bowls off. But the metering blocks are something else. I got 1 block off by prying with a scraper but paid the ultimate price by shear off one of the pins on the block. So now it sits. Kim

 

[33IMP]

I might give the deep creep a try.
But if that doesn't work, I think I'll dunk it in a bucket of mineral spirits for a week (only a slight exageration), gold coat be darned.
Gold irridite isn't doing anything for me on the shelf.
(Good thing I have 3 or 4 other 850 dp's I can use)

 

[33IMP]

Might try an Ultrasonic cleaner, use distilled water with a few drops of dawn dish soap as the cleaning solution.

Heat the water up hot. May take multiple cycles of cleaning 15 minutes at a time.


☆☆☆☆☆

Do you mean 15 hours? I'm pissed enough to try the 15 hours.

 

[Mr. Sinister]

Has anyone tried gas wetting them to soften them up?
Just a thought.