Looking for carburetor ID on euro spec 1969 Plymouth Valiant Signet 170

[FRQ]

I am in Belgium and about to start my latest project, getting this 1969 Plymouth Valiant Signet back on the road (VIN VL21A). I'm not sure if there are carb differences for euro spec cars and was hoping someone could point me towards the correct rebuild kit on Rockauto. I also need a distributor cap and rotor arm (and as you can see from the state of the engine compartment, a ton of other stuff), but if I'm not mistaken that should be more straightforward.

Some pictures:

 

[Rug_Trucker]

That is a Carter BBS. (Ball and Ball single barrel) No way to tell the exact model without the tin tab attached to the missing fuel bowl screw. The kits cover multiple years. Just match the old gaskets with the new ones. I think the metering rod that goes into the jet is different from the different applications. They never wear out.

Check the play or sloppyness in the throttle shaft. It will cause a vacuum leak. You can install bushings.

There is Chinese copies of these carbs out there. I have no experience with them.

Carburetor operation & repair information - Slant Six Forum

carter BBS guide at DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.

duckduckgo.com

 

[FRQ]

@Rug_Trucker: thanks for the clarification. On Rockauto the carb rebuild kits for a '69 are listed as "Carter BBS" so I'm assuming those will do the trick.

Is the 1917 number cast into the body of the carb of any importance? Worst case scenario I'll just order several different kits. Given the shipping and customs cost, I don't want to risk importing the wrong one.

 

[RustyRatRod]

@slantsixdan may can tell you for sure. I agree, it does appear to be a Carter BBS. Dan can tell you if there's maybe something a little different about it. I tagged him so maybe he will chime in.

 

[slantsixdan]

Welcome here!

Buying a carb kit on RockAuto (or any other regular parts store) is a recipe for failure and disappointment; mass-market carburetor kit quality and completeness are awful these days. Spend the extra money to get a much better kit from Jon Hardgrove at The Carburetor Shop. Yours has all the hallmarks of being a 1969-spec carburetor (the spring-staged compound choke lever, the idle air bypass column, the throttle body anti-ice system, the slow-closing throttle dashpot. The carb ID tag is missing, so this might or might not be the car's original carburetor, but it is certainly close enough that if you order a kit for the original carb type (Carter BBS 4601s) you'll get exactly what you need. Check with Jon to see if his kits still include float gauges; if not, see here.

Carburetor operation and repair manuals and links to training movies and carb repair/modification threads are posted here for free download. Tune-up parts and technique suggestions are in this post.

 

[FRQ]

@slantsixdan: thanks for the very thorough explanation. At this point, I'm still in the "will it even run" proof of concept stage. All I know right now is the engine isn't seized. The gameplan was to order everything needed to get the car running and moving under its own steam in one shot and keep costs down (shipping and customs fees on every order are the real killer here), hence Rockauto. For 15 USD added to my order, I'll probably take a gamble on a Rockauto kit first and get a proper one from your recommended supplier if the car is a proven runner.

Sadly A body parts are far and few between in Belgium, no wrecking yards full of orphaned parts to be found. This car was given to me for free, the previous owner already deemed it an economical total loss and kicked the can down the road, hoping I'm the right kind of crazy to get it registered and driving again.

 

[cerb]

I’ll be following this. I’m in the almost exact same situation with a 1965 model in Sweden. Yours looks like it has less rust though

 

[RustyRatRod]

@slantsixdan: thanks for the very thorough explanation. At this point, I'm still in the "will it even run" proof of concept stage. All I know right now is the engine isn't seized. The gameplan was to order everything needed to get the car running and moving under its own steam in one shot and keep costs down (shipping and customs fees on every order are the real killer here), hence Rockauto. For 15 USD added to my order, I'll probably take a gamble on a Rockauto kit first and get a proper one from your recommended supplier if the car is a proven runner.

Sadly A body parts are far and few between in Belgium, no wrecking yards full of orphaned parts to be found. This car was given to me for free, the previous owner already deemed it an economical total loss and kicked the can down the road, hoping I'm the right kind of crazy to get it registered and driving again.

If it's a slant 6 and it ain't seized, it'll run.

 

[cerb]

@slantsixdan: thanks for the very thorough explanation. At this point, I'm still in the "will it even run" proof of concept stage. All I know right now is the engine isn't seized. The gameplan was to order everything needed to get the car running and moving under its own steam in one shot and keep costs down (shipping and customs fees on every order are the real killer here), hence Rockauto. For 15 USD added to my order, I'll probably take a gamble on a Rockauto kit first and get a proper one from your recommended supplier if the car is a proven runner.

Sadly A body parts are far and few between in Belgium, no wrecking yards full of orphaned parts to be found. This car was given to me for free, the previous owner already deemed it an economical total loss and kicked the can down the road, hoping I'm the right kind of crazy to get it registered and driving again.

A thing about Rockauto is that they seem to have several locations from where they ship. That means that you rarely save any money by placing just one order. Last time I bought three separate items and ended up paying two shipping fees.

 

[French demon]

@FRQ : you have a PM

 

[slantsixdan]

.

 

[slantsixdan]

Sadly A body parts are far and few between in Belgium, no wrecking yards full of orphaned parts to be found.

That's how it is on this continent, too, for the most part; the last A-bodies were made most of half a century ago.