I'm somewhat familiar with this carb having rebuilt several for
Studebaker V-8s...  unfortunately it seems that "they all do that."  I'm
not sure which joint you're describing as leaking but what I find most
often is that the upper part of the carb is warped and won't seal to the
main body correctly.  Sometimes a double gasket helps...  but what I
suspect is the root of your problem is that when the engine is shut off
the gas is percolating out of the fuel bowls, going up through the
passages in the carb, and then out and onto the throttle plates where it
runs both into the manifold (making it hard to start after sitting a
few, but only a few minutes) and also out the throttle shafts and onto
the manifold (which is a little unsettling because it lands right on the
exhaust crossover.)

I'm not really sure what a good fix is, because they didn't do this when
new, but that's not because of an issue with the carb - it's because gas
was different back then and didn't boil so easily.  But you might try
lowering the float level 1/16" or so and seeing if that helps any
without causing any driveability issues.  Other than that, you may need
to have the throttle shafts rebushed to keep the fuel from running out
there when it inevitably boils over.  Still not ideal but at least it
would be contained inside the manifold.  Finally you might want to get a
thin heat insulator to replace the gasket under the carb to keep it from
getting so hot.

good luck,

nate

Besides Nate's suggestions, they started putting gas return lines on
them to avoid the vapor lock/ puking gas out issue with carbs.

Does yours have a return line that maybe went rusty and got
disconnected?

They do sell inline fuel filter with 2 outlets and one could be fabbed
up I suppose.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
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first off the carburetor was actually a rebuilt my father bought from holley 2 or 3 years ago, he put it on after having the engine remachined, and it sat untill recently when we finished rewiring the old truck. and the plate i was talking about was the Throttle plate. and nothing appears to be rusty. i will post updates on my progress, i do have the origional Carb, its the same model and it never had a problem leaking so we were thinking about replacing the lower half and rebuilding it. The upper part of the carb sat in cleaner too long and was damaged. but tell me if you think of anything else

Thanks for all the help

Mat

--
SweptlineTrucker

There are two things you need to address here: The leaks themselves,
and the causes of fuel having occasion to travel through those leaks on
engine shutdown.

Nate's suggestion is a good one (double-gasketing the junction between
the main body and the throttle body).

You'll also want to check to see that the throttle shaft isn't loose in
its bushings-that's another common leak point, and even the
less-disreputable carburetor "remanufacturing" factories like Holleys
scarcely ever rebush them. One good test for this is to let the engine
idle and spray carburetor cleaner at the base of the carburetor where
the throttle shaft passes through, on both ends. If the engine idle
changes noticeably or if you see the carb cleaner rapidly sucked into
the carb at that junction, you've got excessive throttle bushing
sideplay.

The necessary rebushing can be done, and warped castings repaired so
that they seal, by any of several skilled carburetor rebuilders (not
the same as "remanufacturers"). One such goes by the name of the Old
Carb Doctor, 800-945-CARB. You mention you've got the original carb.
Originals, no matter how grimy and old, are always easier to refurbish
to as-new condition than abused "remanufactured" units, so you may want
to carry on living with the annoyances of the "reman" unit while you
send off the original for a proper refurb.

Mike's babble about the "fuel return line" on your Dodge is his
customary hallucinatory babble. There were no Stromberg WW carburetors
of any year with fuel return lines. So, there's no such a line to have
rusted or otherwise become damaged. His basic idea is sound, though:
You need to reduce the effect of percolation, which is when heat
transferred to the fuel boils it when the engine is shut off. There are
several ways of tackling this problem. A carburetor heat shield can be
made in the form of a carb-to-manifold gasket that extends outward
several inches in every direction. An extra-thick carb-to-manifold
gasket also helps insulate the carb from manifold heat.

Often, percolation begins not in the carburetor but in the fuel line
that runs from the fuel pump to the carb. You can rework this line to
significantly reduce heat transfer to the fuel: Remove the metal line
that runs from the fuel pump to the carburetor. Install a 5/16"
IV-flare-to-5/16"-hose-barb brass fitting in the fuel pump outlet and
another in the carb inlet. These fittings can be had from any
well-stocked hardware store that carries the Dorman "orange drawers"
line of springs, fittings, etc. The Dorman part number is 492-024;
Everbrass number is 1791.

Between these fittings, run a length of 5/16" I.D. _fuel injection_
hose marked SAE 30R9, not the lower-test old-fashioned 30R7 stuff that
doesn't do well with modern gas formulations over time. Be sure to get
fuel injection hose clamps, too. Route this line carefully away from
sources of heat (exhaust manifold...) and away from moving parts. Make
sure to leave enough slack in this hose so that it is not stretched
taut at any point.

Think carefully about how you place the fuel filter, and use one with a
*metal* can, because  the plastic ones sometimes don't do well with
current gas formulations. The fuel filter should be installed in a
vertical or near-vertical orientation, inlet at the bottom and outlet
at the top, and in as cool a location as possible.

With this setup, a lot of the bìtchy hot and cold start problems
disappear, because you're no longer boiling fuel in that metal line
when you shut off the engine. In extreme cases where it's not possible
to isolate the fuel line sufficiently from engine heat, then a
vapor-return line such as Mike was trying to talk about can be added.
It involves the use of a 3-port fuel filter. The two normal 5/16" ports
are present, as well as a smaller 1/4" port near the top of the filter.
One such filter is the NAPA #3040. You connect a new 1/4" fuel line
hose to that 1/4" port, which must be pointing upward. Loop the 1/4"
hose in a full, loose 360° loop, then either run it clear back to the
fuel tank where it connects to a new 1/4" nipple you've added to the
fuel tank sender plate, or -- preferably -- form and install a hardline
for the long length of the truck.

DS

you might check the in-line connection, tighten if necessary while using
a back-up wrench, and any gasket area for leaks.

If it has cap screws over the jets, check for a faulty / broken gasket,
and looseness.

mho

vfe