A
Anonymous
Guest
I think some people make the mistake of trying to turn the screws OUT first. This usually just makes the threads run into the thickest part of the sealant and the threads get gummed up big time.
Hmm. EXACTLY what I did....and it makes sense when you say the sealant is thickest toward the top of the threads. There's a definite demarkation line between the bottom and top of the threads on the screw I DID get out.
And thanks for the tip, Gary. Actually, I had let them soak in WD40 for two days prior to attempting the removal. Figured it couldn't hurt.....but, in the end, didn't really help all that much either given the fact that the heads were already chewed up.
Here's what I'm going to try....
If the screws are sealed at the factory, then their current position can't be bad. After meditating on this for a few days, I don't really think I did so much damage to carb#1 that I need to render it unusable. I didn't even get past the screw head with the drilling and I wasn't able to move it either up or down, so it's still in it's original location....and upon looking at it through a very powerful microscope here at work (used by our tribology lab for bearing investigation), I can even see the tip of the air screw. It's a little dark, but should get cleaned when I dip the carbs (and follow through with carb spray through the tiny hole). I'm going to go forward with the cleaning/rebuilding process in hopes that everything will be okay. However, if in the end it's not, I haven't lost anything. Any parts that get new o-rings will easily transfer to the replacement carbs (given the fact I find direct replacements).
So there you have it. My hopes are a little higher than they were on Wednesday. I feel good about going forward and am crossing my fingers for when I start the actual rebuild process (probably months away) that everything will run as it should. If not, I'll go through all the checks and balances to make sure there aren't other issues at hand.
Thanks for your help guys. I KNOW I'll be on here more and more in the future with more and more questions to be answered.....and I appreciate your willingness to help even the newest of newbies.
Cragar 8)