dip duration

[jsandidge]

I just started a set of carbs in the sauce this afternoon. I typically only wrench on the weekends. Would there be any damage or discoloration if I left them soaking for 5 days?

[chuck hahn]

yes..they tend to turn dark grey after a few days. 24 hrs is my top limit.

[mrbill5491]

Yup, 24 hrs is good.

[bwringer]

Agreed. And 24 hours is really pushing it, to be honest.

It's also good to be aware that there seem to be several different formulations of carb dip. I've seen formulations where 4 hours in the max, and some where they can be left in indefinitely.

You can get some pretty severe discoloration, and I've seen the finish and edges start to get rough, like the zinc-based alloy is starting to deteriorate.

[JTGS850GL]

As others have stated, 24 hours is about the max but a few hours may not be enough. Depends HEAVILY on the type of dip you're using. If it's available, I strongly encourage you to use the professional formula of Berryman's chem dip. Not the crap you buy at most auto parts stores. The difference is dramatic. Not as much discoloration and much faster. The formula you're looking for is Berryman's #901 for a one-gallon container and #905 for the 5-gallon container. The stuff you want to stay away from is the Berryman #996. It's the new "environmentally friendly" formula that works like crap. If you have the 996 you can use the container and basket. Empty it, clean it out and pour in the 901 formula. You'll never use anything else.

[Steve]

You don't really need to "wrench" on them much, so you can still do that on the weekends.

If your area is close enough to where you spend time during the week (some people have shops several miles from their house), it's a very simple matter to just step out there, pull one carb out of the dip, rinse it with hot water, spray some cleaner through the passages, blow them out, drop another carb in the dip. 5-10 minutes, maximum, no wrenches involved.

.

[jsandidge]

Yeah, that's the plan. Had all 4 in the dip, getting ready to pull them all out now.

[JTGS850GL]

All four in the dip? What did you dip them in? Were they all taken completely apart before dipping?

[jsandidge]

I had 3 cans of Berryman's. Unfortunately it is the 996. If you take the basket out, you can get 2 bodies in a can. The 3rd can had all 4 bowls under the basket, and all the brass bits in the basket.

I'll look for the other formula next time. I had this stuff left over from doing my 850, which did require multiple dips. This set of carbs was relatively clean, so I think 1 dip did the trick.