softening carb manifold boot help?

[bradc]

Hey guys and girls
is there a way to soften the manifold boot between the carbs and the engine,mine are very hard probably cause so old but very difficult to put carbs back into.......is there something i can do other than replace?

[jpaul]

I have heard of people putting them in hot water for a while. That should soften them up temporarily. While they are warm, I would inspect them closely to see if there are cracks forming in them. I would expect to see some small cracks at the edges just because of their age, but if it looks excessive, you may want to start looking on eBay for replacements.

[Anonymous]

I don't think they're supposed to be very soft, because they have to support the weight of the carbs. Try lubricating the openings and the carbs first. I've used vasoline quite successfully for this. I also block the front tire to keep the bike from rolling forward when I push the carbs back in.

[Anonymous]

I'll often give a small shot of WD-40 just on the inside of the intake boots. I guess you could always try a hair dryer on them as well.

[first timer]

the boots are still avilable from ron ayers and bike bandit, they will be a little softer. and to lubricate the the inside of the boots you should use silicone lube spray wd will break down the rubber and vasoline will collect dirt.

-ryan

[chud271]

the boots are still avilable from ron ayers and bike bandit, they will be a little softer. and to lubricate the the inside of the boots you should use silicone lube spray wd will break down the rubber and vasoline will collect dirt.

-ryan

i tried every method known to man. i ended up buying mine from bikebandit.com. 18 bucks a piece was a bit to swallow, but they are much easier to work with.

[Dark Jedi]

I have an old set that I am going to experiment with:

I think that soaking them in silicone in a parts heater will pretty much restore flexability permanently. I have an old fondue pot that I will fill with silicone and drop the boots in.

The set is hosed, 2 of them tore away from the metal mount on the engine side, so no loss if it goes south.

[Anonymous]

Mine were just hard rubber. They weren't stiffened with age, (and they're 22 years old) they are just hard to support the weight of the carbs. You could use Vaseline, but it will be more sloppy to clean up later than WD-40.

I just used WD-40 and wobbled the bank of carbs up and down. I had to push VERY hard while doing this, as there are 4 carb connections going on there.

I was a bit worried I might push it off the centerstand, but it didn't happen.

[first timer]

hey DJ let me know how the silicone bath works, i have some old k&n's they are a little hard and would like to restore them. i have been spraying them with silicone lube with little results.

-ryan

[bradc]

the silicone spray worked and also a very good heat gun did the trick but still was alot of work haha ok thanks guys