• Hello Guest, welcome to the initial stages of our new platform!
    You can find some additional information about where we are in the process of migrating the board and setting up our new software here

    Thank you for being a part of our community!

More SU problems

B

blakemcelroy2000

Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2017
Location
Portland OR
Hey all. So I recently got my Volvo 122 (B20F, Twin SU HS6s) running and driving. I didn't like the way it was running, and noticed a lot of play in the throttle shafts on the carbs. I sent the carbs to get new bushings installed by a local guy, and was told today that the bodies were too worn to ream and install new bushings. Starting to feel like this car is cursed :( I also put in all the work to polish the dashpots and other parts. Does anyone know a good source for SU carbs? They don't have to be in good shape or complete, as I just need the bodies and have a full rebuild kit already on hand. Any local sources? Im located in Portland OR. Thanks.
 
Joe Curto is the guy to try. Usually the over size throttle shafts will repair the worn body, if it is more worn than that bushings will need to be installed and line reamed. All of the carbs that I have rebuilt have cleaned up with the O/S shafts.
 
Yes that usually happens to the shafts, Have some hall of shame shafts that I keep just for that reason to show people the wear. I put an O ring when possible on the shafts to carb body to keep out dirt.
 
oilite bronze bushings from McMaster Carr, 3/8 od, use a .375 reamer and dont drop it all the way through, leave 1-3/32 of original body near the ID of the throat so the butterfly seals, and glue the bushings in. Do one side at a time so you can use the old hole as a guide for the new one. Never had a problem installing bushings in the worst of the worst worn out SUs. Sometimes if the holes are really ovaled, Take a syringe of JB weld and lock the throttle plate closed with some wire, fill the hole around the shaft, cure then tap out the shaft before reaming. Then, instead of glue, use JB weld on the new bushing and heat the body to 200F before putting the bushings in. Cure for a few days, then ream with a 5/16 reamer with a full length 5/16-0.001 shank by hand using the shank as your pilot.

The tools can be had at MSC for about 75-95$.
 
283SD said:
Joe Curto is the guy to try. Usually the over size throttle shafts will repair the worn body, if it is more worn than that bushings will need to be installed and line reamed. All of the carbs that I have rebuilt have cleaned up with the O/S shafts.
Click to expand...

I went to my other guy rather than Joe since I already got new shafts and bushings with my rebuild kit. They're stock size brass shafts with the zinc/stainless (Im not sure, its silvery metal) bushings.
 
cwdodson88 said:
oilite bronze bushings from McMaster Carr, 3/8 od, use a .375 reamer and dont drop it all the way through, leave 1-3/32 of original body near the ID of the throat so the butterfly seals, and glue the bushings in. Do one side at a time so you can use the old hole as a guide for the new one. Never had a problem installing bushings in the worst of the worst worn out SUs. Sometimes if the holes are really ovaled, Take a syringe of JB weld and lock the throttle plate closed with some wire, fill the hole around the shaft, cure then tap out the shaft before reaming. Then, instead of glue, use JB weld on the new bushing and heat the body to 200F before putting the bushings in. Cure for a few days, then ream with a 5/16 reamer with a full length 5/16-0.001 shank by hand using the shank as your pilot.

The tools can be had at MSC for about 75-95$.
Click to expand...
If my carbs are really as bad as my guy says, I might just try this myself. If it doesn't work, then I guess Ill find some used ones in better shape and try and rebuild those.
 
I'm not trying to cast aspersions on your machining skills, but why re-invent the wheel.

We prefer to rebuild HS6 carbs ourselves, but there is 1 step we don't tackle and that is replacing the throttle shafts. We have the tools to replace the bushings, but it takes a lot of time and then you have to deal with drilling the holes precisely at the correct angles in the throttle shafts.

We send ALL our HS6 throttle bodies to Joe Curto to have just the throttle shafts replaced.

In fact a customer came in yesterday and left us his HS6 carbs to rebuild and I will shipping the throttle bodies out to Joe in the next day or 2.
 
planetman said:
I'm not trying to cast aspersions on your machining skills, but why re-invent the wheel.

We prefer to rebuild HS6 carbs ourselves, but there is 1 step we don't tackle and that is replacing the throttle shafts. We have the tools to replace the bushings, but it takes a lot of time and then you have to deal with drilling the holes precisely at the correct angles in the throttle shafts.

We send ALL our HS6 throttle bodies to Joe Curto to have just the throttle shafts replaced.

In fact a customer came in yesterday and left us his HS6 carbs to rebuild and I will shipping the throttle bodies out to Joe in the next day or 2.
Click to expand...
SU shafts don't have the holes for the throttle plate screws?
 
Depending on the shafts, you will need to drill the holes for the throttle shaft/pins /linkage to throttle arms, I made a jig to do that.
 
I used Joe Curto too for H4, HS6 and HIF-6 carb shaft issues and misc SU parts.
Another guy is Tom Bryant in Maine.

Been a long time (10-15 yrs?) since, but both guys did good work IMO.
 
alschnertz said:
I used Joe Curto too for H4, HS6 and HIF-6 carb shaft issues and misc SU parts.
Another guy is Tom Bryant in Maine.

Been a long time (10-15 yrs?) since, but both guys did good work IMO.
Click to expand...

I got a set of throttle bodies done with delrin bushings by Tom. So far no problems. Seems like an improvement over the stock brass bushings.
 
Theres also Rhys Kent in the Seattle area. Hes always done a good job for me. But I have recently received all the tooling to handle them myself.

For the throttle shaft pin locations, thats something that is a little tricky, but I have been able to get it done without much fuss.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top