Remember when we had to rebuild carbs instead of just swapping them out

Been in this trade since 1998 and I swear carburetors were built different back then. Worked on some old Wright radials at a museum in Arizona couple years ago and the carb rebuild took me two full days with a jeweler's file and ultrasonic cleaner. My trainee kept asking why I didn't just order a new assembly from the catalog. Told him those parts aren't made anymore and even if they were the fuel flow curves would be off. Anyone else feel like the newer electronic injection systems just don't hold up the same way over time?

2 comments

2 Comments

finley93926d agoMost Upvoted

Did those old Wright carbs have bronze floats or brass?

amygonzalez26d ago

...assuming bronze floats were some kind of upgrade or something? Look, I get it, old stuff feels more "real" when you're filing jets and chasing leaks for two days. But let's be honest here. How many of those carbs were actually tuned right the first time? And how many Wright radials are still flying daily on those rebuilt carbs versus just sitting pretty in a museum? The whole "they don't make em like they used to" thing is just nostalgia for the struggle. If swapping a modern ECU and injectors gets me back in the air in an hour, I'm not crying over a bronze float.