What Are Cores?

The prices quoted through this web site reflect the cost of a basic restoration only. This is not the price to buy the carburetor, but restoration, including a certain number of parts and a certain amount of labor and service.

Originals of these devices are no longer being produced, so we rely on cores for the parts to either restore client carbs, or to replace “swapped” cores. If cores are not supplied, we have to buy those carburetors for the restoration.

There are certain pieces that we are either having made, or make in house, like shafts, pump links, pump rods, aluminum washers, springs, certain nuts, etc. Everything else has to come from the core carburetors, sometimes requiring repair, like worn throttle levers or thread repair on bodies. We of course purchase kit parts and needle valves.

And that is why we ask for “like for like” cores. Your cores let us make a set of carbs for someone else. We reserve the right to refuse a set of cores for restoration or for trade in depending on their condition — we’ve seen some awful carburetors that have been burnt to a crisp that the client swore were “complete.”

Our price is based on the cost for restoration and does not include the basic core carburetors and its assorted hardware / parts.

Core Evaluation

When we evaluate your carburetors — whether for restoration of your carbs, or as core exchange — we look at all aspects of the carburetor:

• In what condition are your throttle levers
• Are all the lockwashers there
• Are all the top screws correct — do some have to be supplied, replaced, and do we need to do thread repair on the body
• Are the emulsion tubes there
• What condition are the jets and what sizes are they
• Any plugs missing or loose
• What is the condition of the top — has the air filter worn through
• What about the fuel inlet threads
• What is the overall condition of the casting itself

There are over 200 individual pieces with each set of carburetors and they all have to be evaluated. It may seem like we’re nit-picking, but when you get your carbs back they will be complete. And if we have had to supply lockwashers, do body repairs, replace incorrect jets, repair a damaged pump link — all this takes time, and the parts have to be supplied from somewhere!

The Restoration Process

What is included in your restoration is the complete disassembly of your carburetors, along with this evaluation. As much as it is done to give you a quote for the work, it is so we know what parts we need to supply, what repairs we need to make.

The carburetors and all the related hardware are cleaned. Brass is cleaned chemically. Steel hardware is media blasted to remove rust, dirt, and old plating and will be sent out for replating. Pot metal is cleaned chemically as well as media blasted to remove stains. All the interior channels are cleared. Top and bottom mating surfaces are flattened. Screw heads and jets are ground to remove screwdriver splinters, threads are chased, jets are sized to be sure all the openings are evenly matched.

On Solex, we add new throttle bushings, rebore throats, cut new butterflies (assembled with new pump cam and new shafts), and all is installed and assembled with new kits. Then injection, float levels are set, and air flow is synchronized.

With the split shaft conversion we are also including the new bushings, shaft, pump cam and spring, pump rod, springs, nuts.

Core Charges

Core charges apply when we supply cores from our stock. When you send your own carburetors, the core charge does not apply.

DIY Parts Availability

We are selling a limited number of parts for DIY carburetor work:

• Solex jets and individual gaskets/seals
• Needle valves and springs

Solex floats are NLA (no longer available).

For most parts we are now referring to Stoddard or ALFA1750 on eBay as they carry a wider selection of individual replacement parts.