Last week my carburetor decided to become a gas fountain at a red light

I was sitting at a stoplight in downtown Austin when my '66 Mustang started spewing fuel out of the top of the carb like a lawn sprinkler. Turns out the float needle decided that day was its retirement party and just gave up completely. Has anyone else had a classic car part fail in public at the worst possible moment?

2 comments

2 Comments

hayden_rodriguez16d ago

Austin's got some sketchy intersections for that kind of surprise, I've had my hood pop up on Congress Avenue in heavy traffic. The float needle is the weakest link on those old Autolite 4100s, so consider upgrading to a viton-tipped one before the next light. A full rebuild kit from NAPA is cheap insurance, saved me from a repeat fire drill last summer.

susan35016d ago

Oh jeez, a hood popping up on Congress in heavy traffic? That's terrifying! I'd probably have to pull over and sit there for a minute just to calm down. I mean, the float needle thing makes sense though, I've heard those old Autolite carbs can be real finicky about that. Maybe it's just me but I never would have thought a cheap rebuild kit could prevent a fire, that's wild. Idk how you kept your cool enough to even remember to do that upgrade.