Broken Zenith 2 carb

[Carb Guy]

Hello Rusty

It can be fixed by brazing it. like others said it has to be put in a jig that holds it in place. I have done several but they were not broken into the throat like yours. May be better to look for an unbroken top. I will look out in the shop to see what I have to help you out.

[Russ/40]

I NEVER throw anything away without trying to repair it. One more thing about your break, is the fact that it goes down the throat of the carb, will add to the strength of the repair. It will be stronger than if just the mount ear was broken.

[Mitch//pa]

The break into the bore is a killer.. thats the first thing i noticed.. much worse than a broken ear

[Charlie Stephens]

Put it in a box and put it on the shelf, or throw or give it away. I am sure you have better things to do on your car or around the house.

Charlie Stephens

[Fred K-OR]

Originally Posted by Mitch//pa

Toss the top half and get another. They are plentiful
Thats my opinion

I also agree with this. As mentioned if the flanges are not "flat" you may end up with a vacuum leak.

Also like mentioned, some of the vendors do sell a brand new carb top and bottom.

Yes I enjoy "fixing " things but with the possibility of leaks and other problems like mentioned above, it "ain't" worth it!

[Russ/40]

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Skills and positive outcomes come with practice. If you have been, and always will be, three thumbs I would agree. Developing the skills is a worthy endeavor. Fear of failure will make a novice always be a novice.

[Mike V. Florida]

If you decide to throw it away I'll take it and pay the shipping.

[RonC]

Can be fixed if you want. It should work as designed. Make sure the throat is ground smooth of any welding beads to minimize air flow disturbance. Also the finished flange will need to be sanded flat or better yet machine ground flat. If looks are a big deal get another top.

[larrys40]

wow.. lots of responses.. I agree with Mitch that it isn't worth the risk of knowing if it's really going to hold long term or not... potentially a weak spot if not having made other areas of the casting weaker in the process.

There are tons of carbs out there.. get another top. It's not even remotely worth the effort in time, money, or peace of mind.
Larry Shepard

[Tom Wesenberg]

A proper braze should never break, but to me it isn't worth the cost and effort. If you silver solder it, the cost of materials might be more than a good top. Silver solder is expensive.

Vibration on the front end loader at the junk yard broke the alternator cast iron mounting bracket, so I brazed it, and it never broke again in the years I worked there.

[Russ/40]

Not pushing the issue, I thought I would just add some info, having had silver solder do some great things in my restoration. When compared to brass brazing, I found silver solder to flow better than brazing. It does not pileup like brazing. It flows to a feather edge that fortunately makes a little bit go a long way. It is expensive, but is so effective I find it well worth it, as I find more and more situations where it's result is well worth it. Good luck if you decide to play with a repair, and tell us what you did.

[Chuck Sea/Tac]

When you say silver solder, what do you mean, #8 staybrite?

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by Chuck Sea/Tac

When you say silver solder, what do you mean, #8 staybrite?

That's one brand.

[Russ/40]

I've been using Harris Safety-Silv 56. Comes with the Stay-Silv flux.
$73 on Amazon.Com. I'm pretty tight with a dollar, but this is worth it.

[wrndln]

If I tried to silver solder the broken piece on, I would sure need to bolt the carb top (the main part and the broken piece) to a manifold to make sure the top is straight and flat. The problem I can see is; would the silver solder wick down to the manifold and solder them together? I could use something between the manifold and carb, but it might get stuck to the carb.
Rusty Nelson

[Brentwood Bob]

Similiar possibility with brazing. I used epoxy on the other ear. Jury is still out, but inside the barrel was easier to smooth so the contact with the throttle butterfly was good.
Bob