Dan how much of what your posting can be applied to later Autolite carbs? Know your focus has often been for cars built before the Mustangs other than some early 65's. Just wanted to get that out there and clarified before someone with a 71 302 starts detailing theirs like a 63 or other year
Think one of the negatives to most efforts to cleaning is they often result in a monotone finish rather surfaces that look like they just were cast. We see this also in things like automatic transmissions, bellhousings and aluminum intakes as well as other aluminum parts
Guess we could post some pictures of NOS carbs from the same period or very close to when they would have been installed on the assembly line at the engine plant. Remember that anything a few years later possibly has details you don't want to copy. Sort of like looking at a 63 NOS carb for your 67 engine.
Colors and finishes may vary a little from original depending on how the parts were stored. I've got a small number left that came out of a high school so they were stored nicely in a pretty much climate control area for decades
Maybe we need to do that in a different thread since this thread as a slightly different focus
Jeff,
All good points and I mentioned the time frame I was covering with the carburetor just completed on purpose. The Ford 4100 family went into production sometime in 1956 for 1957 model Fords I think. Almost every part of them evolved quickly and over time a few new car applications morphed into dozens of vehicles covered a year. Holley Carburetor Company was involved also and some parts in Ford 4100 models are exactly the same in Holley 4150/4160 models in a given time frame.
Yes, as indicated, redoing every carburetor part of every year for every engine package the same way appearances wise would be a historic mistake. The only generalization I will risk is any 2100/4100 made in week X of year Y will use the same small parts finishes and most of the paint daubs and grease pencil marks. Less general, you could reasonable stretch the time frame to a week to a month or so. Example: In the C3OF-AJ assemblies for 289 High Performance engines built between 3EE and 3FA are so similar finishes wise I call them the same with only tiny variations most likely due to batch to batch manufacturing variances. The same models made between 3LA and 4AB are for the most part the same but some parts differ enough I keep two different spreadsheets of details. (Note: Even though the two groups are under design level A not all their parts are physically the same design level or time frame version.) Over the years I have specifically looked for new old stock or super low mile examples of 2100s and 4100s made in those time frames and details with a given period are pretty consistent.
I have made or started files for:
C3AF-S which I have never nailed down exactly what it was for. Users in Ford Galaxie related forums claim a rare 390 High Performance engine package for a police car with manual transmission. Ford also used them on 260 High Performance engines sent to go into some new Cobras. The vacuum secondary is controlled by a very small brass air flow control orifice, a silicon bronze spring, and a check ball. The secondary opening characteristics are the slowest I have ever tested for a Ford 4100-A carburetor assembly.
C3OF-AB assemblies for 289 High Performance engines March 1963 into May 1963.
C3OF-AJ assemblies made from May 1963 into June 1963. (Which have late 1963 model year versions of parts and chokes in them.)
C3OF-AJ assemblies made during November 1963, December 1963, and early January 1964. (Which have late 1963 and mid 1964 model year parts in them.)
C4OF-AT assemblies made 4DE (The only assembly date I have found for 1964 Fairlanes and 1965 Fairlanes and Mustangs (and 13 each new Cobras).)
C4OF-AL assemblies between 4DE and 4KD.
C5OF-L assemblies between 4GD and 4JD that were stamped on flanges C4OF-AL.
C6AF-J assemblies for 428 Police Interceptor manual transmission 6AC.
C6ZF-F assembly new old stock but shelf worn and robbed of its assembly tag.
My recommendation for any 2100/4100 rework between 1956 and whenever they were dropped is to find the best low mile never separated from its original details carburetors and new old stock carburetors from the time frame you are interested in. I have done that since 1986 for the models used in Cobras. I have a few new old stock 2100 and 4100 models held as holotypes for fine details.
Aluminum die casting wise, many Ford O.E. parts looked just like they came out of the mold except for any machine work they received as a secondary operation or painting as a third operation like aluminum cased water pumps and time covers when engines were painted.
