Carburetor Wedge Plate

Just installed the NEW carb from Michigan Motorz (tell them JB sent you!). Thought you all might like to know the results I got with the new carb and new wedge plate. Made no adjustments to the carb, except for setting the initial air supplies and idle. The first test was with the NEW CARB ONLY, NO WEDGE PLATE, followed by a second test with the NEW CARB AND THE WEDGE PLATE. Here's the basic, non-technical results:

1. NO WEDGE: Max RPMS = 4200; Max MPH = 38

2. WITH WEDGE: Max RPS = 4300; Max MPH = 38
****Had no issues with height restraints.

Not much difference in rpms or top speed. HOWEVER, I must say the holeshot was noticably improved with the wedge! Though top-end showed no difference to speak of, GETTING THERE DID! So, in short, I'm keeping the $45 investment from Glen-L.

Again, the wedge plate made a satisfactory improvement for MY BOAT, but it may not for yours. Should you decide to buy from Glen-L, be advised there are no instructions supplied with the 12 degree wedge plate and bag of bolts/nuts. I had to call them to talk to "BOB", the maker of this wedge, for clear instructions. It doesn't install like you would think. For instance, Bob instructed me to install the two longer studs in the manifold, then "bend" them to match the angle of the wedge plate. I was a bit hesitant to install anything that required my bending the bolts...but he insisted, and he was right. Gotta match the angle to get a good seal.

Well, enough discussing the wedge plate. The lake's callin'.............

Drill size 7/16, and the wedge platea were on chrysler engines.

You want to keep that pcv going, it ventilates the crankcase, keeping moisture and fuel fumes out so the don't contaminate the oil. A wedge plate most likely will cause some clearance issues with the cowling, something to consider.
I hope I didn't step on too many toes out there, but there are some issues that needed to come out. When I read a post about someone who put a new carburator on their engine and it won't perform or stumbles the first thing I think of is: whats your setup and have you dialed it in for your setup. Jetting is most likely correct, but when you tilt a carburator 15 degrees or so everything inside changes. Running a wedge plate is any easy and practicle solution, and maybe someday I might even consider buying one. Set you floats level (not slightly up or slightly down) and you should be good to go. There should be plenty of fuel in the bowls so that when the bow comes up under acceleration it won't stumble. Pick what works for you, there is no correct answer to this situation. As I stated earlier, given the choice, I'd rather have fuel injection! Cheers

no, not really. this plate discussion had me really out there. i thought i may have to go home, jerk the plate off and monkey with my floats although it runs great like it is. the 61 was a cool boat but the side drafts and y block ford was a bear to find stuff for in the pre-internet days. the bb chevy is pretty mainstream

i had a 61 correct craft classic that actually had side drafts, a pair of carters

There are holley carbs that you can adjust the float level without removing anything put a sight hole plug and then adjust it on the top with a wrench and screw driver. The float is always going to be level regardless of the angle (liquids will always self level unless in a vaccum). What you are adjusting when you adjust the float is the amount of fuel in the bowl, or float height. There as to be enough fuel reserve in the bowl so that when under heavy demands there is a supply of fuel to use until the needle is lifted off of the seat allowing more fuel into the bowl. The biggest problem I see people have is with the double pump holleys, if you use a single inlet holley you will not have these issues and even with the double pump models if they are adjusted correctly, which is a fine line due to the increased incline, they will perform without issues, but do require fine tuning every now and then. That's my dad's main bitch about holley's is that they are easy to adjust but require constant adjustment to keep them optimized.

That is correct. C/C will tell you the exact setting as well. I use a drill bit, works well. I have the size written down somewhere.
Your front will be a smidge on the high side (the fuel level) and that may also be part of the problem as to why so many carburators out there percolate on the primary side into the venturi, the fuel level is slightly high to begin with.
The rear bowl is the problem, because if you don't have enough fuel then it's going to lean out. Maybe not right away, maybe only when your under full load/full throttle. Not a good time to go lean.
Running a wedge plate works best for carburators with the floats set level (when the bowl is inverted). No wedge plate then you need to change float settings (rear) period. As I brought up many posts ago, most problems arise when a replacement carburator (universal) is set on an engine without a wedge plate. The carburators are shipped out with the floats set to level, so when you install it you've got problems right from the start, and thats why I've always been an advocate of buying OEM stock replacement carburators for these boats, even if the price is a couple hundred dollars more. Pulling apart a brand new carburator to set floats is a shame, and if your time is worth money and considering gasket price you really don't save anything.
I vaguely remember something about adjusting the fuel level up on the rear also helps with starting, but I can't remember what that was all about.

So in other words the rear float is too low, raise it problem fixed.

skyhawkflyer wrote: The engines runs fine at low idle and through mid throttle, but runs badly when the secondaries open because the fuel mixture is messed up for the secondaries.

You can not adjust the fuel mixture on the secondaries, unless you change the jets or boosters there are no screws to adjust the mixture once it is off idle (throttle is opened) once that occurs then you have what ever the mix is based upon the jet and booster size, so if you are lean you will be lean fron just off idle to full throttle and the same would apply if it is running rich.

Let me clarify for you 79Nautique, I seem to have left out a small detail. The post does not say anything about idle jetting so I don't know where that came from?   

This is a common problem a lot of folks bump into when they replace carburators on engines that don't have the wedge plates installed. The engines runs fine at low idle and through mid throttle, but runs badly when the secondaries open because the fuel mixture is messed up for the secondaries.

Sorry for the type-o. Meant to say "Hope MY 2 bits helps someone out there" not "BY 2 bits..."

Had to say that for all the obsessive compulsives out there overly concerned about angles and stuff (ha!)

You boys are out there, once off idle the mixture screw have no effect, the venturies and jets take over.

It just adds to the carb being level and that can't hurt anything, it's not meant to be a hi-performance add on, it's about a 3/8" thick in the primary side and about 1 1/2" on the secondary side, I think it was a 12 degree wedge, subtract 12 degrees from the motor angle, maybe 10 degrees and the bow up angle when under way and the carb is almost level, and now I sleep better at night.

I'm not arguing with you about who adjust carburetors better or how intake runner volume affects high rpm power or the opposite low end torque, my setup works fine for me.

Unless it is a front wheel drive an automotive engine isn't level unless you are going down a slight grade and when sitting on level ground will be 5-10 degrees tilted, granted this is far less than what you would see on a boat and if it is fuel injected it makes no difference. The only thing that a wedge plate can do is change the float level in the primary bowl and add to the fuel volume in the primary bowl but if you are draining the primary bowl and are using a wedge to correct it then you really don't have the carb adjusted correctly to start with. I'm sure that wedge plate is going to gain you alot of top end speed and low end torq.


NOT

I guess cars never go up step inclines and if they do then they are sure to run poorly because the carb isn't level any more, if you are trying to fix your boat on the water then you really should have never gone out in the first place. When I'm out on the water I'm out there to have fun and not work on the boat. I would be curious to compare a wedge plate to a 1 inch spacer and I'll lay money on it that the back of your wedge plate is the same thickness in the rear as the spacer and substancually shorter in the front so I really don't see how that is going to improve the charge with less volume.

Oh and you can stop by and I'll show you a nautique that does 60 mph, I have a lot of go fast goodies already bolted on and a wedge plate isn't one of them or NOS.