61 carburetor-Carter Vs. Rochester?

[bill06447]

I'll make this short and sweet, 1961 manual seems to indicate both Carter and Rochester carbs were used. Any guess as to what would determine which car got which? My deVille came with a Carter installed that will need attention but I have access to a Rochester which has been gone through and is ready to roll. Will the Rochester bolt up in place of the Carter and if so what mods will need to be done? Thanks in advance.

Bill

[Jon S]

The main difference would be the fuel line routing. The Rochester attaches to the front of the carburetor whereas the Carter fuel inlet is the rear passenger side of the carburator. You would need a new fuel line fabricated from the fuel filter to the catburator.

[Dan LeBlanc]

Make sure the plate bolting to the linkage that the TV rod is attached to is present on the Rochester.  As far as I know, they are not interchangeable.  You will also need a new choke tube as the Rochesters and Carters each attach at a different location.

If it was my car, I'd rebuild the Carter and put it back on.  They are the better carburetor of the two.

[Jon S]

I agree with Dan - rebuild the Carter.  An easy task.  Also the Carter has a stainless heat shield it sits on whereas the Rochester does not.

[Joshua]

I agree with Dan and Jon.  I have a '59 Sedan that had a Rochester when I bought it.  It had a lot of problems and just when I was going to work on it, I bought a parts car that had a Carter. 

I rebuilt the Carter, got a new fuel line made, and swapped the linkage.  Now it runs better than ever.  Also the Rochester has 4 floats inside, while the Carter has 2 floats. 

In my opinion the less floats, the less chance there is of the floats getting stuck.  My advice is to rebuild the Carter.

Good Luck,
Joshua Cross

["Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364]

Bill,
One of the most overlooked and troublesome items on the Carter (AFB) is wear where the throttle shafts goes through the carburetor body.  If excessive, air leaks make adjusting the carb. near impossible.  No major tragedy, because if you have excessive wear there the carburetor can be easily re-bushed.  They sell kits and/or all carburetor re-builders have the capacity to do this if it is brought to their attention.  Other than that one issue, the AFB is as close to a "bullet proof" carburetor as you can get.
Greg Surfas

[Walter Youshock]

Go with the Carter and don't look back.   Swapping the Rochester to the Carter on my '57 was one of the best moves I made.  Easier to adjust, more reliable, doesn't leak...

[Jon S]

Go with the Carter and don't look back.   Swapping the Rochester to the Carter on my '57 was one of the best moves I made.  Easier to adjust, more reliable, doesn't leak...

I did the same on my 1958 many year ago!  Totally agree!

[Coupe Deville]

I have run both carburetors through the years and they are both good. The AFB is easier to set up for a first timer. The Rochester takes more time to set up and get right. But they both deliver a great throttle response, especially when the secondary's open and the transmission kicks down.

just my 2 cents.

-Gavin

[Renato]

Why many modell mades with 2 type of carbs? Either of them was stronger or cheaper?

[Jon S]

Just two sources of supply.  Rochester was GM; Carter was 3rd party.

[Dan LeBlanc]

There also seems to be no logic behind which carburetor was used although I have found Carters to be more prevalent on 1961 cars and Rochesters more prevalent on 1962 cars.  This is purely based on observation, however.

[dadscad]

With two suppliers for carburetors, there is insurance for supply if a production issue comes up. It was the same with Delco-Moraine and Bendix brake components.

I prefer the Carter AFB over the Rochester, also. The Carburetor Shop in Eldon, Missouri has the most complete rebuild kits I've found available for the Carter AFB. If your AFB has good tight throttle shafts, one of their kits and following the shop manual procedure would get your Carter going again. One area to pay attention to is the step up needle. Be sure the needles don't have excessive wear. Replacements can be purchased from any Edlebrock dealer, take measurements of the Carter needle and purchase a matching Edlebrock replacement.

David

[lguapo1300]

don't know who or where you are having the carb rebuilt but,

http://stevescarb.com/

awesome work with cadillac carbs....

Tell them that Hamilton sent you....

[Doug Scarrow]

  The Carter is better as long as the throttle shaft bores are not worn. The Carter is
  easy to fine tune with jets and metering rods readily available. The Rochesters have a cast iron
  throttle base and wear is seldom a problem and Rochesters can be easier to get a smooth idle.
   I have driven my Carter equipped 62 for 45 years and recommend rebuilding the Carter !