Vintage Carter Carburetor Toolkit

[50shoe]

just wanted to show off a partial carter tool kit I rescued from under a tarp a few weeks back. This makes 2 I've got now, but I'm not sure if either is complete. I wish the box was in a little better condition, but I love the graphic on the inside of the lid.

 

[Dan5602896]

Cool. Are you going to use them?

 

[wafrederick]

Collector's item,which it is and Carter carburators are not made anymore.Edelbrock bought the rights long time ago.Carter did make one for Chrysler which was a huge pos,had a plastic body and I keep on forgeting what it was called.Could not tune them right.Most people threw these away and replaced them with Holleys.

 

[muddyjoe15]

Nice set! Not to go off topic or hijack the thread, but does any one make any tools or kits like this any more? Could really use some for carbs on old tractors and cars.

 

[afterburner]

That's just a cool piece. Sometimes I wonder how my Dad made it through 30 years in the service station business without those fancy kits. All he ever used were some screwdrivers and pliers. That set must have come from someone dedicated to carb repair.
Oh, may the Carter Thermoquad RIP

 

[wafrederick]

It was the Thermoquad,last one I seen was on a Dodge Ramcharger and it went goodbye.Replaced it with an Edelbrock and no more problems.

 

[Ohio Auto]

Love the Carter stuff. Here is a pic of a Carter carburetor service sign and a rack full of NOS rebuild kits that I have on my wall in the shop:

 

[billymade]

Check out this vintage Snap-On set!
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20275

 

[Super Cholo]

VERY nice. As a muscle car advocate (have two of them) those tool kits are quite handy. John--Las Vegas.

 

[Major Ramifications]

Cool set!

Wafrederick, Thermoquads were good carburetors.

 

[50shoe]

I've used them already! rebuilt some ball and balls a few weeks back. I love these old tools. my grandfather was a carter tech in the 50s. and these were his (like the other set). so they're nostalgic too.

@ohio auto: love that sign. I've been looking for one like that!

best I've got is the little drawer thing in the bad pic below (top right):

 

[Bruce Lancaster]

I think you also have a few Snap-on tools in lower left for Ford-Holley and Stromberg.
Carter provided more specialized tools than anyone else...you can see all the variants in rows, for instance I have a couple Carter sets but in a green box that looks older... graphics look to me like maybe late fifties or sixties on yours.

 

[50shoe]

I think you also have a few Snap-on tools in lower left for Ford-Holley and Stromberg.
Carter provided more specialized tools than anyone else...you can see all the variants in rows, for instance I have a couple Carter sets but in a green box that looks older... graphics look to me like maybe late fifties or sixties on yours.

Hey Bruce,
yep, box is dated 58, same as my other one. and yep there are some odd plug pullers and jet wrenches in there too. I'd like to set-up one complete carter kit from the 2 in the better box.

anyone know if there is a list of what commonly came in these?

 

[Bruce Lancaster]

I think you need a Carter general catalog of the right age. Some will appear in specific manuals, a bunch are in the Army Carter manuals, but I think the whole shebang will only appear in a catalog. I can give you a lead or two, but of course this stuff tends to the insanely expensve...
Some of what you have is mulitple slightly different float gauges for particular versions of one general model, other things like the little adjustable cylinder with its rack of inserts fit many different Crters...

 

[50shoe]

thanks again, Bruce. A catalog is a good idea (duh). I will have to dig and see if I have one old enough.

 

[Toolhorder]

There was a guy on CL trying to sell a tool kit like that for a couple hundred bucks. I emailed him for it but he thought he had gold on his hands and wouldn't listen to reason. I told him it's more of a collectors item not real tools but he wouldn't listen. Replied with some ******* comment saying what will you do if you need to rebuild a 54 caddy carb. without his kit? I said ya I was just thinking that the other day when one drove up to my shop needing a carb. rebuild. *****.

P.S. I have quite the collection of misc. USA stuff when I buy old hand boxes for the couple SO pieces I want.
I have a couple CARburATOR tools that probably go in that kit. I know one is a flat blade that has a 3/8 drive end on it.

 

[wafrederick]

Thermoquads were junk,a pita to adjust and my father remembers them,he worked at a Chrysler dealership.Never seen the ramcharger back since an Edelbrock was put in place of the thermoquad.Ran fine,ran like **** with the thermoquad.

 

[PinkLinc]

I found a Carter toolkit in an old tool box I bought. Here are a few pics after I cleaned it up. I've labeled the parts with their numbers and I'd be willing to part with some or all of this to help someone complete a kit. I'll probably never have a need for this stuff.

 

[tgellatly]

Funny thing happened on my way to my new shop.....
I too found one of these Carter Tool Kits. In a shop on a lot I just purchased.
I will try to get a few photo's posted after Turkey dinner.
My kit is for sale, whole, or in parts. It has lots of parts in it
Again I will have pictures posted later today..hopefully

 

[wafrederick]

The Thermoquads were junk,most people threw them away and replaced them with a Holley back in the day.GM did use Carter Carburators from the factory before they came out with thiers.409s did have them on from the factory,single and dual set ups.

 

[Gort the giant robot]

I have a small green or grey colored metal Carter box out in the garage. Also a 1/4 inch drive Carter carb socket. Anybody remember Carter Quadrajet carbs years ago ?

Gort the giant robot

 

[diesel research]

Thermoquads were junk,a pita to adjust and my father remembers them,he worked at a Chrysler dealership.Never seen the ramcharger back since an Edelbrock was put in place of the thermoquad.Ran fine,ran like **** with the thermoquad.

So he doesn't know how to tune a carburetor that you hardly ever seen in person, and that means it is junk?

Hardly.

Just required a bit of knowledge, and perhaps some spare bodies.

http://www.thermoquads.com/page204.html

 

[wafrederick]

The Ramcharger,it was so bad the screws would not come out at all trying to tear it apart to see what was wrong with it.Finally said hell with it,pitch it and bought an Edelbrock carb for it.This Ram Charger would not run right at all.

 

[Terry454]

I have a small green or grey colored metal Carter box out in the garage. Also a 1/4 inch drive Carter carb socket. Anybody remember Carter Quadrajet carbs years ago ?

Gort the giant robot

Most Q Jets were made by Rochester, but a few slow-moving models were licensed to Carter.

I sure would like one of those Carter sets, and I do know how to use them. I have been looking for an AC Delco Carburetor adjusting set as well.

Terry

 

[buffalobill]

The Ramcharger,it was so bad the screws would not come out at all trying to tear it apart to see what was wrong with it.Finally said hell with it,pitch it and bought an Edelbrock carb for it.This Ram Charger would not run right at all.

an edelbrock carburetor IS a Carter! wth are you talking about? you mean he swapped a Thermoquad for an AFB? any "edelbrock" carburetor is either a Carter carb, or a rochester quadrajet, so which was it? edelbrock never designed their own carb's........

 

[Caleb T]

Very cool find! That is a neat little kit.

 

[wafrederick]

Edelbrock bought out Carter,the carburator side.Carter is owned by Federal Mogel now.

 

[Tbojangles]

How much are these kits worth I have a pretty intense kit