Carb suggestions

[RLloyd]

'57 Bel Air with a 283 question. I have, what I believe, is the original air cleaner. Can anyone tell me what kind of oil it takes--or does it matter. Also, it looks as if the carburetor is held on by only 2 bolts. It's not budging when I try to take it off. The previous owner tried rebuilding it while it was still on the car but it pours gas. Any suggestions?

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[chevynut]

I think any motor oil will work in the air cleaner. It's just an oil bath that traps dirt particles. As far as the carb nuts, put some penetrating oil on them like WD40 or PB Blaster and let them soak a while, then try to loosen them. It's possible that the studs will unscrew from the manifold, but that's not a big deal. You just don't want to break them off.

[busterwivell]

Or get a product called Free All. I agree, be careful not to break the bolts off. Soak repeatedly until they free up.

[RLloyd]

Is the glob of metal in the pics supposed to be there or did someone JB Weld the carb on?

[WagonCrazy]

RLloyd, you hit the nail on the head. I see (in the pics) at least 2 studs/nuts that are missing and globs of what looks like JB Weld put in their place.

So my advice is to take a few steps backwards here, and assess some directional questions:
1. What are you wanting out of this car? A purely original setup (like it looks to be now). Or do you want to do engine modifications at this point?
2. If original, then pull the intake manifold off, and get those 2 carb studs "drilled out and retapped" so you can mount the carb on properly.
3. If not original, then ditch that intake manifold and carburetor completely, and go back on with an aftermarket manifold and either a small 4 bbl carb or an EFI setup.
Caution...selecting choice #3 means a "domino effect" is about to happen to this car, (and your life). How's your wallet looking for this hobby?

[RLloyd]

I appreciate your reply. I'm definitely more of purist. As the engine has only 30,000 miles on it I'd like to keep it original. I realize I'm going to need to replace the seals and such, that's all right.