Chuck,

How would you know what things like that looked like??!! I used my extensive knowledge from college "better living through chemicals" courses in desiging this tool. Also used hemostats to hold it all together but then these were lying around the house as well! :)

Do not get any real bad ideas as my wife does heart transplants for a living and brings some of the old instruments and tools home for me to use in the garage!

Joe

LOL, maybe I'll check out my local head shop. Or better yet, head down to the High School and confiscate one. :D

I posted asking Wayne a few days ago.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/79965-wayne-sell-float-gauge.html?highlight=gauge

And his answer seems to be ‘We don’t sell it because you don’t need it’???
I’ll probably make my own… Maybe two?

Yea, it's kind of like the good ole days when guys balanced the carb airflow using an ear and a piece of hose rather than a fancy airflow gauge. We probably don't have to use the correct tools, but it makes it easier and possibly more precise for the rookies.

Before I purchased my first fuel level gauge, I had tried to manually pump gas into the carbs while they were off the car. This was after rebuilding the carbs and setting the floats per the measurment method and still having poor running. Then I would remove the tops of the carbs to see the actual fuel level in the float bowls.
Long story short, after many hours and tests, I purchased the float gauge and found that checking while the car is running seemed to be the most accurate. The fuel level might be ok in the "static" test, but low while the car was running. Looking back though that car has a generic fuel pump without a pressure regulator and that might had something to do with it also.

I gotta know where that fuel level REALLY is....ya know?

I'll be making mine too.

Thanks Joe for the mini-lesson in construction!

I'll toss in 2c as well;

Find some corrigated cardboard or rubber matting to dismantle the carbs on, this way you can set out each part in a line in order of removal. Also if you bump anything, nothing rolls off your bench/table.

Definitely try and obtain/make the float tool. My mechanic tuned my car after a top-end rebuild last year. He mainly deals with the later cars and did not have the synchrometer or the float guage. He tuned by eye and ear....not bad, better than most I suspect, but I bought the tools none the less for my own use. We retuned the car with the correct tools....the difference was vast. We picked up a problem with float levels (sticking needle), and were able to set the floats to maintain slightly more in the front bowl (feeds two throats) than the rear.

The accelerator measuring vial is a MUST. I was able to make the vial out of one of my wife's eyebrow pencil caps (clear), I injected 0.6cc of fuel into it with a friends diabetic needle (used one!) and marked the level for future reference.

Good luck, it's not hard.

John,

Nice to see someone else with an advanced degree in "creative engineering!" When you are not next door to a suppler you have to get creative. I also used a hypo from the wifes work to measure the acc pump.

Nice touch on putting a bit more fuel in the front bowls... I had not thought of that but in theory sure seems like a good idea! Learned something new today so all is not wasted...

Joe

Cheers Joe, but I can't claim the float adjustment idea as my own. I read it on this board somewhere (maybe Early S Man, or JWW), and it was backed up by testimonials from a few early car racers I spoke to. The difference is minimal between the two bowls...maybe 1mm (or a couple of washers under the needle).