[DeTomaso] Cleaning a carb...

[JDeRyke at aol.com]

Gaskets, especially stock ones once immersed in gasoline tend to shrink 
when they dry out. Then they don't fit any more and cause leaks. Rubber parts 
crack as they dry. And for the dual jet plates your double pumper has, there 
are close to 20 DIFFERENT gaskets. Lay the gasket of choice on the carb body 
and the jet plate and see if any of the myriad holes are covered or left 
open. If so, its the wrong gasket. Also note- tuner carbs typically have 
perhaps a dozen non-stock parts & drillings, so be careful using   generic 
rebuild instructions. Especially, don't poke wires thru drillings and jets to 
clear them. This will instead ream them larger.

For your situation, I suggest taking the 2 carb float bowls off and simply 
wiping out any crud you might find rather than a wholesale disassembly. But 
if you do, remember that soaking rubber or plastic parts in carb cleaner 
sometimes dissolves them. Soak & brush only metal parts. And remove the inlet 
nuts and discard any filers you find. If there's none inside- good. Wipe the 
cavities out, too. You should then be good-to-go.

For a fuel filter, many sanctioning bodies recommend the filter be put on 
the suction (tank) side of the fuel pump so in the event of an accident, 
there's not a half-pint of fuel under pressure waiting to catch fire... good 
advice even for non-racers. Glass bowl filters have cracked and the half-thread 
central section has sheared its threads, both causing fires. Engine fires 
are most common right after someone has worked on a fuel system and left 
something not quite right. You DO carry a Halon fire extinguisher in the car, 
right? If not, I'd get one before working on your fuel system! Good luck, 
Charlie- J Deryke