Leaky Thermoquad

[1 Wild R/T]

while I quite agree that a float issue may be the culprit here, I've also got suspicions about those swine O-rings mentioned. While they were put in the bowl, were they in the correct position to seal as they're supposed to do? They were the issue when I rebuilt my TQ. Just my 

Those O rings keep fuel from pouring into the engine through the lettering wells but don't effect fuel coming out the top...

[Cudino]

OK, I found and fixed the culprit (with your guy's great help)!  It was indeed warpage of the phenolic, just as Sheldon and Cody suggested.

To diagnose it, first thing is I ran the car for a bit, then pulled the carb off, being sure to hold it flat.  I then removed the air horn, and found the bowls to be about 2/3 full.  More importantly, the walls of the top 1/4" of the bowls were bone dry, so I felt good about the float operation.  So then I took the phenolic center out and set it on a flat table.  Can you say U-shaped???  Especially right in those 2 back corners.  Ugh!  While the floats were fine, those corners are right where the needle valves are, and as Wild suggested I believe the fuel was splashing around the needles on entry, which then spewed fuel out of these practically unsealed corners.  Before this fix, driving the car 2-3 blocks would be enough to soak each corner halfway down the sides of the phenolic.

So, as suggested I sanded and sanded it on a flat surface, then sanded some more... For about a half hour, until that top surface was perfectly flat.  After reassembly and reinstallation I just got back from a 1 mile trip around the neighborhood, and no wetness whatsoever!  Thanks All!

- Wade

[Cuda Cody]

Nice job everyone!!!!      Glad to hear that you got it fixed.   

[1 Wild R/T]

Back in the 70's & early 80's our local Chrysler dealer parts dept kept 2-3 Thermoquad bodies on the shelf....  Common problem... Still a great carb....

[RUNCHARGER]

Good news Wade!

[Bullitt-]

    Great Work...   

All that being said I've had my hands inside of probably a dozen TQs & never found a warped phenolic body   

[Chryco Psycho]

 

[jimynick]

Glad to hear you not only found the problem, but were able to fix it, good going! 

[ScottSmith_Harms]

Glad to hear you figured it out. For what its worth, contrary to popular belief warped bodies on TQs are quite rare. I probably restore 100 a year and havent had a warped one (enough to require repairs) in over 5 years. That said, its a standard procedure of mine to check them all on a surface plate for flatness. A small amount of warpage is normal and wont leak once the screws and gaskets are properly installed but excessive warpage can lead to leaks and other problems. .02
.

[Cudino]

Thanks again for all the nice comments and great support.  Like I said, in hindsight I should have just checked the flatness while I had it all apart the first time.  Live and Learn!  Much appreciated guys, thanks!

- Wade