Carb Cheater - Auto Tune a Carburetor!

[badvs3vil]

Hi everyone,

Some of you may know Thunderhead289 on YouTube. He has been making Timing and Carb tuning videos for years. Well him and a friend have developed what they call the Carb Cheater. I was able to get a beta of the system and install it on my 73 Newport.

Its basically a metered vacuum leak that has a few tricks up its sleeve. You can run data logging and capture AFR, Vacuum, Speed and RPM. Its pretty awesome.

Here is an example of a data log that I pulled today while working on a timing issue that I am having.

The Carb Cheater

I also made my own unboxing and install video in my C Body. Feel free to check it out and ask any questions.

 

[CBODY67]

Nice Newport.

CBODY67

 

[Isaiah Estrada]

Hi everyone,

Some of you may know Thunderhead289 on YouTube. He has been making Timing and Carb tuning videos for years. Well him and a friend have developed what they call the Carb Cheater. I was able to get a beta of the system and install it on my 73 Newport.

Its basically a metered vacuum leak that has a few tricks up its sleeve. You can run data logging and capture AFR, Vacuum, Speed and RPM. Its pretty awesome.

Here is an example of a data log that I pulled today while working on a timing issue that I am having.

The Carb Cheater

I also made my own unboxing and install video in my C Body. Feel free to check it out and ask any questions.

Awesome! I’m also on the FB group, wish I could’ve been one to get the tool, but my car doesn’t currently drive so it would’ve been a waste. Hopefully if it goes into further production I could get one. Such a cool idea

 

[badvs3vil]

Awesome! I’m also on the FB group, wish I could’ve been one to get the tool, but my car doesn’t currently drive so it would’ve been a waste. Hopefully if it goes into further production I could get one. Such a cool idea

Right! So far im loving it and its help me out a ton!

 

[Big_John]

A couple observations... This is basically a controlled vacuum leak. It's an interesting idea. I think it would depend on your carb being tuned a little rich so the Carb Cheater can lean the mixture out, because it's not going to let it get any richer than how the carb is set up.

This video helped me understand it better. It also occurred to me that he needs to add an ignition timing feature if nothing else to retard the timing so it starts easier.





And this is part of my OCD... So excuse this, but geez... Opening the box with a scissors? Give me your man card.. I need to cut a corner off for not having a knife. And close and move the scissors... I kept expecting you to cut your forearm.

 

[3175375]

A couple observations... This is basically a controlled vacuum leak. It's an interesting idea. I think it would depend on your carb being tuned a little rich so the Carb Cheater can lean the mixture out, because it's not going to let it get any richer than how the carb is set up.

This video helped me understand it better. It also occurred to me that he needs to add an ignition timing feature if nothing else to retard the timing so it starts easier.





And this is part of my OCD... So excuse this, but geez... Opening the box with a scissors? Give me your man card.. I need to cut a corner off for not having a knife. And close and move the scissors... I kept expecting you to cut your forearm.

Good input, John. Regarding the scissors, maybe he played poorly with his knife and lost all 4 corners of his totin’ chip. Lol

 

[badvs3vil]

A couple observations... This is basically a controlled vacuum leak. It's an interesting idea. I think it would depend on your carb being tuned a little rich so the Carb Cheater can lean the mixture out, because it's not going to let it get any richer than how the carb is set up.

This video helped me understand it better. It also occurred to me that he needs to add an ignition timing feature if nothing else to retard the timing so it starts easier.





And this is part of my OCD... So excuse this, but geez... Opening the box with a scissors? Give me your man card.. I need to cut a corner off for not having a knife. And close and move the scissors... I kept expecting you to cut your forearm.

hahahahahah, I knew that was coming about the scissors and you hear me say someone is going to give me crap about it. LOL!

But yes, you run a little rich and let this lean it out.

So far its been helping me just keep an eye on things, its pretty slick.

 

[70bigblockdodge]

I've watched his videos, cool device that gives you the last bit of fine tuning on the fly like fuel injection without all it's headaches.
But same as fuel injection it will not correct your problems if your out in left field to begin with. He was on Hot Rod power tour this year with the big 5 foot high intake manifold, yes the car ran.

 

[CBODY67]

A variable vac leak is nothing really new. Chrysler had that in their early EGR cars, with the "floor jets", for example. The old-line service manager at the local Chrysler dealership kind of laughed about them being "a calibrated vac leak" as they went direcly into the heat crossover passage in the intake manifold.

After my great aunt passed away and I inherited her '70 Skylark Custom, when I got it into my shadetree shop and started to check it over, I found a vac line going to the carb, which had a wire and a solenoid of sorts going to it. Looked like a calibrated vac leak mechanism, with a "Carter" stamp on it, as I recall. It was a sold-new in Los Angles car and she had a pile of "pass" certificates for the emissions inspections in the glove box. When we left LA with her and the car, heading south I noticed that it had a slight lean surge right at the 60mph speed limit. For about 1mph plus or minus. Eventually, we got to San Diego and turned east on I-10, so it was not an issue then. The car ran flawlessly during that trip. Started on the first try each time in the morning, too. I was impressed, for it being a CA emissions car.

But when I finally got to looking it over, years later, the plug wires were OEM production, as everything else under there appeared to be. She had a trusted mechanic looking after it for her. But that "Carter" device was always a curiosity, especially on an emission system that was supposed to be as lean as it could be to meet the specs.

I'll admit that I did not watch his video to the end. I clicked out of it at about 15 minutes and I looked to see that it was over 2 hours long. I might look at more of it later. FWIW

Enjoy!
CBODY67

 

[commando1]

This may possibly be of some small use with ThermoQuads that require dialing in daily depending on what phase the Moon is in.

 

[badvs3vil]

A variable vac leak is nothing really new. Chrysler had that in their early EGR cars, with the "floor jets", for example. The old-line service manager at the local Chrysler dealership kind of laughed about them being "a calibrated vac leak" as they went direcly into the heat crossover passage in the intake manifold.

After my great aunt passed away and I inherited her '70 Skylark Custom, when I got it into my shadetree shop and started to check it over, I found a vac line going to the carb, which had a wire and a solenoid of sorts going to it. Looked like a calibrated vac leak mechanism, with a "Carter" stamp on it, as I recall. It was a sold-new in Los Angles car and she had a pile of "pass" certificates for the emissions inspections in the glove box. When we left LA with her and the car, heading south I noticed that it had a slight lean surge right at the 60mph speed limit. For about 1mph plus or minus. Eventually, we got to San Diego and turned east on I-10, so it was not an issue then. The car ran flawlessly during that trip. Started on the first try each time in the morning, too. I was impressed, for it being a CA emissions car.

But when I finally got to looking it over, years later, the plug wires were OEM production, as everything else under there appeared to be. She had a trusted mechanic looking after it for her. But that "Carter" device was always a curiosity, especially on an emission system that was supposed to be as lean as it could be to meet the specs.

I'll admit that I did not watch his video to the end. I clicked out of it at about 15 minutes and I looked to see that it was over 2 hours long. I might look at more of it later. FWIW

Enjoy!
CBODY67

My video is over 2 hours long, no need to watch mine to learn more about the device. I would watch the other video that was posted. My video was just showing what I had to do to install on my Newport.

 

[Big_John]

I found a vac line going to the carb, which had a wire and a solenoid of sorts going to it.

California had some requirements for add on emission devices to reduce NOX in older cars. I wonder if that is what it was.

 

[CBODY67]

California had some requirements for add on emission devices to reduce NOX in older cars. I wonder if that is what it was.

Not sure, I'd never seen or heard of anything like it. Couldn't find anything, either. It ran fine when I had replaced the OEM items with quality aftermarket items.

CBODY67

 

[3175375]

California had some requirements for add on emission devices to reduce NOX in older cars. I wonder if that is what it was.

I had to install a NOX device on a couple of cars. It was 2 vacuum caps that went on the vacuum advance and source and a sticker that was placed on the speedometer that said your car may run hot. True!

 

[furious70]

As a temp tuning tool it could be useful. To use it full time to lean it out is just wasting gas. Fix the jetting and power enrichment.
Efi fixes the problem by reducing gas.

 

[Maindrian Pace]

Thunderhead 289 is the same guy who adapted a Briggs & Stratton carb to his Maverick and took it on Power Tour last year. I think he got over 30MPG out of the SBF/4speed combo, but at some loss of hill climbing power. He's got some interesting ideas.

 

[badvs3vil]

Thunderhead 289 is the same guy who adapted a Briggs & Stratton carb to his Maverick and took it on Power Tour last year. I think he got over 30MPG out of the SBF/4speed combo, but at some loss of hill climbing power. He's got some interesting ideas.

Exactly.

 

[Milo]

I need one of them for my chainsaw

 

[C-440-300]

Welcome to Sept!
Anyone, else, buy one? Have a good weekend.

 

[C-440-300]

Hi everyone,

Some of you may know Thunderhead289 on YouTube. He has been making Timing and Carb tuning videos for years. Well him and a friend have developed what they call the Carb Cheater. I was able to get a beta of the system and install it on my 73 Newport.

Its basically a metered vacuum leak that has a few tricks up its sleeve. You can run data logging and capture AFR, Vacuum, Speed and RPM. Its pretty awesome.

Here is an example of a data log that I pulled today while working on a timing issue that I am having.

The Carb Cheater

I also made my own unboxing and install video in my C Body. Feel free to check it out and ask any questions.

I enjoyed just checking out your awesomely clean machine!