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Sun Jan 31, 2016 10:21 am

Hard to believe this thing was so neglected and still idled once I got the engine started.

So, not being an engine or carb guy I did some initial research on this and it appears the Weber 32/36. As you can tell it is in need of at least a good cleaning if not a total rebuild. The filter base had a fitting that I presume connects to the oil filler, but was left completely open to suck any dirt in. I'm hoping the accumulation was from years of sitting and not from wide open throttle in the desert back in the day when it was being driven.

Considering that it runs and seems responsive (as much as I can tell without driving it) I am hoping to get away with a thorough cleaning for now, but how do I determine what rebuild kit to buy if it does need it? Or are the rebuild kits universal across all models of the 32/36?

No, Bud Light Lime-a-ritas are not my drink of choice. I had a buddy stop by and that was all I had to offer! :oops:

This is the only number I could find on the body, besides the throat sizes. (32360FAV23A). I couldn't find anything except an exploded view of what doesn't look like the exact carb.

Mon Feb 01, 2016 11:21 am

Am I asking the wrong questions? Anyone have experience with these carbs?

Mon Feb 01, 2016 2:11 pm

I have a couple of those carbs from Pintos out in the shed, Haven't messed with them for years. I expect most rebuild kits would work for most of those carbs. Carb kits seem to always be multi-fit kits these days.

Mon Feb 01, 2016 6:00 pm

I see dirt, lots of it. Pull that sucker apart! Compleatly appart. Remove everything and strip it down to the bones. I take it you haven't pulled one appart before? My best advice is to take pictures of everything as you strip it down. Then, once it is cleaned up, just follow your pictures in reverse order for a step by step pictorial assembly guide.

This might sound out there, but when I get zinc alloy carbs stripped down, I soak them in a bucket of 5% acidity distilled vinegar for 30min - an hour, and then scrub with a tooth brush everywhere you can. The reason why I do this is to desolve mineral scale deposits and light oxidation of the carb body. Why zinc for a short time in vinegar? Zinc desolves in strong acids. You only need enough acidity to desolve mineral scale and some oxidized material. I have found carb cleaner is not very effective at romoving that kind of stuff in my experience.

Once your done with that, rinse everything out very well with running water. Let it dry. Then shoot out all the passages with spray carb cleaner. That will flush out any debris and the solvent will remove any varnish from dried up gas. Don't go easy on the can. Even for small carbs I easily blow through a 14oz can. You will probably need two cans to do a good job.

Check the throttle shafts for slop. If they feel sloppy, they may need to be rebushed....I think the progressives used bushings...it has been a couple years since I had my hands on one...and I may be confusing it with a Solex 35 EEIT...they are somewhat similar though.

There were a few different versions of the Weber progressive, most of which had to do with the choke, but I would think the rest of the gaskets are pretty standardized. Try a ford pinto carb rebuild kit from Autozone. Most of their carb kits are GP Sorensen, which are pretty fair quality for the price. I wouldn't be surprise if some of the gaskets are not used, or if you need to cut some. But at least it should get you all the o-rings you need, etc.

Tue Feb 02, 2016 6:28 am

Hey, thanks for the replies. Good advice vanapplebomb. Sounds like a good procedure. You're right that it needs a full rebuild and that I've never done one. I have watched a couple YouTube vids and it looks pretty straight forward. There are some good tuning tutorials as well. I'll definitely follow your advice. I can't even imagine what the float bowl looks like!

Sat Feb 06, 2016 8:38 pm

Not much to add. Clean and rebuild that puppy. I run one on my rail. If you've read much about them you should already know that almost all of them are set up wrong in vws so plan out what you need to do it right when you reinstall it. Most likely you will need different jets and a hot air intake to get the most out of it. Mine was vastly improved by following the directions in the "how to make your progressive work" thread on this site.

FYI there is no fitting on the carb that connects to the oil filler, what your talking about is probably the vacuum connection for use with a vacuum advance distributed (highly recommended on this type of carb) if you don't use it for that then block it off as it will make it impossible to tune if left open.

Sat Feb 06, 2016 9:31 pm

I got my carb rebuild kit from Dune Buggy Warehouse today. Hard to believe they actually shipped it like this, but as you can see the gaskets were destroyed. What a waste of time! I would avoid this seller if you order parts from amazon. I absolutely love amazon and I have no doubt this will be cleared up, but the time is wasted by this seller.

It was shipped in a USPS envelope along with the air cleaner, which was removed from its package so it could fit.

Really, this is their idea of shipping something so fragile?

Sat Feb 06, 2016 9:36 pm

jeez, thats terrible.

I can tell you right now, your probably not going to be happy with that air cleaner box. These carbs are really not happy without a hot air intake.

I read this on the forum last year. Figured I could get away with it, tried for six months without it and finally broke down and built one and it was almost a night and day difference.

Sun Feb 07, 2016 9:32 am

Aerindel wrote: jeez, thats terrible.

I can tell you right now, your probably not going to be happy with that air cleaner box. These carbs are really not happy without a hot air intake.

I read this on the forum last year. Figured I could get away with it, tried for six months without it and finally broke down and built one and it was almost a night and day difference.

Where are you running your rail? I'll be running in high desert and they are pretty common around here from what I can tall. If I have issues I'll definitely reconsider my choice. Thanks for the info.

The carb kit seller responded adequately and will be replacing my kit and issuing a full refund so all I have wasted is time and not money. Hopefully it will be here this week and I can get started after I get another project done.

Sun Feb 07, 2016 11:18 pm

I'm in Montana but it doesn't really matter, it was 80-90º when I first installed my hot air intake and it still made a difference.

Thu Feb 18, 2016 1:37 pm

Well it started out good, but I quickly realized that I have the wrong kit. Most of the parts fit, except the choke mechanism and diaphragm and the top gasket. What a pain! I was hoping to fire it up this weekend, but I have to get another gasket before I can finish.

Before/After

I'm not sure if this gasket is for a holly instead of a Weber, but the difference in bowl size and throat size is huge.

Old vs. New

New on the right, old on the left with different diaphragm. I think I get away with reusing the old one considering it ran before the rebuild.

Wed May 04, 2016 2:02 pm

When I did my last Progressive carb I got an auto store rebuild kit. It was around $20. It had parts for any model Progressive carb. All went smooth. I am sorry you are kinda having a bum time.

I had a big issue getting my pedal to open the secondary. Was not enough throw. What are you running for linkage?

Thu May 05, 2016 1:28 am

Aside from what has already been mentioned about making the progressive work right ( working preheat tubes and a warm air intake) ,one of the best things you can do right now is take that little square filter and chuck it in the nearest garbage can! Those things are alright for street use, but are totally worthless for off road use,. You'd be much better off with a two stage filter (or even an industrial style for that matter ) and using the adapter that bolts onto the top of the carb. That is a much nicer setup, and you won't have to worry about dirt and sand getting sucked inside.

Another thing worth mentioning, if you've noticed the choke linkage where it passes through the carb top is a big open hole....and a.perfect spot for dirt to enter!

What I've done with mine is to take a small piece of foam and cut a slit in it for the choke rod to pass through, I then slid it over the rod and pushed the foam piece up into the sort of recessed hole in the bottom of the top cover . I soaked the foam in oil first so that any dirt that made its way onto it would be stuck to it rather then getting sucked inside. Its a simple enough fix, and worth doing if you plan to play in the dirt a lot. I've had mine setup like that for the last few years and after about fifteen thousand miles or so its still working just fine and causes no issues with the operation of the choke, and the inside of my air intake is still as clean as it was when I assembled things.