The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network - View Single Post - Electric Choke to Manual Choke conversion?

tucsonjwt · 11-21-2010, 10:12 PM

Absolutely! I have done it on all of my squares.
If you research manual choke conversion kits online you will see how it works. I assume that you have a black bakelite cap on a choke housing on the side of your carburetor. You remove that stock choke cover and replace it with one that has an external lever which actuates the stock choke valve lever inside the choke housing. The external lever is just a pin with a hole in it to accommodate the choke cable with a set screw. There is a cable guide which you mount to any convenient bolt in the area, then route the cable through the firewall (any existing opening) and mount under your dash.
I suggest that you adjust the cable so the knob under your dash does not close all the way into the mounting bracket opening. This is because your cable will "shrink or stretch" or loosen over time as you use the choke, and you want to make sure that you can close the cable all the way when closed.
Starting tip: depress accelerator all the way to the floor, pull the knob out and keep holding it while you release the accelerator. You do this to make sure that the choke valve closes the last 1/16" inch or so and gives you full choke. If you don't do this, the stock linkage on the carburetor will hang up the choke valve so it does not close all the way.
Let me know if you want pics of the setup on my 83.

11-21-2010, 10:12 PM	#2
tucsonjwt Registered User Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 3,188	Re: Electric Choke to Manual Choke conversion? Absolutely! I have done it on all of my squares. If you research manual choke conversion kits online you will see how it works. I assume that you have a black bakelite cap on a choke housing on the side of your carburetor. You remove that stock choke cover and replace it with one that has an external lever which actuates the stock choke valve lever inside the choke housing. The external lever is just a pin with a hole in it to accommodate the choke cable with a set screw. There is a cable guide which you mount to any convenient bolt in the area, then route the cable through the firewall (any existing opening) and mount under your dash. I suggest that you adjust the cable so the knob under your dash does not close all the way into the mounting bracket opening. This is because your cable will "shrink or stretch" or loosen over time as you use the choke, and you want to make sure that you can close the cable all the way when closed. Starting tip: depress accelerator all the way to the floor, pull the knob out and keep holding it while you release the accelerator. You do this to make sure that the choke valve closes the last 1/16" inch or so and gives you full choke. If you don't do this, the stock linkage on the carburetor will hang up the choke valve so it does not close all the way. Let me know if you want pics of the setup on my 83.