I have been musing about what I "think" may be a problem with my neighbor's '86 SWB. Here's some background:

Stock '86 2.6, but with a new casting Clearwater head (mechanical lifters and all). Rebuilt carb from Guaranteed Carburetors. Truck runs perfectly when first started but absolutely dies as soon as it warms up and is near impossible to restart. I suspect that the choke is not opening. This has come to me at 4 a.m., so I'm not in a position to go outside and check this out. I tend to type to think sometimes.

For the uninitiated, the 86-earlier carbs on the 2.6 is non-electric and uses coolant flowing through two small hoses, one of which connects to the cooling system on the engine side and one that goes to the manifold base, just like the 87+ models. I seem to remember that Clearwater MAY have eliminated the coolant passage that would allow coolant to complete that loop (in their infinite wisdom). If so, this choke would never open. I'm not too worried about the carburetor base not getting coolant flow, but how could we restore the coolant flow through the choke portion of this system? I am not interested in retrofitting an electric choke.

I "think" the coolant feed comes off the engine, not the coolant pipe that returns back to the water pump (a return line, if memory serves). It's supposed to feed through the choke fitting, flow through the carb base and return via the head, but maybe I have that flow direction messed up. In any case, I need for that fitting on the choke to have flow. How can I do it? Put a tee in the heater hose that leads out of the heater core and connects to the metal pipe and re-route the carb base fitting like the '87+ models have it?

I'd like to stay as close to stock as possible. It HAS to pass emissions. And again, I'm not interested in retrofitting an electric choke. And I'm not even sure this is the problem - yet.

Any ideas?

John B.