carb finish

[indian45]

I am looking for the correct carb finish on my 35 Chief. I have an M6A with Indian stamped under it. Not sure if this is 100% correct but I have two carbs, one is bare the other has a black finish. Is one closer to correct than the other? Any input will be helpful.

[gsottl]

The early Linkert M6 carburetors (you can recognize them easiest by only two air filter mounting threads) were nickel plated. The black finished ones with the four threads for the air-filter are 1940ies style and I would use one like these on 1939up Chiefs with the larger filter.

If the DLX108 was painted or bare I do not know. The ones I have/had had no paint on them.

[T. Cotten]

Indian45!

Since most Beck productions had the four-bolt air intake, it is best to sort them by the script on the side: "Langsenkamp-Linkert" would have been 'flash' nickel, whereas "L&L Manufacturing" would have been "aluminum" (silver) for '40-'42 productions, and black for post-War productions.

It was spec'd for the 1931-1938 Indian Chief, so "period correct", I suppose.

Some sources believe the potmetal DLXs would have been black after about the middle of '33.

....Cotten

[JoeK]

I am looking for the correct carb finish on my 35 Chief. I have an M6A with Indian stamped under it. Not sure if this is 100% correct but I have two carbs, one is bare the other has a black finish. Is one closer to correct than the other? Any input will be helpful.

I Have a 37 Chief with a DLX 108 on it and have the body and bowl painted black as was advised by an Indian MC Judge. I was sure that the Linkerts M6A and the M6 were after market universal carbs as later replacements for earlier year's Chiefs ans Scouts. However, I can't remember where this information came from. Can't wait to get the corrections. That is beauty for this form.
Joe

[indian45]

Thank you for all of the responses, hopefully I'm now heading in the correct direction.
David

[T. Cotten]

Folks,

I am privy to an M8SA spec sheet that implies that L&L directly produced the replacement carbs marketed by Beck.
I also have an M8SA where you can still faintly make out the 4s of M441 beneath, which of course has identical specs.

If "INDIAN" is not stamped above or below the model number, I would suspect it is not a Beck replacement.

I regret that I have forgotten whom to credit upon the VirtualIndian mailing list for these applications:

Beck carburetors
M6 1939-1942 Indian Chief
M6A 1931-1938 Indian Chief
M6B 1931-1938 Indian Bonneville
M6BA 1939-1942 Indian Bonneville
M6AP 1943-1947 Indian Chief
M6VL 1930-1936 Harley
M6S 1934-1938 Indian Sport scout
M6SA 1934-1938 Indian Sport scout
M7 1932-1943 Indian 30/40 Jr Scouts
M7S 1932-1943 Indian 30/40 Jr Scouts
M7SA 1932-1943 Indian 30/40 Jr Scouts
M8 1932-1939 Indian 4 cyl.
M8SA 1938-1942 Indian 4 cyl.

....Cotten

[RonH]

Is the M344 on the 48 Chief the brass color stock? Mine came like it with the aluminum colored bowl.

Folks,

I am privy to an M8SA spec sheet that implies that L&L directly produced the replacement carbs marketed by Beck.
I also have an M8SA where you can still faintly make out the 4s of M441 beneath, which of course has identical specs.

If "INDIAN" is not stamped above or below the model number, I would suspect it is not a Beck replacement.

I regret that I have forgotten whom to credit upon the VirtualIndian mailing list for these applications:

Beck carburetors
M6 1939-1942 Indian Chief
M6A 1931-1938 Indian Chief
M6B 1931-1938 Indian Bonneville
M6BA 1939-1942 Indian Bonneville
M6AP 1943-1947 Indian Chief
M6VL 1930-1936 Harley
M6S 1934-1938 Indian Sport scout
M6SA 1934-1938 Indian Sport scout
M7 1932-1943 Indian 30/40 Jr Scouts
M7S 1932-1943 Indian 30/40 Jr Scouts
M7SA 1932-1943 Indian 30/40 Jr Scouts
M8 1932-1939 Indian 4 cyl.
M8SA 1938-1942 Indian 4 cyl.

....Cotten

[T. Cotten]

Is the M344 on the 48 Chief the brass color stock? Mine came like it with the aluminum colored bowl.

Ron!

The M344 was produced with a black body, although most have succumbed to fuels, carb cleaners, and modern molestation. I have yet to find an exception to the rule that neither L&L nor Schebler ever produced a bare bronze body.
(Late '29 to mid '33 Scheblers were probably bare, but they weren't bronze!)

The Linkert bowls were bare aluminum (with the exception of some nickel'd bronze bowls upon M21s and 31s), although I have witnessed what appeared to be traces of 'aluminum' lacquer on original paint '40-'42 models.

.....Cotten

[RonH]

Thank you!

[Yellow53Chief]

Hi,
Attached is a nice photo set of an NOS M352 Linkert carburetor - with the box!!! The body was black. Now and then, traces of the original black will be found on the M series Linkert carburetors, but as T. Cotten says; most of the black has disappeared for various reasons. It is reasonable to believe that regular production run carburetors were black, just as those that were sold as boxed carburetors were black.
1952-53 Indian Chief Carb M-352 A.jpg1952-53 Indian Chief Carb M-352 B.jpg1952-53 Indian Chief Carb M-352 C.jpg1952-53 Indian Chief Carb M-352 D.jpg1952-53 Indian Chief Carb M-352 E.jpg

[T. Cotten]

Double-post deleted...

....Cotten

[T. Cotten]

Nice cad, Yellow52Chief!

Almost too nice to believe it hasn't darkened at all.

Note how the "C" pic shows a brandX M74B HS needle, different than the "A" and "B" pics.
Note how it has the one-sided float pivot screw, and bare of cad. So is the idle bleed plug.
Note the round or pan-headed screws for the throttledisc, whereas the choke disc has the typical filister screws.
Note the difference in the hex and threads on the floatvalve, and floatvalve gasket, in the two pics.
Note the aircleaner flange has tarnished, but the manifold flange looks like it was cut this morning.

The LS needle knob looks great in the "B" pic, but smells like zinc in the "C" pic, to me to me anyway. Must be the light, huh.

Curious.

....Cotten

[Yellow53Chief]

Hi,
Those are some excellent observations T. Cotten. I don't have any additional information to go along with the photos. I think the carburetor was an eBay item several years ago; I never saw it in person. It does appear that some of the parts have been switched for some reason. The box might have originally contained two carburetors, and maybe the photos got mixed-up somehow. I used to think the photo set showed a pristine unit, but maybe it isn't quite as pristine as I thought. Oh well. I still wouldn't mind having it on a shelf as a spare.

[T. Cotten]

It would run pretty rich, Yellow53Chief,...

...with the wrong angle on the HS needle!

Note also in "C" they swapped in an H-D throttle bellcrank.
(I might find more curiosities, but my monitor fogs up when I get too close to smell finishes. Everything in "C" is brighter and blue-er than the first two pics. One extra light bulb, (fluorescent vs. incandescent, etc.), however, can change things. Photos should never be trusted explicitly.)

...Cotten

[jgbrown59]

Hi All,
I have a follow-on question to this thread. What paint is best to use on these carbs? Since they are black and appear to be a low luster/dull finish is there a certain paint that is best to use that will at least resist the effects of fuels? I am working with an MBONN on a 47 Bonneville Chief.