[JohnFromVentura]

Recently bought this alleged 65 Tri-Power setup locally. Trying to identify exactly where the carbs are from ... manifold is 65. Center carb is smaller than end ones. Center carb has slits like 62-65? Center carb bowel is 7019 927. I know the linkage and gas inlets are wrong. Is it possible to ident years by choke housing etc, Any help greatly appreciated! Going on my 63 Lemans 421 SD clone.

[tom s]

Carbs look like 61-65 tripower carbs,linkage is not correct at all.Get them to the right tripower carb guy and you should be good to go.Tom

[Dick Boneske]

Manifold is a '65.

The center carb with float bowl "927" is correct for a '65--'61-'65 center carbs are all the same except for the throttle arm.

The end carbs are float bowl #7011997, which means they are '61-'64. These are functionally identical to the '65 "683" end carbs and very similar in appearance.

For your application, the linkage looks fine. Why change to the slotted rod '65 style when what you have will work well?

Fuel lines for a '64/'65 will work for your setup.

The attached pictures are of a set of '65 carbs I finished restoring today. I set them on a '64 manifold for the pictures. As you can see, no lines or linkage have been installed yet.

[Ken K]

You have the right carbs for a 65. It looks like someone might have converted the end carbs from vacuum to mechanical. One of the end carbs in the picture still has the hole where the vacuum was taken from.

[Ken K]

Air cleaners on the end carbs won't cover those holes. You can buy the correct aftermarket mechanical linkage kits to fix what you have.

[Option 382]

When you say the linkage is wrong, are you also including the accelerator pump arm that is attached to the airhorn? It has a one hole arm which is a 1963 and earlier arm. The GTOs should have a 2 hole arm.

[Option 382]

Also the end carb bowls appear to be 7011997 a 1959 to 1962 bowls.

[Ken K]

You don't have to worry about the end carb numbers. All the parts are available to make them work with what you have. You just don't have everything the way it's suppose to be right now. That is the way you find used tri powers. Someone before you worked on it and didn't know what they were doing or scrounged some parts from different sources. The first things you need are the right linkage and the 65 fuel lines. Your carbs have the right fuel inlets. Once you get the right linkage then you will see if you need to change anything else. One of the carbs in the picture is on wrong, the linkage should be on the other side. The rod that operates the front carb is on the passenger side.

[Ken K]

You have the front and rear carbs switched around in the picture. The primary carb uses linkage to operate the rear carb on the drivers side. The rear carb uses a rod on the passenger side to operate the front carb with the linkage also on the passenger side.

[Ken K]

The front and rear carbs will also work on a 66 tri power. You would need to come up with a 66 manifold and a different center carb with the larger throttle bores. You are already going to need to buy parts so you are not into deep if you wanted to switch to a 66 tri power.

[Dick Boneske]

Yes, the end carbs are '59-'63. If they were '64' or later, the accelerator pump levers would have two holes for the pump rod instead of one. As has been stated, these end carbs and the center carb will work with any of the '65 repro linkage, fuel lines, choke heater tubes, etc.

The carbs are in the correct position on the manifold, but the linkage from the center carb to the front carb would make the setup very difficult to drive, since the end carbs would begin to open when the center carb was less than 1/3 open. To make the setup work properly, the throttle lever on the rear carb needs to be changed. The current repro linkage kits have all that is needed to accomplish this, including the weaker throttle return springs on the passenger side.

All Pontiac end carbs from '59 through '66 had the small hole below the airhorn for vacuum linkage. The front carbs have this hole drilled through to the carb throat, the rear only has a dead-end cast hole.

I've attached some pictures showing '65 Tripower setups like yours restored to factory specs.

Yes, the carbs will work with OEM style '64-'65 fuel lines.

There is no need to change this setup for a '66 with the larger center carb. This '65 setup was used on 389's and 421's, including the 376 HP 421. When properly setup, this '65 Tripower is ideal for '65 and newer Pontiac heads.

[Ken K]

The price of tri powers goes up and down but they never get sent to the scrap yard. That is why there are so many still around with mis matched parts on them.

[pfilean]

Although it looks like what you have can be made to work I wonder if the center carb came with a tri-power setup as it doesn't have the arm off the throttle linkage that should activate the vacuum switch for the vacuum secondaries. I thought all tri-powers had that even if the factory put a progressive on it. But I also thought the if the carb came from an "economy" engine then the base should show a double drilled hole to mount to the manifold. And I thought all other single 2 barrels were the large bore which were different.

[Ken K]

Someone could probably copy a 65 center carb if they had enough parts but it would not be easy. A carb from a Chevy is the only other carb that I know of that has the fuel inlet in the right place. A 66 center carb is a no brainer, it can be copied with easy to find parts. They sell repop 66 manifolds. Someone who needed a 65 center carb would probably step up to offset the cost of making a 66 tri power if you wanted to switch.

[marxjunk]

i thought vacuum was below the throttle blades..not at the air horn

[Dick Boneske]

pfilean, The center carbs for '65 and '66 manual transmission cars did not have the fancy accelerator pump lever with the actuating arm for the vacuum linkage control valve. This center carb is likely a '65 manual trans model.

marksjunk, Manifold vacuum is taken off the carb bases below the throttle plates. The front and center carbs have 1/8" pipe threaded ports for a vacuum source.

The small hole near the airhorn on the front carb is for a small line that supplies filtered air for the vacuum linkage control on the center carb.

I've attached pictures of a factory vacuum linkage setup on a '59 Pontiac Tripower. All is similar to the Tripower GTO's except the location of the large vacuum diaphragm. It's mounted on the passenger side of the rear carb for all '64 Pontiacs and GTO's and on all '65 & '66 Pontiacs and GTO's that used vacuum linkage (automatic trans cars).

[bill ryder]

Really nice, Dick! "Bill"!

[JohnFromVentura]

Thanks for the help on this! For my purposes it looks like the setup rebuilt will hack it! The underside of the float bowels shows that both are cast "997", as noted. They were mounted with the NPT thd in the rear carb. I think that I will try to use the end carb linkage, as it seems more robust than bending a rod? Since I am running a 700R4 trans I have ordered the self adjusting Bowtie TV cable setup that includes a 65 throttle arm. This is going on my 63 Lemans Super Duty 421 clone, so the setup doesn't have to be GTO perfect, just look like one. John