an old Babe Bee..

Surfer_kris wrote:

NEW222 wrote:Ok. Just found it. SCissor type hole punches and heavy cardstock.

Does it work?

I've found that the distance can vary quite a lot from one tank to another and one therefore needs to have some "give" or "compressibility" in the gasket?

This venturi gasket shown is made from the thin rubber-gloves (Playtex Living brand) used in kitchen-cleaning etc.



When a glove wears-out; I cut a piece out of the cuff. The material is "spongy".. so yes; it will compress.

A 1/8" hole-punch is used first.. then a standard 1/4" "plier-type" hole-punch is used with a thin plastic "backer-sheet" to punch-out the finished part. The plastic backer-sheet is required to get a clean-cut 1/4" dia. finish-cut.

Tee Bee wrote:Great idea!  I need to find a 1/8" hole punch.  I haven't had good luck with the stock o-rings sold by Cox.  Inconsistent seal.  Even have to double up sometimes.  I isually resort to slicing them from fuel tubing but getting the thickness just right for each tank is sometimes hit and miss.  I'm always looking for new and better ways to try out.  Thanks for sharing.

Hi Troy, I found my 1/8" hole-punch at a craft-store.. but all you really need is a short (1") length of 1/8" OD steel rod and a small hardwood block to punch the inner-hole. A piece of 1/8" OD hard alloy-tube would also work. The actual OD of the Bee's venturi-tube inside the fuel-tank where the gasket installs is 9/64" (.1406"/3.57mm). The smaller 1/8" ID gasket-hole provides a stretch-fit.. which could have an additional sealing benefit over the OEM gasket-design.

When I assembled this engine's tank; it required only a slight pinch to seat the venturi-gasket.. before the backplate contacted the fuel-tank bowl.

Here's an example of the seal's "gap" on a different tank assembly..





There's a slight gap when the tank-assembly is set in-place..



The gap closes when the tank-assembly is lightly pinched-together.



One could double-up on the gaskets. A tight-pinch will close the tank-assembly gap.. but I doubt it would be necessary.

I don't know how this experimental venturi-gasket material will perform or hold-up over time.. but it's always worth having back-up gaskets in your parts-bin.

The dart O-rings sound really COOL.. although I don't have any experience with them. There's definitely a lot to be said for a "no fuss" solution to getting an engine to run reliably. I remain a "tinkerer" experimenting with materials that can be found around the house/garage in a "pinch"; especially on a weekend where the weather's perfect.. and your engine is sucking air from where it shouldn't.