I sent my carburetor parts off to Rick Pacholski (Scoutpilot) at Old Jeep Carbs LLC in North Carolina. He has rebushed the throttle base and restored the bowl and all internals. I like that Rick drive-tests each carb so that when it’s installed it will give immediate performance. Of course it will need to be adjusted, but having one less item of concern for the first start of a new motor will certainly help.
Rick’s prices are very reasonable. Given what a new reproduction Joe’s Motor Pool carburetor costs ($325 + tax and shipping) I’d rather pay approximately the same amount and have a proper, original WW2 Carter in excellent working order.
Online, there is an excellent review on the differences between the JMP repro carb and an original 539S. It’s a pdf in both German and English. Type “Product Review Carter Carburetor 539-S Repro vs. Original” into your favorite search engine. Given the complexities of our carbs, it’s not surprising to see so many differences. This pdf will also be a good guide in the future for those who wish to distinguish original vs reproduction.
Here are Rick’s photos of the completed carburetor. It looks absolutely gorgeous. Great job, Rick. Yes, the bowl is a 598, but it’s an original eight-patent bowl and looks the part. Everything else, down to the linkages and spring keeper, is correct.
Restoration of 1945 Ford GPW 270351 