Here are my floats as they came out of my carbs

Front float:

Back Float:

Okay, not if I am not mistaken, the SU video says I need .55" of clearance between the level lid cover and the bottom of the float...

Does this sound right. I have about .190 no the front and .210 on the rear.

The pictures I am looking at shows the float hanging almost level when adjusted properly.

If it is that off, then it would explain why no minor tweak of my mixture ratio nut would make a bit of difference.

Now if this is normal, I may have to do one of those clear hose tricks you guys have mentioned.

Is there a preferred way to check float level. I am about to do a search to get educated.

My factory service manual says that dimension 'H' should be about .55" but it does now show where dimension H is on the picture!

This may be a key piece of the puzzle!

NOTE:

I may need to find out when the needle and seat actually shuts off the fuel to know how right or wrong this actually is!

How much fuel was in each bowl after removing the lid- were they close to each other?

I always like to test operation of the needle and seat by hanging the lids in their normal position and blowing thru the fuel line fitting. While you are blowing air thru the needle and seat , raise the floats slowly and listen for the needle and seat to close the air off smoothly. This will also give you an idea as to what level the fuel shuts off at.

You might find that one of your needle and seat assemblies are sticking.

I'm not surprised that the needle changed didn't make any difference. Though the SM's are richer, the car still should have run good.

Unfortunately I drained them prior to removing the bowls!

DOH!

I'm also looking at your pics and noticing the difference in the floats. Is one dirty or just stained in some way? Were the bowls clean?

Yup the bowls looked very clean at first glance, I need to remove the fuel lines to ensure they are clean

I think that float was just stained

I don't believe the float level is measured with the float hanging on it's own weight like shown in your photos. The measurement is taken as the float lever just touches the needle valve.

Well how thick is that float gage?

Yes, that is correct. the measurement is just when the float tang touches. You can also hang the float in it's normal position to measure the other way. It's just under an inch from where the needle shuts off the fuel from the lid to the middle of the float

That would be your "H".

Steve

14-15mm