In looking at my engine after a drive this evening, I found some wetness at the fuel inlet on my right carb. I figured that I had damaged the hose with the hose clamp I had put on during my recent rebuild so I cut a new lenght of hose and replaced it. I started up the engine again and what do you know - problem was not fixed, wetness developing at the same spot
It appears to me that the brass inlet/nipple that is inserted in the carb body is not fitting perfectly tight. Moving it side to side, I can detect just the slightest jiggle - enough for a small amount of fuel to get by when under pressure.
Just for chuckles, I pulled up a photo of my engine before my rebuild to see if I could find any evidence of prior leaking. Lo and behold, you can see the exact spot on the top of the right carb. If you look very close, you can see the area has been "washed" clean by gasoline at the fuel inlet. (it was the only clean part on the whole engine by the way
). 
The fuel must have been seeping out of there all along and that's scary - just enough to be a little wet and evaporate relatively quickly. This explains the gas odor that would linger for an hour or so in the garage after a drive and the garage door closed. I figured all along, this was just the destinctive smell of a Volkswagen - I was wrong to assume that and I can't believe I've never noticed this.
So for the remedy, what would be the best way to secure this nipple in a tight, permanant, and leak-free fashion??
- thankful my bus is not burnt toast -
