Over rich carbs

Thanks again, guys, for all the on-line diagnosis. The consensus seems to lead to carb issues, so hopefully this winter's rebuilds will cure the problem.

Here are a few answers to the questions brought up in the threads:

1. No blue smoke has been seen and I've looked for it. Also, no gas smell has been noticeable. Exhaust water does occasionally have a slight floating rainbow, but then I've never seen a marina basin without it. Also, NO oil consumption.

2. The only noticeable symptom in addition to the black soot on the plugs has been a blast of soot fired out the exhaust if I've changed spark plugs. That stuff floats!

3. Based on prevous posts regarding those automatic chokes, I agree that it's unlikely they're working right after 33 years. Time for them to go away.

And a question to Jerry . . . if those valve guide seals have actually ridden up on the valve stem, would the mecahnic have noticed that, or are they still out of sight with the valve covers off?

Thanks again, guys . . . I will follow through with a report in a few short months when the boat can float again in an ice-free Seneca Lake. All of the advice and suggestions are awesome and appreciated.
Bill M
1973 CC Commander
Challenger

PS: I hope Tim Toth sees my pic of my new iginition wiring . . . it's a challenge matching his craftsmanship.