The Carter Carburetor Company was founded in St Louis, Missouri, in 1909 and grew into one of America's most respected fuel-metering specialists. Its carburettors were fitted as original equipment by several major automakers through the middle decades of the twentieth century, and the aftermarket side kept kits and parts available long after the factories had moved on to other suppliers.

Carter's designs are prized for careful calibration and clean machining. The Ball and Ball downdrafts served pre-war engines, the WCFB became one of the first successful four-barrel carburettors, the aluminium-bodied AFB found homes on performance and marine engines, and the Thermo-Quad carried the brand into the early 1980s. Rebuilding any of them rewards patience with excellent drivability.

Carter literature covers complete strip-down and rebuilding, float level and drop settings, jet and metering rod identification, choke and fast-idle adjustment, and the small linkages that confuse most first-time rebuilders. Parts diagrams make it easy to identify which variant is on the bench before ordering gaskets and kits.

Classic car restorers, vintage marine engine owners, and independent garages working on older American machinery form the main audience. A correct Carter manual removes the guesswork from carburettor work and keeps engines tuned as the factory intended, long after the original company closed its doors in the mid-1980s. Even seasoned mechanics keep a Carter book on the shelf, because settings vary subtly between applications.