I'm getting ready to park my '79 Catalina for the winter and will be topping off the fuel tank and adding stabilizer to keep the fuel good until spring. Do I need to directly add some stabilizer to the carburetor through the overflow chimney, or just let it run on a short drive to get fuel with stabilizer into the bowl? On any fuel injected car I'd just drive it for 10-15 minutes and park it.
You can just drive the car long enough that the stabilizer-treated fuel gets into the carb. I've been doing it that way for decades for winter-stored vehicles and had not problems. (I do start them up periodically during the winter and let the engine get to operating temperature even if not driven.) You'll also want to fill the gas tank to minimize condensation. A battery maintainer is a good idea as well.
That's what I thought, but I wasn't sure. A friend suggested I spray carb cleaner down in that chimney to help clean any gunk out, and I noticed fuel smell came out when I sprayed it in. so I thought that might be a way for air to get to the fuel.