Technical SBC, still doesn't start

use a vacuum gauge and set mixture screws to highest idle. I like to start at 1.5 turns from lightly seated. Although in recent years with the horrible gas 2 turns may be a better setting to start with

 

In 1963 the pcv valve was hooked to fitting on the back of the the block where the old road draft tube used to be and fresh air entered the crankcase through a breather/cap on the oil fill tube at the front of the intake manifold.

 

Engine Man, does that look like the valve it should connect to?
F&J, I got ya on the mixture screw, and that IS the spring for it.
Orangeamcs, vacuum gauge to the one connected to the modulator valve or vacuum advance. I just got a vacuum gauge and I'm kinda excited to use it.
xracer40, there is a tube coming out of the back of the block, the big hose connects to that, and like I asked Engine Man, does that look like the valve it should connect to?

 

Manifold not ported vacuum. Find a port below the throttle blades. It looks like the line going to your vacuum advance is ported. Once you start using the vacuum gauge you will wonder why you never used it before.

 

That is the port that was used for vacuum advance originally. It goes down through the base plate for manifold vacuum.

 

Just want to throw this in the mix,My buddy had a mid 70's chevy pickup with the new style hei ignition.He didn't know shit about cars and trucks and he kept telling me he thought it was the rotor.I told him he was crazy etc. Well damn if it wasn't the rotor. From what I learned if the spark energy cant jump old plugs. old wired etc that energy will go somewhere and it burnt a pinhole through the rotor and went to ground through the centrifugal weights on the mech advance. to ground. Pulled the rotor and it was plain as day. Has never happened to me since then but anything is possible.Also I never lived it down how he told what was wrong and I ignored him.

 

Hold on a minute. You say you or someone put a kit in the carb?
Did you mention this before?
Do you have an accelerator pump shot ?
If you do, you don't need any carb spray.
If you don't , you need to fix that first.

 

Yes,that is where the pcv valve should connect. There should be a fitting that looks like this that the hose connects too.


There may also be a grommet and metal tube for the hose to connect too. Either way is fine.

 

It looks like the second picture.

 

How about an update? You mentioned getting spark. Is your car back in the garage?

 

Up and running. Not driving, but running like a champ. It starts right up with out hesitation. The wiring is in really bad shape. I wired it back up to the ignition switch, and it went to he'll from there. There are wires melted together from before I did anything to it.

So a bad ignition system and wacky TDC mark on the pulley is what made things difficult. It wasn't until someone mentioned to ignore the mark and find TDC on my #1 cylinder.

Check out the picture and see where the line is at the pulley.

 

Yes, it is at TDC on cylinder one.

 

How are you determining TDC?

Jack E/NJ

 

I am pretty sure you have the wrong front timing cover, or wrong damper. The mark you show at "almost the top"....that is where the later SBC smog motors had the timing tab that was almost hidden by the water pump.

I don't recall what year the timing tab was moved to the top. Maybe later 70s 80s ?

 

My 327 in my 34 lines up like that...its just pieced together parts that was left over from my dirttack motors, it was used as a back up motor several seasons...once i fiquired out where to time it it works fine.

 

I've heard of the damper spinning. They're two piece, with some rubber in between the two pieces. I could have the wrong damper for all I know, I'm a Ford/Mopar guy.

I determined TDC by removing spark plug #1, putting my finger in it to make sure its the compression stroke, and dropping a plastic rod in the hole. When the rod stopped moving up, its at the top.

By the way the rotor was pointing at the passenger seat, Not cylinder 1 or 2. There seems to be a few wacky stuff things with this chevy.

 

Its methods not mysticism - or wacky stuff.

If you're absolutely certain of TDC on compression stroke and not TDC overlap then the rotor and plug wires need to coincide.

It's soooo much better to get the rotor following the manual, however and technically it really doesn't matter as long as the plug wires follow the firing order starting at #1 rotor location.

I've yet to see any engine run with a distributor 180 off to the plug wires yet you are describing this

 

Mid to late 70's as I recall.
I t was placed on top behind the w/p so as to use the little tube on the tab for the mag pick up on the scopes at that time . It was easier and safer to get at.
In any case, you have to check that stuff when throwing together a bunch of used parts.

 

Another one saved from the Torrey Pines launcher by the power of the HAMB. Carry on.
UPDATE - This all started or wouldn't start after putting in a 400 trans. Now it won't go. Another thread.
Maybe there's still a chance for that off the cliff video, after all.

 

I went through the whole timing mark fiasco also. Ended up w a new summit racing balancer that was way less than 100$

 

Prolly better to use an MMO bubbler to precisely locate TDC. http://www.btc-bci.com/~billben/tdc.htm . I use a rubber stopper screwed into the sparkplug hole for the clear tubing.

Jack E/NJ

 

That is great! Thanks!

 

=================

Once I confirm the TDC marks I like to paint a stripe radially from the damper inner hub to the outer ring.
Then I have a quick future reference as to whether the damper ring has slipped.

 

That's why they recommend the positive stop method at TDC you can move 10 deg. and not get .005 piston movement.

 

31 Vicky, I believe this motor was rebuilt or repaired by an inexperienced person in the past.

markyac, you might be right. Perhaps it is from a 70's motor.

rfraze, don't think it didn't cross my mind.

Jack, it's done. It worked.

Dan, that sounds like an idea I wish I had come up with. I will mark it before I forget.