Technical New Engine lacks power SBC in the Studebaker-RESOLVED

Yep.
Many Studes used a resistor wire, disguised as a normal wire, between the ign switch and the power terminal at the coil.
It is indeed a good idea to run a new wire from the ign at the keyswitch to the coil or resistor for the power, so you get an actual 12 volts to the ignition.
Glad you pointed that out.
It got me once a long time ago on my SIXTY TWO Hawk.
Running a new wire instead of the original pink one solved everything.
WHY BE ORDINARY ?

 

Get rid of that Edelbrock carb!

 

When you have the valve cover off turn the engine until the exhaust valve on #1 is closing and the intake is just starting to open when both valves are open about the same amount it is very close to TDC . Then check damper mark.

 

I use a vacuum gauge for carb and timing, the readings tell you a lot especially with a clogged exhaust.

Likely your timing pointer is off enough to seriously retard the timing.

I had a SBC I tore down to make my 355 a few years back. It was used in a pinch in a stock car for a few races and pulled up to 6500 RPMs quickly. That cam had 5 bad lobes on it, no reason why it should have run that well. I doubt your cam is bad. How did you adjust the valves, did you go over it again after the cam break in?

 

Mr. Vtx1800, any progress ?????

 

SBC had at least 4 different balancer and pointer any combination.Many people mix and match them.Always verify TDC.

 

Did you get the lifters that come in the kit or just the camshaft and using old lifters? How about the valve springs? It says valve springs required in the info part for this camshaft.

 

A buddy came by around ten years ago, with a hot rod he had newly powered by SBC,said he just could not fig why it didn't feel the kick like it should have. He got SBC from another guy who had the engine in storage he was told,but was fresh rebuilt an never used.
So I went for a ride in his rod with him around the block ,and we did a few burn outs that should of been better an timed 3, zero to 60 runs on the back road. It was slow for a 350 sbc in 1800lbs rod{should be around 12 to 14 sec. or less}an was 18 to 20. But didn't sound bad.
Checked settings,all the out side stuff. He had those right. So I pulled off the rad an water pump,removed the timing chain cover,an sure enough it had a new chain an sprocket set with zero,box,triangle line up marks,they had been lined up too not a match an a tooth off. So took it apart an did it right=made the same run around the block for test,he was amazed at the extra power it now had.
https://cloyes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/3-keyway-instructions-general.pdf

As side note,if it was me I'd use a good Studebaker V8,but to late for that.
I had a Study Lark in the late 60s that ran 14 flat in 1/4 with all Study parts except the headers/home made by me as F-Stock. But that's another story. Plus things you may not know;https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/americas-best-v-8-engine-studebaker

 

Something to consider would be fuel delivery, if you are still using the decades old steel line it can corroded shut and still let enough fuel through to do what you are describing and have the bowl full when you pull the top off but not enough fuel to let the motor accelerate.
You might rig a jug up and test drive it or just run a new line which it probably needs anyhow.

 

Well I got side tracked with some other projects that took precedence. Today I dropped the exhaust down, shoved an endoscope up the headers, couldn't really see any problem. did the same with one of the exhaust pipes, it was all new pipe. I'm going to hook a straight pipe up to each side and at least make a lot of noise, doubt if it will make any difference. @dana barlow is probably going to get the prize because I have gut feel that he may be right and I am off one tooth on the cam. Dana when I started I had a six cylinder Champion coupe, later I picked up two Hawks both with automatics and then about a year ago I picked up another Hawk w/a stick with overdrive however no engine. Had I bought it all as a unit I'd have done a Stude Engine, I've never had a stick and overdrive. The Hawk did donate it's frame, suspension and differential.
@brigrat I have two Edelbrock style carbs, have switched them back and forth, they work fine on my 38 Chevy
Note that there is all new fuel line from the tank (with a cleaned and sealed tank) and I used a Rebel wiring harness so there is a full 12 volts getting to the coil.

I've had virtually every nut and bolt off of this car, doors fenders, quarters trunk lid, the only thing hired out was the transmission (a man needs to know his limitations and the machine work on the block. I guess when you have that many possible problems I should have expected something like this

 

That's gooding real good. !

 

Why?

I have installed over 200, and never have I ever been asked to remove a single one. I took a plastic 55-gallon drum full of take-off Holleys to the swap meet last year, and sold them all, because the customers did not want them back.

They are far easier to tune to perfection than a Holley, and that can be done in minutes, without dumping a single drop of fuel on the manifold. Transition metering changes can be done without even taking the carburetor apart.

 

"Get rid of Edelbrock carburetor" seems to be the trendy thing to say around here!

 

You just can't beat an Edelbrock for EASE of tuning if you can read English and interpret charts and have an O2 sensor/gauge installed...but if you have trouble with any of the above, by all means, avoid the Edelbrock...hahaha

 

The eddy version of the AFB is pretty decent carb. No carb is perfect under all conditions except maybe the Quadra jet. That is if you speak it’s language and can tune it.

I was really impressed with this guy for Cruisin and daily though.
Kind of familiar kind of weird because it’s a combination of a few.

 

I did take the Edelbrock carburetors off of my blower, that is on my Hemi, but only because I scored a matched-pair of Carter AFBs.

 

a slow update.
After running an endoscope up the block hugger heads and finding no obstruction I put a short header pipe on in, grabbed the neighbor (he wanted to hear it with straight pipes and took it for a run, good thing I live in the country with not many homes around. I don't believe the exhaust is a problem.
I pulled the radiator, etc and timing cover. It's spot on.
I have to fabricate something for the magnet base for the dial indicator to sit on. I spun the engine over with one valve cover off, with a quick visual nothing seemed out of sorts. I did find that spinning the motor will pump automatic transmission fluid out VERY quickly

 

While I REALLY like the Q-Jet, one has to be really good with them to make them go fast around sharp corners. And more than about 550 HP from one is difficult.

And that Summit Demon kind of resembles another carburetor I REALLY like!

Jon.

 

What does spot on mean?

 

Did you verify tdc

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I wonder if he looked at the carburetor linkage and primary and secondary butterfly positions at WOT?

And get an O2 sensor, gauge, and weld in a bung. That may tell you what the problem is, and it will tell you what it's not.

 

This is an excellent point. I had a client complain of sluggish performance on an import car, with a swapped-in SBC.

After I cut off the throttle pedal stop, it worked much better. He was never getting past 1/2 throttle!

 

Perhaps a minor point there, but Pertronix says not to run a ballast resistor with their flame thrower stuff. Might look into that resistor wire topic.

 

Carbking, would that be a TQ? lol and BTW, we have a guy up here that runs a S/S stickshift 69 Nova in nostalgia superstock and runs 9.40's with a 396 and a Q-jet. Done by the late Val Hedworth. Lippy

 

Or shag carpet under the footfeed? Yes, I have seen this. A four-barrel that can't open the secondary side is a small 4-barrel. But the interior looked nice!

And Lippy - could be!

Jon.

 

It was part of the pedal assembly. It had a stop, in both directions, down, and up. At max-travel, as installed, the secondary throttle blades were barely open. It was loaded dump truck slow. It had a loud exhaust system, and no tachometer, to he had no idea what was actually happening.

I cut off both stops, and bent the pedal arm up, so that it reached full-throttle, prior to the pedal hitting the carpet.

 

Can you power brake it and stall test the converter? May have a broken one way clutch in the converter. Will act just like plugged exhaust. Won’t make the vacuum low though. It will make it not get out of its own way for sure.


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I ran a dial indicator on cylinder number 2. No where near the lift it should have on either intake or exhaust. . I am having a racer friend double check my measurements tomorrow. Glad I have the radiator out.
Note...no resister wire in harness.
Throttle goes full open..Something that I checked early on but that would be easy to miss. ..I did modified linkage using Studebaker parts and I've checked it. No shag carpeting.--.that did make me laugh though

 

Where are you measuring that lift, on the pushrod side of the rocker, or the valve spring side?

 

Jon, please reveal what carb that is and why. I am interested in knowing more about the Demon as I have a new one (installed on an engine, 289 SBF, several years ago) I have never fired.

But I have a Studebaker 259 that had/has a 450 cfm Holley which was giving me grief before I began some vehicle upgrades, now nearing completion. Am thinking maybe I should rob the Demon from the Ford and use it on the Studebaker when I return it to the street.

Any info/opinions on the Demon would be appreciated.

Ray