Ok Rex.... Lets go with it... Since the car was running during that 14 year period, the gas my not be as old as you think. Anyway the solution there is a complete overhaul of the fuel system so try to tune it up first. It's worth a shot since the car was running "well". Clean all battery cables and make sure they are the correct size and all connections are clean. The main thing for now. make sure all the connections are clean. Do a tune up. Points, Plugs and Condenser...consider new plugs and wires. Make sure it's in time and the distributor is set at proper advance at idle. Pointer to pulley dot at idle... Condensers can fail suddenly causing the symptoms you describe. Points can fail especially if the car has been converted to 12V and no ballast resistor was used. If the distributor has moved it may not be at proper advance. In this condition the engine will have a inconstant or wandering miss. Do the basic tune up stuff.
the guy i bought it from gave me a bag of condensers, he said they crap out all the time so I could check if that's the issue
Update: idles now, completely fine like before. Runs exactly the same again. All I did was put the choke at half instead of full. Still a little choppy but I think its just cold. All spark plugs good. Burns a little oil
So I figured it out. One side gets too much fuel and the other not enough. But the screws won't budge
Whew! Rex! Please drain the fuel tank, then put in some more of that NEW, FRESH ESSO. Doesn't have to be 91 octane, will run fine on the mid grade. Sounds like 'bad gas' is your problem...so, drain it and start "FRESH"! Gotta do it anyway, 'hella way' to start... ...and C'Mon, guys! You sound like a bunch of prosecuting attorneys with your cross examinations. If a real judge showed up, you couldn't get into court with a SUBPOENA!
Alright so should I siphon it out or is there an easier way of draining it? I've never drained a tank before. But I'm changing all the fluids Sunday anyway. Oil, getting that antifreeze out of the radiatior, etc.
Rex - glad you are staying with it. As others have mentioned, fuel (difficult to call it gasoline with a straight face) goes bad in 3~6 months (or sooner). Draining the tank is just a good insurance policy. After draining the tank, replace the fuel filter. Premium fuel is not only not necessary, it adds to the problem, as your engine has insufficient compression and timing to take advantage of the octane. The lowest grade fuel from a name-brand station (preferrably without ethanol) is what I would recommend. For the time being, leave the idle mixture screws alone. If the engine ran well with the current setting, it probably will again. Not convinced at this time that you do not have multiple issues; but fresh fuel of the proper octane, and a new fuel filter are a really good starting point. If at some future point it is necessary to rebuild the carburetor (you are not there yet), disassemble into the 3 main castings. If you have access to an ultrasonic cleaner, clean the individual casting assemblies without further diassembly. If you do not have access to an ultrasonic cleaner, a three pound metal coffee can (your Dad will know what that is), some Dawn dishwater soap, and boil each casting in that. The boil will help loosen everything, and hopefully free up the idle mixture control screws. They are brass and will twist off easily, requiring someone skilled to remove the twisted remains. Stay positive! These old engines are simple compared to the complexity of an iphone! Call if you wish. 573-392-7378 (9-12, 1-4 Mon-Tues central time). Jon.
New fuel with ethanol is garbage! It goes bad quickly & causes all kinds of issues in the fuel system,. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Finding stuff with no ethonal is hard to find near me. My dad uses fuel additive in his 53 bsa so I might put some of that in there, but yeah it ran like a sewing machine before about a week ago.
You're getting some excellent advise. Hope it boils down to a fuel issue. I was afraid the cam gear might be going to shit and skipping a tooth hence my initial post asking if the cam gear was fiber. Keep at it and let us know how things turn out.
Thanks. Yeah I think it's just that the fuel isn't getting evenly distributed, one side is adjusted way different than the other side, and I think it's just that 4 is getting too much fuel and the other 4 is getting too little, I discussed it with the guy I bought it from and he said he tried to adjust the carb for me before the transport chaps came to pick it up, so idk
Hey Rex, This is the guy to talk to about carbies and fuel issues. He has made you a great offer.....take him up on it and give him a call. And to Jon (@carbking), very cool that you have stepped up to help the kid out. It says a lot about you....
I can say after speaking with Jon on the phone a few months ago he is truly a wealth of knowledge and a hell of a nice guy as well! Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Sure sounds like crap got into the carburetor and is fouling things up. I'd pull the carb off and open it up to see what's in the bowl. If you find sediment in there I'd put a rebuild kit in the carb and put it back on.
My earlier advice was just to get it running....yard running not road running. 1. Be Patient. This car is not road ready, it's nowhere near that. Several things have to be done. Money has to be spent on essential things. This is not going to happen overnight. Be wise and be patient. Do not get distracted by unnecessary cosmetic issues. You owe it to yourself and others to have this car in tip top shape. 2. Knowledge is power. We are not born knowing it all. You need, must invest in the manuals. Get the factory repair Shop Manual for this car. There are also wiring and other manuals that would be a good to get as well. Aftermarket manuals like vintage Chilton's and especially Motors Manuals are a good investment. Internet advice is great but you have to have a "base of knowledge " from the factory manuals. Sometimes forum advice is mistaken or just plain wrong (there may be a misunderstanding of the problem from both ends) so always default to the factory literature. 3. Be Patient. Do not be arrogant. Do not get distracted by shiny stuff. Get the factory literature to repair this car. Make it stop. Make it go. Make it light up. Make it stay put. Get it in tip-top shape. Anything thing else is a danger to you and others. 4. A car can be more dangerous than a cocked cannon. It don't give a damn. It can fall on you, it can roll over you. It can burn you....You are working with dangerous stuff. Be safe. It's a 3100lb projectile that in the right situation can run completely through a small house killing you and whoever is in the way, Never forget that. It's a Giant Responsibility. You will need to address the brakes eventually. Since the car does move and stop now, you may choose to do another system first. Keep in mind.....This Needs To Be Done Before The Car Is Driven On The Street! Brakes... Nothing is wrong with the stock system on this car. With that said it has to be expertly maintained. Now, consider it a "yard driver"...Only! Before it goes on the public road the system needs to be clean, adjusted and in perfect working order. Does this mean it needs all new parts? Not necessarily. I'm pretty much convinced that a lot of the new replacement parts may be of lesser quality than what's on the car now. Lets start with the master cylinder.... Replacement of the master cylinder in a Shoebox Ford is a major mechanical procedure. If you have good pedal you can assume that the master at least functions. Brake Fluid is Hydroscopic meaning it attracts water and mixes with water. Thus a brake system will fill with a rusty mud like substance over time. This goo is abrasive and will destroy the cylinder over time. It's a good idea to clean this goo out yearly or bi-yearly. The cylinder can be disassembled, and cleaned while still on the car. It can be honed and overhauled while still on the car. All you may have to do is unhook the pedal, release the the retaining clip, pull the guts out, and wipe out the bore with a good shop towel. Keep up with the order that stuff come out. All you may need to do is clean up the guts and rubber parts. If the parts are corroded. If the rubber parts are scratched up. You may need a overhaul kit. If the cylinder bore is severely scratched up or locked up....you may need a new cylinder. Most of the time, if it had pedal and functions now without leaking, you can overhaul it on the car. If it leaks at all afterward, replace the cylinder! The hard lines...(metal tubing) Some of these lines may have been replaced. If not, consider replacing them with new. If sections of these hard lines have been replaced and spliced, replace with new complete lines. Products – Inline Tube I have a rule. If a fitting breaks or twists the steel tube, the whole line needs to be replaced. I never splice, that's BS. If you need new lines, order these pre bent lines and be done with it! I tried to dick around and make my own lines. You'll blow a lot of money on cheap tools, lines and fittings. For one car, just get the pre made lines. Since these are reproduced for this car....just get new lines and be done. It can be a challenge to thread these pre bent lines in an assembled car but it can be done...You'll have to tweak them here and there to thread them through spots. Remember to tape the end up to prevent trash and dirt getting in the lines.....They can be bent a little by hand for fit and bent back. Use common sense. Brass fittings and banjo bolts....Do not loose them. Rubber lines... There are three... 2 for the front, 1 for the rear. If you rub a rubber line with your hand and black stuff comes off, it needs to be replaced. If you replace the hard lines, the rubber lines need to be replaced as well. Wheel cylinders.... My 51 Coupe had good pedal. It would stop "Kind Of". I had planned to rebuild the wheel cylinders. Of the 4, only one was fully functional. The rest were totally or partially locked up. Basically the car was braking only on one wheel. The reason it had such a good pedal is that 3 wheel cylinders were frozen, beyond repair. If you are really lucky. all you may need to do is disassemble and clean the wheel cylinders. By personal experience, Plan on replacing all 4 with new. Order them from Shoebox Central or C&G Ford. I can't type on the HAMB all day...More to Come!....
I have all the factory manuals, brakes were redone before I bought the car, front discs, (no power) took it on the highway back home when we first got it. All the wiring was also redone before I got it, metal lines and rubber also been replaced recently. It's also not smoking black now, just headache inducing blue now
Did you say it ran fine after pulling the choke half closed? That could mean a vacuum leak. Spray carb cleaner around the carb base while it's running, if it stumbles and dies, you've found your leak. Replace the gasket, most likely it'll be the one between the carb and intake.
Have to admire a 15 year old working on a carburetored engine, even more so a FH V8. Give it hell young man!
Yeah it did. but now it runs with the choke closed too. A few people said that. I'll have to check. I have a few gaskets lying around.
I know this is probably a stupid comment, but it actually sounds like it is cammed ???? Could this be the case?
Bad gas. You added some fresh gas to a tank half hull of fuel who knows how old it was. The fresh gas dissolved the mung and sediment in the tank, which then got sucked up into the fuel lines and filter. Drain the tank, flush it out, probably at a radiator shop, blow out the lines (from the fuel pump back towards the tank, install a new filter, and rebuild the carb. You may have to replace the pump, too.
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