<img width="500" src="http://www.jalopyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/lead2.jpg" height="334" style="width: 500px; height: 334px" />Â My a-coupe was running a tad lean for street bombing, so Tardel and I changed the jets in the Strombergs...<P><P>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
a friend of mine (74yrs old) was in florida with his roadster he got gas....went a short bit....sputtered out....couldnt figure it out so he and his wife pushed the car about a mile back to his campground....checked everything.....then......TURNED ON THE FUEL and it fired right up happens to everyone!
You have to admit, the most obvious thinks are over looked the most. he he he. Glad you went for the ride... you did go for the ride didn't you?
It's good to hear that it was just a simple overlooked incident. Hope you got your stress relief? Also, I do not think I ever saw your car in color. all photos I have seen are in black and white..pretty cool I think. another interesting read. Thanks.
My own favorite un-tuneing trick is leaving out the rotor and then freaking...must have done that a dozen times in my life. One time, I proudly fired the 59A after a tuneup and heard a nasty tick-tick-tick that wasn't there before bigtime freakout!! Then I noticed the distributor cap gently oscillating at the front of the motor, with a slight added quiver in time with the tics...I had remembered the rotor, but forgot to clip on the cap. and it was just dangling from its wire harness, running happily. So...what jets did you end up with, just as a datum point??
It's not unusual for me to freak out and think that I've got a serious problem when something isn't right with a vehicle...usually something simple like that though. I've got a "Keith"...I bet we all do. Nice to have people that are patient and don't hold it over your head when you need help....however simple it may be. Great entry... John Joyo...
My 54 has a floor pedal starter. I frequently forget to actually turn the ignition "ON". It turns but doesn't fire. Man, I wish I would remember that more often, it would save me a bunch of stress and bad words... r
I've pulled out of the garage or gas station more than a few times without turning on the fuel tap on my motorcycles. In that case, you get a few blocks away before the engine starts sputtering, so it delays the embarassment.
You need a motorcycle. Part of my job used to be to help non-computer people work on their computers. "My computer just died and won't turn on!!!" I'd crawl under the desk, and flip the switch on the power strip that got turned off when they kicked off their shoes under their desk. you can't really be annoyed when you are laughing.
Yes. That's one bitchin' coupe, Ryan. I never get tired of seeing it. It looks so "old-timey"...Traditional. In fact, it's SO cool, I bet you're ready to sell that ol' '38...
I am glad I am not the only one who does stuff like that......like jumping in my coupe...no pwer...freaking out..then finding out I gotta flip the kill switch off................
Next thing he'll do is drive around with the e-brake on trying to figure out why the car feels funny and smells like something is burning.... I know the feeling boss. Every time I have to call my dad I feel like I can hear him shaking his head on the other end of the phone when we hang up.
I can hear Pops from Sanford and Son saying "You big dummy". Man, when you run into problems, your heart sinks. And even more so when you can't fix-it or figure it out. But, when the solution is something as trivial as this you feel a sigh of relief. Good job Keith!
Lastr weekend I was jammin down a San Diego stretch in my A-Coupe to a Turks CC Bar B Q when the fan belt flew off the alt! I pulled over before the fan shredded the belt and got out the tool box. I COULD NOT get the damn alt bracket bolt loose! Had to call in the troops. So here they come with Bar B Q on their faces. In ONE fucking second the bolt was loose, blelt back on, and ... I was standing in a cloud of smoke from burn-outs. Duh.
Ryan, Keith doesn't laugh at you... What kind of pal would he be then? I bet he does get a chuckle, though... I did.
Thanks for the nice words. When Keith first "debuted" the car to me, I didn't think it could be more perfect. I stayed up all night just starring at it... The next morning, I got to hear it for the first time as we took it to the grocery store. When he started it, it got more perfect... At idle, it just sounds like a radical cam in a pretty healthy flathead. Then we got on the road... When this thing revs under load, it becomes something you can't describe. It's the most crisp, hardest hitting flathead I've ever heard. So much fun to drive...
One Sunday evening, after a couple of long-distance phone calls (those used to be a big deal, you know) to diagnose why my SBC just quit running and assuring dear old dad it didn't have a cracked rotor, he drove 2 1/2 hours to walk up to my dead car, pull the rotor, put a new one in, show me a thin line of carbon on the one he removed, and say "THAT is a cracked rotor". He was gone before I could say "oh". I still don't talk about that. BTW, that is asmokin A bone, and it was a pleasure to meet you at the Roudup, Ryan.
My "Keith" is named Raymond. We have been friends since middle school. He knows more about cars and bikes in general, and hotrods specifically, than anyone I have ever met. He is amazingly patient with me... Slonaker
Years ago --in the 60's I was running an Olds powered 40 ford & a Hemi powered 50 ford. I was all but done with changing the cam in the Olds. Went to the dentist to have a wisdom tooth extracted , they gave me sodium penathol ( twilight sleep) . After a couple hours recovery, I finished the Olds up. I was rather fuzzy but figured I could do OK. About the last step was putting on the plug wires, could not get it to fire, checked & rechecked everything , went thru the firing order a half dozen times, had spark but it WOULD not run. I finally gave up --next day my brother in law came over to see if he could figure it out . about 5 minutes looking he said " this aint't a Chrysler -- you got the dam thing wired backwards !!" I had spent all afternoon & half the night in a fog rechecking the firing order with the distributer wired for the wrong rotation!!
Hahaha. Welcome to the world of Model A shut off valves. I hate when I start mine, pull out into traffic and the car goes dead. "DAMN! Forgot to turn on the fuel valve..." While rolling, I push in the clutch, dive under the passenger side dash, turn the valve, yank the choke and pop the clutch... "COME ON! FIRE!" haha. done that many a time! I spent about 20 minutes drooling over that coupe on Saturday at the roundup. Hope my tongue didn't get too many water spots on your car! Thanks for sharing the story.
I once had a dead battery in my '48 Ford, and solved the problem by getting about 5 stout college students to push me off down a narrow alley in Carlisle... as they reached a dead run, I hit the ignition toggle and realized the damn key was in the bottom of my pocket under a handful of change and loose parts and I was heading at flank speed towards a dumpster with not only no fire but with steering locked--practically ripped my pants off getting that key out!
I always thought it was funny when my Dad and Uncle couldn't get the brakes to bleed on a Triumph they were working on. After a few minutes i informed them they were attempting to bleed the clutch. Both have a more then 40 years of racing, hot rodding, boating and riding experience. I always laughed at that until the day i attempted to fire my alcohol fueled racecar. It would only run for a few seconds after we sprayed some gas down the throats. My Dad was nice enough to inform me that i didn't have the fuel pump turned on. Full circle is always nice.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
Been meaning to ask you what you had for a gas tank in that thing. Guess now I know. I went the other way in my stocker 31 A roadster. Polished the car up, checked everything twice in preparation of heading over to help Tex Smith with the Americruise lunch he was hosting the next day in Driggs. The car was perfect. All polished up and all 40 horses were getting along with each other! Turned out the lights and went to bed. Got up early the next morning, got out to the garage, opened the door and stepped in to turn on the light...SPLASH! stepped in a puddle. Then I smelled it! Forgot to turn OFF the gas the night before and all 10 gallons had drained out thru that stupid stock carb. Carefully rolled the car out, wiped the gas off the tires, Hosed out the garage and left the doors open to air it out. After hitching a ride from my neighbor for a quick trip to the gas station with a 5 gallon can I was finally on the road. Got to Driggs in plenty of time, flagged everyone into Tex's place for the meet and greet and headed the procession into town for lunch after that. Everything was going great. Lunchtime we're sitting in the cafe eating Buffalo burgers with all the Americruse folks and I hear the guys in the next seats talking. "What do you think of these buffalo burgers?" "Taste pretty good but they smell like gas!" Shoulda changed my tenny runners and socks before I left home I guess...
My dad would be pissed if he knew I was telling this. My mom calls and asks if I will stop by and check on a car dad was working on....he's been out there for hours and it still won't start. He's too proud to call and aask for help. Dads are that way. So I drop by and he is steaming , I can just tell. I'm there maybe 30 seconds and I reach over and plug in the HEI quick disconnect and walk away..........he just glared at me. I figured I should leave about now.
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