Yup, you are practically right here, but I have the idle screw turned all the way out to low RPM, so yes both primary and secondaries are closed for the most part. Secondaries are closed completely, and the primaries are closed to specifications. I am trying to tag everyone that replied so far, so I can get everyone involved. Thanks for the information. But I have been adjusting out on idle, since there is a longer lift cam, didnt know if that would matter. But I can try it out and see if turning in the idle screws will make a difference, but at idle is getting better for some reason. I can start it up, and just barely pop the gas a few times and let it idle. 800 rpm or so....

 

Okay here is what I have, after doodling around yesterday and setting everything back to factory settings. I have the secondary stop screw back to factory, the vacuum advance is back where it should be, the distributor timing has not been set since I dont have a timing light. I took it for a test drive, and the idle mixture screws are 2 full turns out, it starts up, and idles amazing after a few pumps of the gas without a choke plate. After I let it warm up to about 130 degrees on the gauge, I tried to drive it (needed to take it to the gas station since it was on E) I backed it out the garage, and went to go forward and needed to pump the gas a couple times to take off, once i get the RPM above 1500 or so, it drives fair. Any kind of cruising before that is garbage, it will stall out on me. so basically I have to keep the RPM up around 2k or so. Once I got it on the road, it wanted to stall out if I floored it, but if I hold the clutch down and rev it up to about 4000 RPM and dump it with it floored it ran like a scalded ape. So does anyone have any idea how to correct this? Do I need to adjust the accelerator pump spring at all? do I need to increase the sprayer nozzles? It is sucking a vacuum of 20 inches of mercury..... which is damn near perfect.... since 21 inches of vacuum is a perfect seal at 14.3 foot above sea level.....

 

<p>Put the choke back....</p>

 

OH YES I DO know I need to check the secondary float since after flooring it in second gear until about 5000 rpm, went to 3rd gear and it stalled out, like it ran out of gas. But it didnt do it on the way home, it might have been too low in the tank, since like I said the gauge was on E when I left the house... But I want to check it just in case. But my biggest thing is the sputtering and stalling when trying to get it going forward or backwards.... do I need to adjust the accelerator valve for this?

 

LOL, Chris that would be a great idea, but the manual choke cable is seized up, and the whole choke system is seized completely open. I will look into it price wise, but the starting up right now is not a big issue for me. I have read where there are a lot of users have pulled the choke plate off for restrictions etc.

 

<p>Your engine has the final say on whether a choke is needed and when, you'd do well to listen to it instead of what others have done.</p><p>Is this the thread with the picture of the grody carburetor that's missing the black plastic cap for an electric-assist choke? If so, I'd rebuild that thing first thing... and put a choke on it. Once you get everything running as desired with known-good components, THEN figure out what changes you want to make, and make them one at a time so you can un-do your change in case it doesn't work out like you think it should.</p>

 

???? I am lost Chris, what are you referring to a grody carb? I rebuilt mine about a week ago with new rubber cap for the main vacuum port. And no this is not a carb with an electric choke, this one had a manual one, I posted all of my pictures on page one of this thread.....

 

If you are satisfied with the long warm up times, rough idle and stalling when it's cold, then you can leave the choke off. Be warned it will take it a long time to warm up.

But after you have driven it awhile(at least 30 minutes) and it's idling ok, but it still stalls when hitting the gas, I would suspect whoever put the aluminum intake on it blocked the heat riser passages. Right in the middle of each head is a exhaust port that leads to the intake. There is one on each side, and there is a passage in the intake that connects the two. This makes a hot spot right underneath the carb on the intake floor that helps keep the fuel atomized.

People read about racers blocking these passages for more power and to keep heat out of the intake system, and try to do it on a street driven vehicle. It does not work.

The only way you are going to know for sure that they block this passage off is to take the intake off.

 

Hey Dave, I believe you are 110% right on this. IF IM NOT mistaken though, these ports goes down to the exhaust manifold just to either side of the transmission/bellhousing..... I could be wrong.... but if that is the case my grandfather did do away with this system since it was rusted up and I have not pulled the manifold off myself. Thought about doing it though to replace the gasket since it is still running terrible, clean it up in the var-sol bath and try it all again.... but this would seriously cause that much of a problem? NOW I wont automatically assume this has been done so I dont want to rule this as the culprit just yet.... After driving for 30 minutes, the truck still needs a lot of throttle just to take off, forward or back, once going down the road, it will not cruise smoothly.....

 

<p>I want to try and read this entire thing tonight, that's why I've been quiet... just want to say that your lack of power smacks to me of lack of ignition timing advance...</p><p>I vagely recall you saying you don't have a timing light... well, then get one, don't just twist the distributor *****-nilly and see what happens. </p>

 

No, the passages are all made in the cylinder head. They are just connected to one of the passages that goes out the exhaust manifold where it bolts on. You can't see them at all.

 

<p>OK, so, I read through it....</p><p>For how long have you had this truck? Who modified it from stock? This thing came from the factory with a 2-barrel carb and an&nbsp; EGR valve, removing the EGR can cause pinging issues and other operational problems which are generally dealt with by re-curving the distributor's mechanical timing advance mechanism combined with what amount of vacuum gets applied to the vacuum advance and when. This makes me wonder if somebody has mucked around inside the distributor's advance mechanism, and maybe the base timing is just toooo far advanced... you had said changing the vacuum advance wasn't making any difference whatsoever, this is a red flag to me.</p><p>Dave had asked you to hook together two vacuum lines on the carburetor and observe any change in idle speed (Post 11) but I didn't see a response to that diagnostic step (although maybe you answered it in vague terms I'm not looking for).</p><p>I have no idea which base plate gasket you need, I see those channels connecting the venturis together at the base plate and have to wonder which should be gasketed and which should be open. Paging @85lebaront2 Bill Vose he used to run a carb &amp; tune-up shop, maybe he can help.</p><p>But my suggestion is to verify all the basics... you started with an engine that&nbsp; didn't run well, you changed the carb stuff, and it still doesn't run well, perhaps there are more reasons than just the carb...</p><p>I still have no idea to which vacuum source your distributor is connected, ported or manifold; just saying &quot;the passenger side&quot; doesn't help me (it doesn't help that my own truck is 15 miles away in my brother's back yard so I can't go look at mine)... does the port NOT have vacuum at idle (but then does as the engine speed increases)?</p><p>I have never heard of a &quot;diagnostic port&quot; on a carburetor.</p><p>But, in any event... verify the base timing, and observe the timing as the RPM increases from idle to about 2,500 RPM, make sure that is all correct and happy... once that is verified and set, then go looking at the fuel supply (car, vacuum leaks, etc.).</p><p>I have tried to get cars to pass the emissions test by disabling the timing advance mechanism... it causes a SIGNIFICANT degradation in acceleration and performance (and doesn't result in passing the test FWIW). It is hard to &quot;see and hear&quot; an engine's characteristics based on written descriptions, and I have in my mind what I have dealt with that can fit your descriptions but that doesn't mean I'm imagining what you're trying to describe, so....</p><p>A choke will definitely help cold start-ups until it reaches operating temperature.</p>

 

<p>The grody carb I was asking about is in a different thread.</p>

 

WOW CHRIS MY MAN! this is the most I have seen you post in one sitting LOL. SO I will answer your questions as you asked them.
My grandfather has owned this truck for the past 20 years. He has used it for an everyday driver for 10 years after he bought it. He changed it from the factory 2 BBL to the 4BBL with the edlebrock (it was a combo deal from a buddy of his).

When Dave asked me to switch 2 vacuum lines between the TIMED SPARK VACUUM AND FULL MANIFOLD VACUUM ports. (I am sorry I dont have a lot of information on carburetors and I am learning as I go. SO when I referred to the passenger side, I meant the Timed Spark Vacuum.... and my "diagnostic port" is actually the FULL MANIFOLD VACUUM port....

Now as far as Dave's question: I had the truck up to normal operating temperature and started my testing then. At regular idle speed which is about 800 rpm, I had no vacuum coming from the timed spark, once I got to about 1100 rpm, I had a slight amount of vacuum coming from timed spark port. I switched the two vacuum lines, and I did not see a difference in engine speed or idle quality at all. I do not have any type of timing light, and quite honestly have never timed an engine, even though I have saw some stuff on the internet on how to do it.

Cold start up is not really a big deal. I think it is fine now since I have swapped the base plate gasket I dont know which one I am supposed to use either, but the first one I tried apparently was not as great as I waned, plus I pulled the Carb back off and decided to change it then. Dave told me to try and use the thickest one possible. Chris I know you told me to put the choke back on, but I feel like it is fine without it. Plus it has been without a choke for about 10 years since it was rusted completely.

Any more questions please feel free to ask. And thanks in advance to all my brothers here willing to help me.

 

<p>Heh, I thought you were going to yell at me for being cold and abrupt. </p><p>(You should see some of the novels I've written here....)</p><p>OK, maybe I mis-read Dave's instructions, I thought he was telling you to connect two vacuum lines at the carb together and then see how that affects things.</p><p>Dude, get yourself a timing light......... you cannot work on one of these antiques without some antique-type tools. It is for more than just seeing where it's at, it's also for *watching what happens to it as the RPM changes* else you're just shooting in the dark.... especially when beginning with something NOT running correctly and properly....</p><p>I hope Bill shows up....</p>