At idle... can't get it to keep running. Has been suggested that I open up the end carbs and my problems are over. Will see and let y'all know. best. himmelberg

 

Main jets shouldn't have any effect at idle. Sounds like an idle jet adjustment required or a fairly significant vacuum leak that won't allow adaquate adjustment. When you say the end carbs are blocked off, do you mean sealed off or disabled from throttle opening, because if they are merely disabled, they will still influence idle as their idle circuits and idle airflow will still contribute.

Regards, john

 

John... end carbs are sealed off at the manifold right now. They have had their idle circuits blocked and null power valves installed. They have been rejetted with 48's. The center carb would be rejetted from 51's to 55's.

This recipe is from an article in Hot Rod, circa 1957. Not that that validates anything... it's just a place to start.

Will try to set the thing up the way it is supposed to be. My plan to get there incrementally isn't working. thanks. himmelberg

 

What John says is correct, but I wonder if blocking the end carbs might actually bring enough air through the center carb to get it into the main circuit of operation. Interesting method for sure. It doesn't sound like an efficient way to use the flow potential of a tri-power. Not that I am qualified to comment. Share your progress Peter. It will be neat when you are done.

 

Now fenders I could take ofence to the painting comment as I do know how there are some educators that spend their summer in Summer School trying to stay current. There are some though that I have seen slide by year to year and that does give those that want to present worthwhile content in the classroom a bad name.
As for this carb problem that has come out of the thread I am curious as to why you would disable the outer carbs on a tri-power set up and run just the center. You might as well put a duece set up back on the engine. If you are having a vacuum problem as suggested you could use a propane bottle and crack it open and run around the area of the intake and carb and when the idle picks up or smooths out you will have a good indication where the leak is at. I know there is a tool on the market that you can use to adjust the carbs on the tri-power so you can get the power produces equally from all three. If all else fails look at what the manufacturer recommends for setting up the unit. Good luck.

Gear Up

 

Hey Gear... I'm leaping over the teacher question because I know that 'fenders NEVER means to offend. What do you teach?

When it comes to the truck, my goal has always been to keep it driveable... it is my daily transportation. The reason for blocking the end carbs while setting up the tripower was an attempt to take the truck immediately to its previous configuration that was working fine when last running. This way I thought I could empty the bed of tree limbs, come back, massage a carb... fill the bed and repeat.

Not a few viewers probably know the guy who spends his time looking cool. This guy would be the one who simply ran his three deuces on the center carb. Looking cool is not anything like being cool. Check with John C. Niolon on this. Being cool means running progressive linkage.

This does two or three things. Runs just the center carb for normal driving. Offers four other barrels when you stomp it. Cool. With progressive linkage you do not need an idle circuit on the end carbs... it is eliminated. As are the power valves. This eliminates the need for matching the carbs and use of the Uni-syn.

himmelberg. (Trying to be like Niolon )

 

Himmelburg

WOW that was uncalled for!

Chuck

 

?

did my attempt at humor offend? sorry

 

No need to be sorry Peter. He may have missed the 250 part Niolon series of tongue in cheek "Be cool like John" posts.

OK, now it's my turn....

Himmel

I apologize for the horrible comment I made about you .................. Not. The day I have to apologize for ribbing you will likely be my last one on this forum.

Can we talk about carburetor's now. Any forward progress today Peter? Is that article on the web or paper?

 

Hmmm... I thought those 250 posts were required reading to join the forum. And if this ribbing keeps up I'm going to go chat with those nice people on the HAMB. Not.

I'm starting over on the manifold in question. I retweaked the end carbs, reset the float on the center carb and put in a new power valve. Set up my fuel block and pressure gauge, redid the linkage.

While Ms H cranked the engine I watched the fuel run up the lines and read 2.5 psi on the pressure gauge. Seemed like there was plenty of fuel... so much so that my front carb (with the oldest throttle body) was seeping fuel on the throttle shaft. The spark is again suspect. Perhaps its timing?

Wondering if I fried the Jacobs unit during the smoking ballast resistor stage. Had to stop and remanufacture a coil wire to go direct from coil to distributor.
Pondered installing a Pertronix unit that has been on the shelf for a few years.

Had to do a little artwork for the theater and get it delivered today for manana we are going to the Big Bend to catch the warm weather for a few days. Upon return I am going to go with a full blown tuneup from compression through the distributor through carb tweaking and beyond. At that point I will lay the evidence before you with pictures and let you decide. best. himmelberg

 

... oh, and that article is from Hot Rod December '57 issue.

 

Peter

That sounds like an excellent plan. You'll want to be absolutely certain the ignition is right. I assume we are playing with three very old carbs? That's complicated enough without worrying about an outside factor (ignition), jumping in and out of the equation.

 

Not sure of the model of carb, but have you already tried adjusting out the idle screws to increase idle flow? I know this has probably already been done, but it has not been mentioned. John

 

Peter,
I was an Industrial Arts Instructor for six years. I got out of teaching because I felt I wasn't effective enough in the classroom anymore. I enjoyed the students but the administration was the downfall. I was chief negotiator for the teachers two out of three years at the end and I got on the wrong side of the superintendent. Drafting, woodworking, metalworking, welding, and automotives made for a pretty full day.
Hope the carb and ballast resistor problems are being overcome. As for fenders I know it is all in good fun and he knows that a few grains of salt go a long way.

Gear Up

 

Gear Up

I have the highest respect for teachers. I absolutely do not have the patience. I'm thankful somebody does. Most of you work for half my paycheck. Sorry for popping off if you took it that way. I know you're a serious guy Lynn. At least you post that way. This place has just gotten a little too straight faced and uptight for me lately. I get enough of that at work. We are out of good equipment to deploy. We spend all day restoring tired trucks, praying to God they won't break down on somebody's son during a combat patrol next month in Iraq. I never dreamed it could be this intense without even being there. Maybe I just make it that way. And now I have good reason to believe they are going to take my soldiers, allof them, and make them Military Police and deal them out like a game of stud this fall. The officers will not be needed because they don't need artillery skills and fear another prison scandall type situationwithrookie MPs. I can think of nothing more dishonorable then sending your soldiers off to war and watching it all on CNN. I just wanna puke.

Anyway, this place continues to be a stress reliever and I reserve the right to harass Peter at my pleasure. He will cut me right off at the knees whenever the urge may strike him. We have history here. Same for Niolon, Purple, Bubba and a bunch of others. Somebody will misintepret now and then. It's bound to happen.

I am going to go even farther off topic for a moment. I am an avid fisherman. There is a fishing guide here that is quite successful, published in major magazines , well respected etc. He teaches at a Northern Iowa university and is a known as "The Fishing Professor" He may be as smart as Peter. (He can most certainly out fish him, I would probably never pay Peter 200 bucks to take me fishing ) I hired him once long ago. Anyway, when I asked him how he got into guiding he replied "Because teaching doesn't pay very well and I can't paint" That one liner stuck with me forever. Maybe you had to be there but I about fell out of his boat laughing that day. That's where that comment came from.

Later and sorry for the gut dump.