No Steve, when the initial timing was set .. it's with the vacuum advance(unhooked) blocked off. Total advance is with the vacuum line hooked up.

Doing Fords for 45 years. '56 Customline Victoria

E.J. in Havana FL

Somehow we are mis-connecting here - What is the total centrifugal and mechanical advance when the vacuum is disconnected and plugged - and RPM is raised to the point where no more mechanical advance is being added by the distributor?

You have 10° initial - the centrifugal adds to that, and you want it to be all over with at about 36°-38° total. To avoid knocking while running only the initial and centrifugal, this sum should be reached at say 3000 RPM. If it runs way up over 3000 RPM to get to the full mechanical stop - you should consider getting the distirbutor "re-curved". 

Engines wil run pretty well with mechanical and centrifugal alone and a reasonably "quick" curve. This meaning the sum of inital and centrifugal rises to full at 3000 RPM or so. The vacuum advance is added to provide part throttle fuel economy on the street. When it is added in - total advance with all three features summed - can go up over 45° and more. But when you hit the throttle -and vacuum drops away - you will be running on the mechanical curve (initial plus centrifugal).

When the distributor vacuum pot is run on ported vacuum - not venturi vacuum (different subject) - you will not be adding any vacuum advance at idle. The engine will run on the initial alone. Even with the initial set at 10°-12° - my 312 will elevate its water temperature when run at idle on ported vacuum. If you switch to using manifold vacuum advance at idle - the engine speed will elevate, and the temperature will drop. It will cause you to want to "retune" the idle mixture but the temperature reduction will remain.

 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona

I don't know Steve, I've never checked all of that stuff. When I put the new Holley on it it had a diagram of all the ports & stuff. One of the said "distributor" and that's where I plugged the vacuum line into. I would 't think 190 degrees would be enough to make it vapor lock at, basically, sea level. My next move is going to let it sit & idle until it does it again & I'm going to make sure it's not carburetor ice. Then, like someone on here said, I'm going to do a fast cool down on the fuel pump and see if it will start. Then I'm going to check the line and then maybe cut the line on the outside of the frame and run a rubber line from there to the fuel pump as far away from a heat source as I can get it. That's my plan.

Doing Fords for 45 years. '56 Customline Victoria

E.J. in Havana FL

I had a clogged fuel filter give me trouble before. It would run fine with the rpm up, but was hard to start and would die at stop signs. The pump would aparently push enough at high rpm to force fuel through, but not at low rpm. Maybe this or combined with another problem gives your slow cruise/hot temp symptom. Less pressure means a lower boiling point. Have you tried installing a fuel pressure gauge between the mechanical pump and the carb. Tape the gauge to the windshield and read the psi when it starts to act up. This will at least tell you if it is a fuel delivery problem

Jepito, I've got a 7 psi electric fuel pump. I would think that would take care of any fuel delivery problem. Also it starts fine and never quits at a stop sign as long as it's below 190 degrees or so. I don't think it's a delivery problem or an electrical related problem. It is either vapor lock or carb ice .. I saw one of those Nascar cars vapor locked yesterday ..

Doing Fords for 45 years. '56 Customline Victoria

E.J. in Havana FL

OK, here's the latest. I just went out and cranked her up and let her sit there idling. At about 175 degrees on the temp gauge that gas goes to boiling like crazy. I have a see through filter about 6" before the carburetor. I could hit the electric pump and the bubbles went away. I pulled the hose away from the fuel pump while it was bubbling and it quit bubbling. I let things go back to where they were and turned the electric pump off. When it got to about 185 to 190 degrees she quit. It's strange that when it did quit the filter was full and there was no boiling. I did like somebody said and poured water on the fuel pump. It didn't immediately make any difference. In about 5 minutes she started back up. I put a piece of metal between the pump and the hose and held the hose away from the metal with a stick. I let is sit there and run and again when it got back up to about 185 she quit again. I poured water on the coil just to cool it down. Didn't make any difference. After about 5 minutes she cranked right back up. I don't think it's the line going to the fuel pump because it isn't anywhere near any heat source anywhere until it gets to the pump. I can touch it. I felt the bottom of the carburetor bowls and they weren't hot. I touched the vacuum lines up by the motor and although you could touch them you couldn't hang on to them long. After it quit the first time I took the air cleaner off and looked down in there.

at the venturis there was no ice. Couldn't see down to the butterfly valves. I can't imagine that gas boiling at 175 degrees water temp. but having said that by looking on the net it says it will boil between 100 degrees and 400 degrees. Ummm, interesting. I guess this cheap gas with ethanol has a lower boiling point than normal gas. That is probably why old cars back in in the day didn't vapor lock very much at sea level. I wonder if higher octane would be any better? Aviation gas won't vapor lock that's why it's iffy to put auto gas in airplanes.

Doing Fords for 45 years. '56 Customline Victoria

E.J. in Havana FL

Since you have a carb spacer and two pumps the only thing I can think of to stop vapor lock (if the problem) would be to run a return line to the tank. This keeps the fuel constantly moving in the line and won't allow it to heat up. Also you could just use the electric pump, since the mechanical pump is bolted to the engine it might be heating the fuel as well.

Since the 2 barrel didn't do this, my vote is that the viton needles are being softened by the alcohol and sticking in the seats.  My .02.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

Well John, I don't know if the 2bbl would have done it or not. It was never in that configuration with a 2bbl. There are 2 places I go that the whole scenario even makes any difference. Cruising Atlantic BL at Turkey Rod Run in Daytona Beach in November and at the cruise in Cairo GA in May. Those are the only 2 places where it matters. I could crank it up and run the length of Route 66 and it would never miss a beat (unless I got in some really slow traffic that lasted at least a half hour). I may try bypassing the mechanical pump and running it totally electric and see what happens. I mean I'm trying everything now .. that sounds like a logical next move.

Doing Fords for 45 years. '56 Customline Victoria

E.J. in Havana FL

Well here's the latest. I just went out and put a water hose on the fuel pump and let it sit running with the water at a slow flow right on top of the fuel pump. The gas never boiled and it sat there and idled for a long time. I took the water source away and in a little bit it went to boiling in the filter. It finally died. I let it sit and cool for awhile and cranked it back up and when it went to boiling I put the hose back on top of the pump and the boiling stopped. I noticed even with the water source there and not boiling the throttle response was real sluggish, a big hesitation. Now it's had a hesitation ever since I put that brand new Holley 390 on it but once above an idle it was fine. In this condition it was hesitating any time the throttle was jabbed. It even did this with the electric fuel pump was going. If the throttle was advanced slowly it revved up just fine and to no limit. I was wondering if this cheap 87 octane gas with 10% ethanol has anything to do with it. I'm about at my wits end and I hate to piss off $$$$ looking for the problem. I think maybe my next move my be to run it directly with the electric pump. I don't really want that as my primary fuel pump. I think I would probably need to put a regulator in the line. It's a 7# pump which may be a little much just for regular street use. At least that would take the mechanical pump out of the equation .. What do ya think ?

Doing Fords for 45 years. '56 Customline Victoria

E.J. in Havana FL