hello guys. let me introduce myself.

my name is leonard from south florida. the edsel is my buddies car, and he aint much of a mechanic, so i have some questions for you all since i am the one working on his car.

its a 1960 edsel rager with a 292 v-8 and 2 speed transmission. the odometer reads 98k miles,a nd we seem to think its original. the car is in pretty darn good shape, with a repaint, original interior, etc.

it has a 2bbl holley carb thats about 2 years old installed by the previous owner.

its been having a slight stumble/bucking problem while at cruising speeds around 30-60 mph. runs fine while acceleration up to that speed, but once you hold it steady it will buck.stumble. float level is good, we took the needle and seat out and blew compressed air on the seat, but still getting the stumble. yesterday it was back firing through the tail pipes, so we popped the new looking distributor cap and found the points to be burned and the inside of the cap looked slightly corroded, so we put a new cap, rotor, condenser and points in it this morning. got rid of the back firing problem but still stumbles/bucks.



do you guys have any suggestions where to start next ?



i can hear some valvetrain noise, like lifters, and a buddy said that is normal because these engine are solid lifter engines ?

after a cruise when we pop the hood, i can see some smoke coming from the oil fill cap, and i dont think thats good, probably blow by, right ?



next sunday we will do a compression test, and i was wanting to know what is normal for the 292's ?



also, we are looking for an automatic transmission filter for it, but nobody has one. when we were at autozone today and we told them edsel for the tune up parts, of course they looked at us like we were from mars. LOL. noting for edsels, so i told them 1960 fairlane, and they had the tune up parts for that, and they were the same. but cant seem to find a trans filter. do you guys knwo the model of his transmission ? all i know is the standard c-4, c-6 and fmx ford transmissions, but dont know anything about an old 2 speed thats in his edsel.



any and all help would be greatly appreciated guys.

thanks



leonard

The trans is a 2 speed Fordomatic.If you cant get parts locally try Macsantique auto.com.If the filter is not too bad clean it and get a new gasket from Autozone.Fordo 2 speeds are all the same.If you take off the rocker covers and run it do you see oil comming out the rocker shaft at the end(overflow tube)?I am not sure about the Edsel but is there a cannister on left side of motor ahead of the oil filter(roaddraft tube)?There is a filter in there that is likely plugged completely.Take off the centre bolt ,remove can and check filter.There is no engine ventilation as air goes in oil fill cap and out the roadrft tube.Very likely cause of smoke.start there and let us know what you find.Compression should be somewhere around 150 on a new motor.More important is how even are the numbers.Valve clearance cold is .019.Turn motor and do one cylinder at a time starting with #1 with motor at TDC and rotor pointing to"#1 cylinder on distributor.CC rotation.Firing order 15486372.Cylinder 1-4 passenger side from from to back.

  

you trouble seems like the carb.take it apart and give it a good cleaning blowing out all passages.

wow guys, thanks for the info, especially oldcarmark.

i cant remember what all is under his hood, but i will check it out next weekend. not sure how far we will dig into it valve cover wise, but will hopefully do the compression test and check the plugs for sure. (i got me a 57 chevy truck that keeps me busy).

the 2 bbl holley is kind of new, but im suspecting it might be getting some rust from the tank maybe. we really need to change both fuel filters also.

is there a possibility there is some rust/junk in one of the jet holes ? i guess we need to take the bowl off and dig a little further.

thanks again guys for the info. these old car websites are awesome.



leonard

I think its a good idea to check the fuel system.Change the filter(s).How old is the fuel in the tank.If its over 2 months old it is likely part of your trouble. To check compression remove all plugs and have carb throttle fully open.Should be done with motor cold.Each cylinder should get about 4-6 compression strokes.As far as valve train noise-you will hear the valves when first started.Should lessen as motor warms up.Let us know how you make out.

  

thanks oldcarmark.

fresh fuel for sure, since he drives it just about every weekend. not sure of the tank inside condition. it has 2 fuel filters on it, i think one before the pump and one after.

he does add some lead additive to a full tank. is that recommended ? gets it at autozone.



couldnt find my compression tester but i think another buddy has one we will borrow.



will let you know what we find, hopefully nest weekend.



leonard

Checking the ignition timing curve with a timing light while slowly revving the engine up and down (with transmission in park) may help in determing if the timing curve is smooth and functioning correctly.  In lieu of this, you might try disconnecting the vacuum advance and driving it.  If the stumble/bucking issue disappears, then put your focus on the distributor advance system.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

thanks for the tip ted. thats easy enough to try, unhooking the vacuum line.

what should the timing be at idle ?



leonard

Anywhere between 8° & 14° initial timing at idle with the vacuum advance unplugged will suffice for a test drive.

 

And Welcome to the site!

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

thanks for the timing info ted.... hopefully we will check it out this sunday.



leonard