1) It is amazing how hard it is to turn the manual steering wheel

2) It is amazing that I survived with these bad brakes, I kept locking up one wheel..and dragging that wheel to a stop.  I didn't expect much since all I did was break the drums free and bleed the brakes and it has been sitting for 30 years.

3) It is amazing that the engine happened to die close enough to the driveway that I coasted up the slope to the flat spot in front of the garage door.

So, yeah, the engine died...still had oil pressure, temp was maintained around 230 based on metal temp behind the t-stat housing, never went over 231.  I think it is a fuel problem because if I sprayed some starting fluid in the carb she would catch and stubmle a little.

Everything in the entire fuel system is brand new except for the fuel pump and the line bewteen the fuel pump and the carb.  The fuel pump looks newer..I think my grandpa might've replaced it at some time in the last decade.

My biggest fear is that some piece of debri made it up into my newly rebuilt carb.  If that were the case how would I confrim this?  How do I go about clearing a piece of debri in the carb?

Any other ideas?  She drove fine for about 5 minutes of driving (and I had warmed her up completely before leaving) then stumbled and died pretty quick.

 

10-4 on the brakes, the brakes were scarier than I thought they'd be...I promise to get those done, but it would be a lot easier to work on them if I could get the car home to my house, and driving it home (6 miles) would be easiest.

As far as engine temp, thermostat is new, new coolant, and from what I can tell, the stat isn't opening until I get the 230 temp, again this is the temp of the metal at the stat housing using an infrared thermometer, I assume that is a pretty good indicator of coolant temp since it is in direct contact with the coolant.

The fuel system is all new. New tank, new sender, new fuel hard line all the way from tank to the fuel pump,(no flex hoses), and the carb is completely rebuilt and ran wonderfully before this drive.  The only think not brand new in the fuel system is the pump itself and the hard line from the pump to carb.

Since it would stumble with a little starting fluid, i assume ignition is working, and fuel delivery is the problem.  Is this a safe assumption?  Haven't had a chance to try and start it again after it has cooled (had to get home) so don't know if it is heat related.  But again, since it would almost start with some starting fluid...seems fuel is a good suspect.

 

I agree with your use of the infrared temp test on the thermostat housing - and yes 230° is just a bit much. If you are using a new thermostat and it isn't opening until 230° - you need another thermostat. I usually test them on the bench with a heat gun - keeping it an honest distance away - then looking at it with the infrared.

Stuck with just trying to get the car home - take the thermostat out and battle with the carb - save that for another day.

 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona

I thought about the heat too...like maybe the fuel is boiling fuel in the bowl and vapor locking the floats.  But I thought that usually happened after you shut the car off and try to restart it.  When your'e running fuel pressure in the bowl helps prevent boiling I was told.  Also seems wierd that it took three laps around the block for this to happen as the car was maintaining the same temp the entire time.

It definitly was holding 230 steady...this was idling in the garage, but didn't notice much drop while driving (never over 25 mph).  Upper radiator hose didn't get hot until I was getting the 230 reading at the housing, so I assume that is when the stat opened.  And I checked again right after the car died and infrared thermometer said 230 still.

 

First things first -- SAFETY. Make sure those brakes are working right. If you can't get to every wheel, then by all means make sure that your front wheels have good working brakes. But, don't forget that the original master cylinder only had one line going out to all wheels...so if you have a leak at the rear, essentially you are affecting the operation at all wheels. Make sure there are no leaks, and adjust those shoes properly.

On the fuel issue (good point on using the starting fluid to see what you would get for combustion), is there any chance that you may have run out of fuel? Don't know how much you put in initially, but odds are after you put in that new tank you didn't fill it up with 17 gallons, right? How much have you been at idle, tuning the car, turning over the engine and pumping fuel, etc? I don't mean to sound stupid,,,, but this very thing happened to me one time. I thought it was a fuel pump, etc., but on a whim I went underneath the car and tapped the tank with a hammer...EMPTY! Arggghhhhh! My fuel gauge was way off...

just a thought before you go checking everything else out.

Daniel Jessup

Lancaster, California

aka "The Hot Rod Reverend"
check out the 1955 Ford Fairlane build at www.hotrodreverend.com

Dan, yes thanks for pointing out the often overlooked simplests solution...I will eagerly go back to check this weekend, but I put in 3-5 gallons and haven't run the car that much and the gauge seems to be working, but like you said...maybe the gauge isn't really working. (keep fingers crossed...I know how to fix it if she's out of gas!)

I am also eager to see if she starts up now that she's cooled all the way down.  I would much prefer a heat issue over something clogged in my carb passages.  But I'm doubtful as she was all warmed up and had been sitting at that temp for qutie a few minutes before I started driving (I wanted to be sure it held the temp before I went out in the street), you'd think a heat problem would've shown up idling in the garage.