Awesome news! Sometimes I look at the guys who just open their checkbooks to get hot rods, my truck will never win a trophy, but those guys will never know the satisfaction of working through it and getting it done. Enjoy it.

Mike Rizzo

1963 F100 "Rudy"

Daniel Island, SC

Sometimes we have problems, and want one thing to be the cause of all the symptoms.  We have to step back, take a deep breath, and go throught everything step by step.  The end result will often be just what you found, many little things causing a big headache.  Glad to hear you fixed it, now enjoy it.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

Great! It can  be so frustrating when the puzzle pieces just don't seem to fit. Sometime you have to sleep on it and start with a fresh look. Now you can enjoy the truck while you work on it. Chuck

Y's guys rule!
Looking for McCullouch VS57 brackets and parts. Also looking for 28 Chrysler series 72 parts. And early Hemi parts.

MoonShadow, 292 w/McCulloch, 28 Chrysler Roadster, 354 Hemi)
Manchester, New Hampshire

I think there were many problems, my attention to detail being at the top of the list. The carb turned out to be a mix of parts that a po had put together to "make it work" The plastic points that came with the new rebuilt distributor were crap. I installed a ballast resistor in the "on" feed from the ign. switch, and reconnected the "start" ign. lead from the starter selenoid. I replaced the single pole selenoid that was in it with a dual post starter selenoid. The exhaust I had rigged was too small (1 1/8" id  it now has the stock crossover manifolds dumping into 2" id with a 90 degree sweep instead of a sharp 90 in 1 1/4". I pulled the intake again just to check and found nothing that looked like a vac leak. I had lost the o-ring seal on my comp. tester somewhere along the way. with that replaced my comp. tested 125# - 130# warm with throttle wide open. I installed a vac port in the intake right near the carb. base and am getting 17-18 inches at idle with a small/fast bounce in the needle.

The engine does need to be rebuilt but it is running well enough to drive local which is what I needed it to do for now.

                                        Thanks again, Mark

What turned outto be the problem? Chuck

Y's guys rule!
Looking for McCullouch VS57 brackets and parts. Also looking for 28 Chrysler series 72 parts. And early Hemi parts.

MoonShadow, 292 w/McCulloch, 28 Chrysler Roadster, 354 Hemi)
Manchester, New Hampshire

She Runs !! Most problems have been fixed, still runnin a bit rich,  even drove it around for the first time.

 Thanks to all for the help,   Mark

Not for nothing, I don't want to get you chasing another gremlin, my intake set up is different, but I chased a combo bad PCV valve and a leaky PV in the carb, I kept looking for a vacuum leak when it turned out it was pulling the air from the PCV and running off the PV rather than the idle circuit. It made it seem like the rings were shot from running way too rich, also ended up with a lot of fuel smell in the oil, turns out was really simple at the end. Mine also would drop dead when coming to a stop and the engine lugged below 700.



Long story I had some of the folks on here give good advice and just start eliminating one at a time.

From your description it seems like you probably have 2 or more minor issues mimicking something sinister. As the others have mentioned I would start with the electrics coil and distributor, wires etc. maybe spend a few bucks and get a local shop to bench flow test the carb. Kiss---- fuel-air-spark. I don't want to sound condescending, but I also have been in the place I was going to take a .45 to it. I needed someone to talk me off the ledge.


Mike Rizzo

1963 F100 "Rudy"

Daniel Island, SC

The only source for a vac measurement is the line from the distributor to the carb. I plan on picking up a nipple to fit the bung in the intake on my next trip into town.

Mark

   If you do have a compression reading of 70 PSI as the lowest and 120 PSI as the highest then how can you you have a MANIFOLD VACUUM of 20 inches? Are you taking the vacuum reading off of the manifold or the CARBURATOR? Pete

I re-read the posts on this, you mentioned going to the salvage yard and getting a carb spacer.  Sometimes a late model spacer does not seal against an early manifold and/or carb, creating a vacuum leak.  You might check the spacer carefully against both the carb and manifold and gaskets.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"