wallaby

There is usually some fine-tuning of linkage when doing a carb swap. The new carbs are sort of "universal" and may not be exactly the way you are used to. I am putting together a small block right now with that same carb, and the relation of the throttle to the kickdown is a bit different than GM carbs had. It would seem that the linkage attachment points on the new carb are a bit closer together than on the original carb...(more compact, if you will)...and it messes with the cable travel on both the throttle and the kickdown. You can start by loosening the bolt on the back of the carb that also holds down the throttle cable bracket, and doing your best to rotate that bracket as far rearward as it will go to eliminate some of the cable slack. I had to modify my bracket a bit to get a good fit, so maybe a new bracket would be better to experiment with...rather than messing with the bracket you have? I also made myself a bushing that goes in the large hole where you presently have your return spring, so I can mount my cable connection there. A washer or 2 of the correct outer diameter might fill that hole like a thin bushing. With a larger washer on both sides to sandwich the bushing in place, you can mount your throttle connection pin through it all to hold the whole mess together.. So the idea is to move the cable connection point forward, and the cable housing mount rearward. Once you have that set up to your liking, the trans kickdown can be hooked up and adjusted. My setup was good, but it didn't pull the kickdown cable far enough. The plastic clip used for cable adjustment has plenty of travel to make the cable longer, but limited travel for making it shorter. I had to enlarge the holes in the bracket that bolts to the rear of the intake so I could move that bracket a bit further rearward to make my cable a bit shorter. Adjustment of the kickdown is simple...Lift the plastic clip on your cable adjustment. Open the choke on your carb with your finger, and with the other hand open the throttle fully. While holding the throttle fully open, push the cable plastic clip back down to lock it in place. (it will snap when it seats fully) The cable adjustment should be correct then. There should be a tiny gap between the pin on the carb and the end of the long slot on the cable end....you want to achieve full throttle just before the cable reaches full extension, but you also want the cable to be pulled as far as possible without hindering the carb movement.

I have another project I am working on that has a big camshaft. I went with an adjustable PCV valve from M/E Wagner. Kinda pricey, but figured it would be the last one I'd ever need to buy. Some good reading on their site as well. http://mewagner.com/?p=444

Hmm...owners manual says Dexron II. The type F is a bit thicker and gives a firmer shift. Maybe that's just old "bench racing" rumors. I still have an old cardboard can of B&M trickshft...that stuff is blue. [scene fades to flashback segment...Youth plunging spout into cardboard oil can and side of can collapses..empty cans strewn about driveway...]

You have the problem under control then? I was surprised nobody mentioned the 4-way flashers until we got pretty far into the post.

Sounds a s if your 4-way flasher switch is in the ON position. When the 4-ways are running normally, stepping on the brake will freeze the blinking process and all four corners will be brightly lit. I used to put on the parking lamps, turn on the 4-ways and drag the brakes to exit my driveway early in the morning so my headlights didn't wake my neighbor. Having the front lamps lit bright like that was good enough to see where I was going. Do your 4-way flashers work? I'm thinking maybe your hazard flasher is bad...the switch has them on, but you don't know it.

Let me guess: You tightened the spring tension on the secondary air valves?

FYI. I ran Merlin iron heads on mine, and spark plug location was an issue. I was also running factory manifolds. With headers, they were ok.

The trick is in the air cleaner base. I ran a RPM Q-jet manifold with a drop base air cleaner and it all fit. I ran a 3" tall filter...the lid constantly rubbed the underhood insulation, but never the hood.

They all mount up the same. There might be a difference in the "clocking" of the wire connections. but that can be changed easily. Ignore the amp ratings for rebuilt alternators, they grab a case from a pile and fill it with the average stuff. Who knows what case they grabbed.

I had an issue with a broken valve spring once....It was a bugger to figure out.

Same thing with chevys. The sender is a variable ground. No ground at all, the gauge goes one way, and a perfect ground sends the gauge the other way. I have seen issues when teflon tape is used on the threads causing a poor ground. I have a thread sealant made of lead, made in the 50's...eco unfriendly, but works great as a conductor and an anti-sieze.

If you want original stuff, You're going to be stuck with a small cap, and a set of points and condenser. Keep a matchbook in the glovebox, and don't forget to use cam lube on the rubbing block. Ditto the above, HEI didn't come available until 74-75, but is a worthwhile upgrade.

Where is the leak? Brass radiators are usually easy to fix. The aftermarket will try to sell you an aluminum radiator: they are much lighter, but look completely different. I went with a Be-Cool radiator in mine, it works fine but didn't fit in the original mounting rubbers. As I said,( even if you were to paint it black), the square tanks on the aluminum jobs look like a modification from the original radiator.

I don't know about the MSD setup, but have HEI in mine. My HEI requires only a hot wire from the ignition. It's sensitive though, and requires a full 12+ volt supply...I have my power routed through a relay for the power supply. When I changed to a mini starter, I had to install a diode kit because the mini has no dedicated feed for ignition while cranking. The diode kit is just a length of wire from the starter that has a diode along its length. I got the diode kit from American auto wire.

That's odd.I have never heard of a .070 over piston. Usually, .060 is considered as big as you want to go, and the next step is .120. I have my original engine and it's at .060 now, but it needs to be rebored. Some castings will let you go to .120 without issue, and others have the cylinder bores not exactly centered, which causes a thin wall on one side when over-bored. That's what sonic checking does: it verifies that there is sufficient wall thickness. Cylinder sleeves are the only repair for thin walls, and one or more may be needed. The good news is that sleeves are a good repair; I think every aluminum block engine comes from the factory with them.

My first thought was Volkswagen. They don't look American to me. Maybe there are some nuts or bolts underneath you can at least determine if they are Metric or SAE ?

There is an adjustment that can be made to the cable installed length. It is made at the plastic connector at the carburetor bracket. I don't remember how it's done...a simple push on a tab while holding the throttle fully open, I believe. And FYI, the trans will shift through all gears even without the vacuum modulator hooked up. In that situation, the modulator sees zero vacuum....just as it would if the engine was at full throttle. The upshifts would then depend on the governor, an probably occur at around 5000 rpm. You would have to have a long stretch of road to get it into 3rd... The kickdown cable might be too tight and the trans is trying to step back a gear, even at part throttle. (again, the governor will force an upshift if engine revs get too high). Does your 1-2 shift seem to happen at a normal time? Or is it hanging on to first gear for a long time?

That looks similar to what I got. I wasn't real happy with where they exit, so I modified the very end section. You can adjust how much "drone" you want from your exhaust by starting long, then shortening it for more volume inside. Mine end just about at the furthest point of the bumper reach.

I got a nice set of mandrel bent 2-1/2 pipes for the over the axle part. Wish I could remember where they came from. (same as Chevelle) My exhaust guy said he could fab some, but his bender would crush them down to 2-1/4 or less in the process.

You can go 1 step further and run a 1/2" hose from the breather location and route it to the underside of the air filter housing (inside the filter ring). This way at full throttle, there is enough vacuum available inside the filter ring to draw away the fumes that would otherwise escape through the breather into the engine compartment. At slower engine speeds, the flow reverses, and filtered air is supplied from the air cleaner, then travels through the crankcase to the PCV valve side. I found a neat "breather looking" item from summit that has a PCV valve inside. Looks like the fancy breathers, but with a tube coming out the side that leads to the base of the carb.

Maybe it's just me, but I have had those fuel leak and thread issues at the carb inlet. I choose to eliminate the internal filter and rely on an in-line filter. That way, the big carb inlet fitting never has to be messed with again.

The tubes you found are for feeding the secondaries....they will do nothing for idle and cruise situations. It looks a s if your carb is getting wet on the outside...and on the top. I suspect you have debris in the needle-seat assembly, or a heavy or sunken float....either way, you need to take that top off again and inspect. I would go ahead and start it for a second before taking it apart. That way you can see just how full the float bowl is when the top comes off. With the top inverted, the float should be level. if the float is heavy, adjustments won't help. Sometimes you just need to put in a new float because it's so hard to tell if the original had a problem.

I run an in-line filter in the rubber hose before the pump, and assemble the carb without any filter. That way, I never have to mess with that trouble area. If you think you really need another filter at the carb inlet, use the paper option instead of the sintered bronze type.

I think most of the aftermarket intakes don't have the exhaust crossover required to run a divorced choke. Even if you could mount one, there is no heat supply to run it. Those intakes require using either a manual choke, or an electric choke, or none at all.