My fiancés new 1936 Buick 3 window coupe

You have also turned the distributor a degree at a time???

 

Also. Very very very important. Your oil pan more than likely now has a pint or more of gas in it from trying to start the engine. After you get it running. Change your oil immediately. It will tear up your internals really really fast.

 

Good thinking! Yeah yesterday my dad helped me and turned the dist while I cranked.

 

The condenser is in effect a short term battery that stores electrons, thereby momentarily holding voltage stable while current through the circuit increases. A condenser will only conduct a change in voltage potential. Thus it enhances the duration of the current through the primary of the coil and increasing the induced voltage across the coils secondary.
If you have left the key on for some time you could have burned up the coil. Check for spark at a plug. Expect a blue spark. You may be on track with using a separate battery for the coil. Also try jumping with 12 volts it won't hurt the starter if you don't crank it for a sustained period. Just don't turn on any lights while it is jumped by 12 volts. It would be best to have help to hook up jumpers just as you're ready to crank.
Also, this may be a long shot but it happened to me. I sheared of the roll pin that locks the distributer gear to the distro shaft. It occurred when I shut the engine off and it began to diesel. To check for this simply turn engine over by the starter while the distro cap is removed and watch for rotor rotation. The load on that roll pin is not just the distro but the oil pump, it's gears and oil pressure load et al. So if when you last shut the car of it dieseled this is a long shot possibility. It took me 6 hour to figure that one out.
Hope this will give you some more ideas.
Best Regards, good luck with all you endeavors, KB.

 

That is an wonderful car, and a lovely fiancé.
Congrats to both of you



I like the fact that you plan to run the straight eight, that is so cool.
Ak Miller ran a straight eight in a 32 roadster at the lakes.

If it's good enough for him, it's good enough for most people

 

The DMV is no fun and will only let you put 1936 plates on a 1936 car.

 

Olds yeah I figured as much but it was worth a shot! I think I might try to get custom plates with the same numbers on them then run the worlds fair plates. We'll see.

Volvo yeah I just built a 263 for my 52 Buick I love these old straight 8's man! Such awesome motors. I was getting 23 mpg in my 52 before the rebuild!

Telekenfun your idea on the pin that's one thing I have not checked yet I will do so tomorrow! Thanks for the ideas! I tried the 12v idea already and no cigar!

 

If you try and use a 12 volt battery as a jump, I would attach one jumper to the frame and the other directly to the starter. Make sure everything is turn off, lights ect. and don't put foot on brake peddle as to not turning on brake lights. I'm guessing that when you changed out the points , you didn't pull the distributor or remove plug wires from cap.

 

I would recommend going back to the basics on figuring out what went out of adjustment.
If it literally was previously running ok or even running, there is no reason why it should not.

Even if the thing had a blown head gasket it would fire over and sound like crap.

It seems as your points may not be set right. Or somehow off from the correct setting. Maybe setting them so they have a bigger gap?


If it had to do with the fuel you can just crank it over while someone sprays some easy start to see if it fire a bit. I doubt it is that.
Your starter cranks over, check
You have fuel,check
your coil is sparking, check
is the timing correct?

You need a manual.

And report back. Im pretty sure its something simple that when out of wack or my be a hidden kill switch? Maybe the cap went on 180 degrees off?

 

Your a Lucky man . Enjoy

 

Awsome deal,
Congratulations.
One thing no one mentioned..
Was checking the valves.
Possible they have sticky guides Or are pitted.
Check back in my build thread.

Another idea..
Run a jumper wire from the battery to the possitive side of the coil. In case you have a voltage drop when cranking
.
Good luck.


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You should listen to this guy. When you took your compression test, you should have taken it dry and with oil in cyl. That way you would know if low compression is from valves or rings, and I think your compression readings are low. I believe you need closer to 125 to get ignition. After all the gas you have put in those cyl.s, they must be dry. If you haven't changed the timing to much, I bet it will fire up after you put oil in the cyl.s.
Taking for granted you do not have air leaks with your carb. Don't be afraid to use a lot of starting fluid sprayed down the carb when you go for a start. It's magic.

 

I agree that your compression is low but the manual lists 114-118 as stock. Since you had it running before you messed with the carburetor and points, thats probably where your problem lies.

 

The manual may say 114 to118, but there are some very low readings here. IMO, 90 pounds is marginal and the rest, forget about it. Test again with oil in cly.s and throttle wide open. If you get better compression, it will start. You've got spark, fuel and air, what more do you need? Compression.

 

A couple of things that can mess you up with the Buick straight 8s. First the flywheel can be put on 180 degrees out. It will still run ok etc but your timing mark will be 180 out. A lot of Buick Straight 8 have been put on wrong in their past. Remove valve cover and look at rockers to make sure you are at TDC when the timing mark shows up. My 49 is on wrong and it did cause some issues until I figured it out. Also, the distributor shaft turns CCW. When checking the firing order keep that in mind. Most GMs turn CW but not the Straight Eight Buick.

Those two thing can really mess you up when trying to start it up after a tuneup. Don't ask me how I know.

Also a source for Nitrocellulose Lacquer is a guitar repair place. A good online source is Stewmac.com . I have purchased Black Nitrocellulose for one of my guitar builds.

 

Thanks for all of the Input I'm going to confirm tdc and that my distributor pin did not sheer then try oil in the cylinders. Do you guys think o should try motor oil or marvels?

 

Motor oil is all you need. Do as you want, we all look for something exotic when it is something simple.

 

On your compression test, just checking that you held the throttle wide open when doing it? If not you will have lower readings. The oil vs dry is to help determine if it is ring seal or other problem for the cause of a lower reading.

I agree, check that TDC is lining up with the distributor firing for that cylinder. When it cranks do you get spark? Even if out of time, you can see that. If no spark, then figure that out first, then verify the timing.

 

Ok so I finally got it! I pulled the plugs again added 5 small squirts of delo ran the test again and compression bumped up about 30 lbs on every cylinder. Then tried to fire it and still nothing. (Keep in mind this thing was running fine and it never died I shut it off myself and I had never touched the distributor. ) so then I pulled number 1 plug again got the motor at tdc and the rotor was a little off from being at 1.
So I went through everything again pulled the plugs again turned the motor over a little then pulled the valve cover off verified it was at tdc via both valves closed and pulled the cap and the distributor was 180 out!!! I hadn't done this previously because I kept telling myself it was running great there's no reason to pull the dist. But apparently I was wrong.

So I pulled the dist spun her around set her back in and she fired off instantly! However it sounded like it was dieseling or that it was firing was to late. The sound almost sounded like my rocker arm was hitting the valve cover slightly (it wasn't I confirmed this) so I shut it down. This is where it gets weird.

I pulled the valve cover back off to make sure the rocket arm wasn't hitting set it at tdc pulled my cap and the rotor is 180 out AGAIN!!! So I'm thinking maybe I have a broken distributor pin. I know one of you mentioned this earlier but it wasn't showing signs of that previously.

The only thing I can think of is the last time I drove it i was cresting a hill at low speed on 3rd and killed it, well since I was still rolling I just popped the clutch and she fired off and along I went another 500' to my driveway. I'm think maybe that could have caused the pin to break? I have a spare distributor im going to put in tomorrow and see if that helps and if I can figure out while I'm 180 out again yet it's running.

Moral of the story. No matter if you think something can't happen. It can and it will. Thanks for all of the advice ideas and help this is why I love the hamb!

 

So great, it is so nice to get feedback.

Keep at it, lad!

Can we expect a "christining" video, or at least some more picks?

Maybe some pics of the future miss Motorsport at the wheel?

 

Great news. Don't forget to get that oil changed.

 

You may have been top dead center on the exhaust stroke. Hard to visualize the dist. jumping exactly 180.

 

Agreed
Since the dizzy makes 1 revolution for every 2 crankshaft revolutions
I've seen a lot of guys chase their tail
Not realizing its a 2 to1 ratio.

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Nice trade. Good looking lady and good luck with the old car that is defentaly a keeper. (both car and lady) lol keep the updates comeing on this thread. That car reminds me of old mafia times. Get a tommy gun to go with it lol. The chop would look good but defintaly the skirts with it a bit lowered would be killer. Keep the stock white walls and those chrome caps in one of the photos it looked good. And paint it black and man that car is the one.

 

I don't want to be off topic, but rodders, don't miss the A-arm suspension on Ak Miller's roadster!
Ak was quite the man, and also competed in the Carrera PanAmericana with a '27 T on a '50 Ford chassis,
(as well as his Pikes Peak mastery!).

 

When you install the distributor: first make sure you are think that it turns counter clockwise on straight eights. Next, when orienting the rotor I was told to set the rotor slightly past the caps electrode. Why I asked? "Because, when the spark is subjected to the vacuum and centrifugal advance mechanisms it will be closer to the correct electrode than the one before it". Of course simple twist of the distro housing wallpaper to create the same result that is not accounting for if the points have already broken or not. On these Buicks there is only so much rotation range available so it the right place has to be crept up on one tooth at a time.
Just another thing to consider.
Best Regards, KB.

 

But I hadn't even touched the distributor prior to it not running, then when I flipped it 180 it fired right up. So if I flip it again won't I be right back to where I started or did I actually only do a 90 due to the 2:1 motion ratio?

 

Ak is the man! I wonder where that car is today if it's still around!

 

I will check I think it may be just a tooth off . Still confused on how it got spun out of time tho!

 

Hey Live a little thing sorta related to share. I had the hotrod out for a short run Dec 24. It ran but bogged a lot everytime I gave it more gas. Thought it was the cool weather and thermostat...
Fast forward to now...I was in the garage the other day lookin her over and was pressing down the wires on the cap and the dizzy spun about an inch or so. What the...I drove it all last summer with a loose distributor. (It ran ok but hey maybe I've been missing better performance )
Haven't started it yet and am expecting some entertainment finding the magic spot.
I don't have a timing light and will get one I suppose because things can get noisy guessing.
Good luck with your adventure finding the magic spot...cool car by the way.

One more thing...watch out if your adjusting the dizzy with thing turning over or running...there is a lotta juice there. I rearranged a hood with my head one time with a jolt from a wire turning a dizzy...