Ok guys, beating my head against the hood on this one. My '57 Bel Air runs great. That is until I turn left and accelerate. Then it dies. restarts and dies and restarts. I have looked at the 327 with 3 in the tree motor mounts and they seem fine. It doesn't seem like fuel but I did check the float on the 600 cfm holly and again it seems to be adjusted correct. It does have the mechanical fuel pump and I don't see anything there either. I think it feels more electrical because of how it dies and restarts so quick. I looked at the firewall and I don't see any signs that the distributor is hitting. Anyone run into gremlins like this?
Oh as for changes... the guy I bought it from change the carb, fuel pump and gas tank. New distributor, plugs and wires. The car does need a new wiring harness but again it only happens when turning left. Other wise it runs really good.
I had a similar problem...turn either way and it would occasionally die...but would start right back up. Drove me crazy all summer. Turned out to be a poor wire connection on the Neg. side of the coil, that went to the distributor.
Had a car that would cut out at times and it was the wire going from coil to the distributor. Had a spade end that was a bit loose and wobbled. Crimped the spade tighter and no more issues. Hotrodjack33 types faster,lol
Get a ground wire from the engine to the firewall and engine to frame. Had one once that would go through spurts of the same thing. Looked under the hood at night once, and could see some arching of the stock spark plug wire loom to the firewall, the only thing that was grounding the engine, intermittently. Ran a separate ground wire, and ran fine from then on. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Probably the Ignition switch! Start your engine , then hotwire from the battery to the Ballast resistor A 57 is easily hotwired at the fuse box. You unplug the wire attached to Terminal #1 and plug it into either Terminal #8 , #9 , or #10 [one is usually available] The terminal #1 wire is on the switched side of the ignition, and has continuity to the ignition circuit [ they share a common bus] Terminal #7 is a 12v constant feed from the battery [So you must unplug the Terminal #1 wire to switch off the engine] You will not have a heater fan/ radio while performing this test Then go for a drive and see if you have byp***ed the gremlin. This will rule out /confirm the ignition switch [the gremlin could still be between the switch and the coil] Also Check the sock on the Fuel Tank sender.
I had a similar problem with a car I have. It would just cut out and then come back. I ended up untaping the harness and started shaking it. I would do little spots at a time until I found a plug on the distributor that was intermittent. I would idle your car and have someone turn the wheel and see if the steering shaft cause the harness to move. Jim
Just went back out to check the coil and everything tight. Removed the big chrome air cleaner and took a spin. It is amazing that seems to run find straight and turning right but now I can actually kill the engine by turning hard left while sitting still. Still feels electrical. Next jack up front end and see what might be hitting under the front end.
Generator or Alternator? Still using Ballast Resistor? Does it happen only when warmed up, or also when cold? Factory Electric wipers? [If so Disconnect this] 57's are notorious for having dodgy wiring from the plug on the back of the Ign switch through to the coil. The reason is total lack of circuit breakers on the ignition circuit, AND factory electric wipers connect to the 12v side of the ballast. A faulty or jammed wiper motor will "do a Lucas" on main ignition feed from the switch The only wiring that is steering column related is Turn signals/ Horn ground. There is a large flat 7 pin plug at the base of the column that causes issues [but not engine related] here's a colour coded 57 wiring diagram [attached] get a copy enlarged, you will need it.
Have you checked to see if the ignition harness is rubbed through under the dash anywhere? How does the harness look where it goes through the firewall? Also, check the Gen/Light harness connector at the firewall to make sure everything is clean and tight.
I didn't think about underp*** issues. Next on the list. Sent from my SM-A115U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Hey guys, really want to thank everyone for the help and suggestions. Rule 1. When you buy a car check it over for the basics. I got under the car looking for what could possibly make it die when turning left, only. Found nothing. Then I realized I didn't see a grounding strap. I remembered that some Tri-Fives had them on top of the engine grounded to the firewall. Check and no grounding strap. Sure enough Butch/56sedandelivery hit the nail on the head. Installed a grounding strap and what do you know? It hasn't died since. I am ***uming that was it but will continue testing for a while. I should have known when I saw all the excess wiring everywhere. That will become a top priority to install a new wiring harness. Thanks again
Glad you got it sorted out! A new harness kit would be cheap insurance against future disaster, 60+ year old wiring can get pretty sketchy sometimes. American Auto Wire makes factory and conversion harnesses for whatever ignition and charging system you're using, it's quality stuff too!
I'm glad it was that simple. Electrics can be frustrating sometimes. On a 57 the ground strap from the battery is bolted directly to the engine [water pump bolt] Then the body is grounded to the engine via a wire attached to the generator body. This wire is often overlooked with an Alternator conversion. Also all ground wires should use a "star" washer underneath for a good connection Post some photos of your 57 [or a link] Ours is an ex Texas car, now in NZ [it still has the original serial numbered Texas safety inspection decal]
Now that is cool. I am doing a ***le search because the guy I bought it from said his dad was the original owner. He never transferred the ***le to himself after his dad p***ed. Of course stories like that don't always work out.
I have some pics of the '57 in my albums. I seem to have problems getting my pictures uploaded. I might be a some limit.
Easy! Open the photo, then open the "snipping tool" , left click and drag it across the photo.[and release the ****on] Then Right Click and paste [direct onto your reply/posting]. Here's an example [for you] This is a good method for plagiarizing/posting photos off the net without opening a folder for them Here's another partial snipped version This method also works attaching photos to emails Nice car by the way!
I see how that works with current albums but I figured everyone could see those. Since I made that album i haven't been able to add to it or create a new one. I just figured i hit some kind of limit.
I've seen cars where the engine ground cable was left off. All the current then has to run through the throttle linkage, cables, and whatnot which is pretty iffy. That might not be your problem, but as everyone has chimed in, it is probably a poor connection of some kind.
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