Got a standard 239 Y block in my '54 Skyliner and it is fitted with a Holley 350. It is currently running 68 jets and is running like a dog!! Does anyone know what would be close for the old 239 Y block, which hasn't been modified.
Look at your plugs, is it running fat or lean? There is no standard jet for a given car, you jet each carb to whatever it is on by the way that it is running. Could be that running like a dog is not your carb at all, vale lash, point gap, timming, compression or the lack there of, burnt valves, spark plugs and spark plug gap. That is the short list.
The old loadomatic distributor and stock carb were designed to work together. I would suggest finding a 57 up distributor.
Like sunbeam said, the loadamatic uses a venturi vacuum signal that isn't there on the 350. They calculate load from airflow, like the signal that opens the secondary's on a vacuum 4bbls If you have a stock distributor it will definitely not work. To see if you are running rich or lean at cruise put it at around 2500 rpm and introduce a 3/8 or so vacuum leak. If the RPM goes up it is rich, if it drops you are lean but no telling how much. Usually you should pick up a 100 RPM or so if u carefully add a little bit of propane. At cruise you should be a bit on the lean side. Plug reading works best for full throttle mixture, if the carb is in good shape and you have 25-100 RPM gain with propane you should be real close. If you pick up a lot of RPM with the vacuum leak you are way rich on the cruise circuit, check the Power Valve for leaking. Here is the setup manual, the stock jets should be close, see the instructions. http://www.holley.com/data/Products/Technical/199R7950-7rev6.pdf Hoop
So many possibilities.... I would put that carb on another engine ( buddys car or what ever) and see if the problem follows it, if not, then go iginition route.... Its tough, but if you change to many things at once, you will never know the fix, or cause if it gets worse....
I forgot you can use your hand or the choke plate to richen it also. So if you lose RPM with a Vacuum leak, fix the leak, then play with the choke by hand to find the highest RPM, this will tell you how much on the lean side you are, if you pick up several hundred RPM the cruise is way lean, probably not the jets, but something plugged up. So to summarize we are putting it at 2500 using something to hold that throttle position. This gets the carb up onto the cruise circuit. Then we want to ballpark the cruise A/F ratio by adding air to ck for rich and fuel to ck for lean. We want the cruise to be a bit lean for mileage. We can tell about how lean by adding fuel with propane or slightly choking to get the most RPM gain. We want 10 -150 gain with richening. More than that we are too lean. If the carb is ok and we get the cruise right then we control power enrichment with the power valve. The power valve should be about 1/2 the Neutral idle vacuum reading. So if we have 17 inches at idle, we need a 85 power valve (8.5 inches). All you need is a vacuum gauge and a tach and some common sense. The engine will make the most power a bit rich at cruise (because you need the leanest cylinder at 14-1 or so. We want to be closer to 16-1 at cruise. If we are 15-16-1 at cruise the power circuit will get it close to 12-5/13-1 for full power. Of course if the idle is all messed up or the mixtures are way off, the problem not jet size, something is bent, broken, leaking, or plugged. The stock 57 292 specs for timing should be close. Ignition Timing: Engine Std. Ign. Setting All exc. 300 HP (Std. & OD) 3* BTDC (max. 6* BTDC) All exc. 300 HP (Ford-o-Matic) 6* BTDC (max. 8* BTDC) 300 HP Supercharged (All Trans) 6* BTDC (max 10* BTDC) Timing Mark – Vibration Damper marked “TDC” and “2”, “4”, “6”, “8”, “10” Degrees BTDC. Align correct mark with pointer (bolted to water pump). Ignition Advance - @ 2500 RPM: Total 37 - 45 degrees Cent. Only 19 - 23 degrees I would want to be on the high side unless it pings. Hoop
Well you are in luck!! Your's truly has a copy of the "1954 Ford Passenger Car Shop Manual Supplement!" This and the '53 manual covered everything for '54! In the specifications section we have the jet size for your 239! Oh how things have changed where we need everything off the damn car or truck to get almost any kind of part!! I'll give you all the sizes!! Standard; 0 to 5000 ft alt. is # 56. 5000 to 10,000 ft. alt is # 54. 10,000 to 15,000 ft. alt. is # 52! How's that for simplicity! And yes you are pretty rich! 12 jet sizes! Hope that helps!! Mike.
That's great info FM, but it's only the correct jet if he had the Holley 2100-DD. Holley Applications 1953 8 239 100 HP S.T. Holley 2100-DD EAB-C 1953 8 239 100 HP A.T. Holley 2100-DD EAB-D But he stated he has a Holley 350 2BBL. Here are the Holley specs CARBURETOR # PRIMARY ----PUMP ------Power --------------METERING - DISCHARGE --Valve -----------------JET------NOZZLE 0-7448---------- 61 ------0.031-------- 85 (generic 350) HOOP
The Holley 350 is the wrong carb to have on that engine . If you keep the carb you need to change the distributor but that carb will still be too big for that engine . Get a good to use or good rebuildable Holley 94 and that will work with the engine . I would also replace that distributor due to it will only work correctly with a carb that was made for the Load a Matic distributor . The bottom line is replace the distributor and the carb to a Holley 94 or 2100 and you will be running much better ! Just my opinion and I have owned a few Y blocks ! Retro Jim
Good info Hoop, but the above might be misleading as the 4412 series is a 500cfm carb so those specs don't apply. Hoop is referring to the 7448 or the 7524 holley.
I agree with Jim, but I wonder if the OP is using an adapter for the Holley or if the manifold has been changed. If it has the 4 bolt pattern I'd recommend an Autolite 2100, has the flows more air and has the annular discharge nozzles, but that's just my 2 cents. The Venturi Sizes are cast on the body; Venturi - CFM 3" 1.5" 0.98 = 190 135 1.01 = 240 170 1.02 = 245 174 1.08 = 287 204 1.14 = 300 213 1.21 = 351 249 1.23 = 356 252 1.33 = 424 301 Four barrels are rated at 1.5 inch of mercury, 2bbls @ 3 so I gave you both scales. For the 239 I would suggest one of the 3 smaller sizes, and they are usually found on 260s 289s. Hoop
It may not mean much to change the jet, or the carb, if you are still running the Load-O-Matic distributor, without a carb that control it. You have more than one problem. You either need to go back to an original carburetor, or upgrade the distributor, possibly both.
Thanks for all that info guys...............I agree the carb is wrong for that size engine. I believe the distributor has been upgraded.....according to a Ford fan who knows. I will be looking at getting an original, but it will have to be off a 272 as 239 are thin on the ground over here in Oz. The Autolite sounds like a good proposition too.
Well, I sort of "mis-spoke", I had assumed you had the original Ford 3 bolt base carburetor on the engine. I don't know if you have fixed it, but you said a "Holley 350", I take it that is a 4 barrel with 350 c.f.m. capacity? If that is the case those 68 jets are pretty big, IF it is a 2 barrel, way too big. Have you looked at the spark plugs, I have a feeling the electrodes will be black, which is excess fuel! There are so many things, do you have a friend that you could swap carbs for a little while, basically to see if it idles and runs better, not necessarily to drive? If that is indeed a "350" c.f.m. unit, it's a little big, but it can be made to work.
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