That’s part of the risk of used wheels….but also the appeal..the choices of widths and back space is so limited today the used market is where we end up looking and we gotta do our homework and take the risk..I’m in an even worse situation owning a car that’s a nightmare shoving a rear tire under..an inch either way makes it a no go
Well, pretty sure I found why it started running like crap recently. Not sure I have ever seen a distributor look this bad when I took the cap off. And, I have never run a brass gear before, but this one is pretty much done… Looking forward to how it runs when I get this all freshened up.
It’s only been two months, but I finally got around to ordering all the parts I needed to rebuild the distributor. The last parts came in yesterday, so hopefully get it back on the road soon. It has been hot enough lately that I haven’t been real excited about working on it. And, I have been busy fixing broken water pipes in the yard and other vehicles lately. I’m partly posting this update for my own accountability to get it fixed soon now. Cooler weather is coming, so I would like this and my Harley both fixed to enjoy the fall.
Does it have a roller cam? The roller 350 in my 2000 GMC had a dist gear that looked like that. Seems to be a common wear item with rollers.
Yes, it's a roller Dan. I have a new bronze gear to replace it and have also read that sometimes the first bronze gear wears the quickest. Then, the wear rate slows down on the next ones. We will see. I would have ordered a composite gear but everyone was out of stock on those.
Also...still looking for a set of 15x8 slots for the rear with 4-1/2" backspacing if anyone is hoarding a set... I really want to get the slots on this thing. I did dismount the fronts the other day to both fix a leak around the bead and polish them better.
I put a melonized gear on my dist for the roller in my coupe. They're supposed to last longer. We'll see.
Got the distributor back in but it still isn’t right. Decided to give up for the night and will mess with it again soon. I think I need to throw some fresh plugs in among other things.
This thing sat too long…. As bad as the distributor looked, pretty sure it was working decent. But, the front needle and seat…not so much. Went to check float levels and fuel was bubbling out the vent tube. Pulled the needle and seat out and the o-ring broke in half. So, pulled the front bowl to make sure everything is cleaned up and working right.
I also went to go see another set of slot mags yesterday on one of my three trips to town after getting the car going (because any reason to drive it to town was a good one...) Anyway, they were supposed to be Ansen Sprints that were 15x7-1/2 with a 4-1/2" backspacing. Since I wasn't going to be tricked again, I measured the backspacing. They were 7-1/2" wide, but the backspacing was only 3-3/4" which sticks them out too far. So, the search continues...
Why not a steel gear like Ford did with it's roller cam??? We never had that problem with the 5.0s....
I assume it is just something to do with what the cam blank is made of and how it wears as compared to the gear on the distributor. I have run hydraulic roller cams in engines and just run the steel gear with no issues. Anyway, I figure it is safer to run what the cam manufacturer recommends. I would rather wipe out a distributor gear than a cam.
Sure brings back memories to drive this thing again. Went and hung out with some guys I have known for the past 30 years or so in town that still get their cars out regularly. The pictures I saw one of the guys taking at Sonic could have been taken in the 90’s and looked the same (at least of the cars)…
Ah yes, double tach'ing. Same thing in my Demon. 3k=60, 3.5k=70. Fun stuff until you need to cover a lot of miles with modern traffic.
I can't believe the condition your distributor was in. It looked like it'd been driven down dirt roads all the time. Sure sounds great now! And I gotta say, I really love the look of your car with the Draglites. Probably because you and I are so close in age. The late 80s thru early 90s were some of the best years of my life.
Thanks! I’ll always keep the draglites. They were definitely the wheels to have when I built the car. I just thought I would see what it looks like with slots for a while too.
Driving the Chevelle nearly daily lately trying to convince myself that it is reliable enough to lead a couple hundred old cars on the Oklahoma Hot Rod Hundred this coming Saturday. I kinda hate to drive it since I am breaking our 64 and older rules with it. But…my 56 definitely needs some work to do it. And, I think the Chevelle identifies as a 64…
'68 Chevelle tail end treatment is so right. The slim tail lights blend in with the center panel and the sharp edges down to the bottom of the bumper frame it all in. Cool car, slots are a lot of work but would take it back 2 decades. How about those new chrome slots? '68 Cutlass was also a looker in the rear end department. I dig the trumpet tips.
Really need to do something about the fuel cell. Between only 10 gallons, no gauge, and no room for groceries, I am about done with it.
Lol! Stocking up the shop fridge. Some of the structure for ladder bars is in the way of the stock tank. I’ll just have to build one.
The Jalopy Journal
