Projects Cutting my Hotrod Teeth (57 Chevy Budget build/revival)

No needs to go out of your way to please me. Just because I bring humor into this does not mean I'm poking fun at anyone.

 

It's all good Gee babe! Just trying to help Pineapple on his journey. I know how it can be to be so close to getting a project to the next level and overlooking the small stuff. I've done it myself many times over the years.

When he mentioned about the old Snap On starting box and the "pressure" gauge that 57chevydude sent him I remembered that post where he sent it to Pineapple and I just thought " oh shit it may be just an old school vacuum gauge..."...hopefully it is a compound gauge.

 

As Johnny Gee said a fuel pump don't care if it's wet or dry. Take off the inlet fitting and the outlet and crank over with either a gauge or just your thumb, your going to get suction or pressure or not.

 

Hey guys I'm pretty sure it' a vacuum gauge.

 

Lets hope he's been following along and looking at the gauge faces shown.

 

Yeah i guess for some reason i thought it was a pressure gauge, oh well, i don’t have much more car time before i go back to school, none actually so next time i’m home i’ll bypass the clear fuel filter and fill the tank a bit more too

 

Stay with it. You'll be glad you did.

 

I usually put a $20 fuel pressure gauge on the output of my fuel pumps. That way I can rule out fuel pressure right away if the car won’t start


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For the cost of a NEW fuel pump, change it. Real cheap insurance. Any old car I get my hands on, those get changed right away. Too much risk especially if the car or engine has been sitting around.

 

I agree a weathered diagphram can let gas enter the crankcase diluting the oil and causing bearing damage. I know a guy that the fuel pump was adding gas to the oil. And somehow it ignited and the explosion litterly blew the valve covers & oil pan off the engine. I used to run the old D7 cats that had the 2 cyl pony engine bolted to the side of the block. The gas tank was gravety feed. and after the main diesel was running you shut off the valve at the settlement bowl and let the pony engine run out of gas to kill it. Any way I was working on a cat in the shop when this old guy came by. The left side of his face and arms all bandaged up. He was looking for a pony engine for a 3T cat. He told us his pony engine exploded. It seems he wasnt shutting the gas off after starting. He was switching off the ignition. and over time the pony engine crankcase became full of gas. And he was kneeling on the track with the pony engine running working the starting pinion and clutch levers when the cast iron starting engine gernaded. He had it in the back of his truck and it was certainly a impressive carnage. Of course that was the good leaded high octaine gas we had in the 60,s. Todays corn gas on a cold day you gotta heat it up to light it with a match.

 

I always install a filter someplace between the tank and the fuel pump. Any debris that gets inside the fuel pump can damage the one way valves and abrade the seats.

 

Those clear plastic filters are a fire waiting to happen. Never install one between the fuel pump and carb. Under pressure they pulsate with every stroke of the fuel pump. the Clear glass ones aint much better. I use the old fashioned settlement bulb & the sintered brass filter inside the carb inlet.

 

I do the same thing, although in my Ford the tank is new. I piped in an old Holley red filter that takes a Ford fuel pump element just after the tank. I make it easy to get to. I have a metal Moroso in-line filter up stream of my fuel pump before the carb. Those plastic clear ones scare the ship out of me.

 

its a glass one and its not between the pump and carb...

 

Can we ask just exactly where it is, the location may be your fuel problem!! Ralphie

 

well the fuel line i have in it is made for a 6 cyl car, so it's a bit short. at the end of it, i have soft line and the soft line runs to the fuel pump, in the middle of the soft line i have the filter.

 

YES! Sorry, I guess I forgot how to English lol


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How much soft line do you have? Anything over a few inches is too much, at least for me.

 

Be sure it's fuel line and not just soft vacuum line which can and or will be sucked flat if it's before the pump. Ralphie

 

i think i know why the motor won't idle and i have to keep my foot on it. There's no choke rod. i'm not sure if my particular quadrajet needs one but i know it doesn't have one.

 

Yes it does need a choke. Is the choke plate there? I am not sure what you have but if it was an automatic choke that was either heat or electrically operated it can be converted to a manual with a choke cable. Once warmed up it should idle but without a choke you will have to ply with your gas pedal to keep it going unless you turn the idle way up.

 

The closing of the cold choke is what sets the fast idle speed of a cold engine,but the choke only works right if it's hooked up properly, it needs heat from the exhaust manifold or it needs to be on a manual cable from the dash. The plate and rod are absolutely needed to operate the fast idle cam. Post pictures of both sides of the carb and we will have a look. Ralphie

 

Here again the right book would be so helpful.

 

a carb has two systems a idle circuit and the power valve and jet that kicks in above idle. There are two screws in the base plate of your carb. remove them and spray carb cleaner thru them to be certain they are not plugged. then replace those pointed screws and just bottom them out. then back each one off 1 &1/4 turns. adjust the screw on the throttle lever until it stays running when warmed up. Then with that vacuum guage keep adjusting the idle screws until you get the highest steadiest vacuum possible. at the same time reducing the throttle plate opening. Now if you engine has a problem like leaking valves a vacuum leak, flat cam lobe, loose timing chain'bad vacuum advance. all of those will effect the ability to achieve a smooth idle. It takes time patience and attention to detail to properly tune a engine. It also takes know how. However the only way to achieve Know How is by doing exactly what you are doing working on it and asking questions.

 

this is what i don't have. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...KqcdVOstNK2xPcdGg0bLSCuIMZvrjKOwaAgNhEALw_wcB

the wound up spring is still on the intake but nothing is connected to it.

 

Bend one up with a piece of #9 wire then drill the one end to accept a cotter pin, whole thing for less than 90 cents.

 

I know a lot of people love them, but around here we call them quadrajunks. And then they say, that's because you don't know how to work them, and I say, I'm sure you're exactly right lol. I just slap a fresh Holley on and be done with it. But that's only because I'm not skilled in the whole carb. Department.


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Sounds like "if you have to keep you foot in it to keep it running" you have solved your fuel supply problem. One thing at a time and you will have it licked and on the road. Ralphie

 

A Choking case of Cold Bloodedness? Is the Boy Wonder on to something?

 

Yes when they work properly the Q jets are great carbs. But they need to be calabrated to the cubic inch of the engine. larger engines are jetted different than smaller ones. I don't like the Ouadra junk. I like the Carter AFB.s . On a 283 a Qjet style two bbl that hasn't any secondairys like came on 301 Pontiacs would work ok.