I just joined, but have been lurking for a time. Excellent stuff on here, and I'm hoping for a suggestion. I bought a POS 32 ford with a 350 in it. Didn't do due diligence and paying the price. Got everything else fixed but no power to electric choke on Edelbrock carb. No fuse box,everything direct wired. Single wire alternator so no stator terminal. No holes in custom firewall, reluctant to drill any. Hei ignition, but everyone says not to run off the batt terminal for the choke. Electric cooling fan. I cannot trace the wires, there's no fuse box, no stator terminal. I'm 76 yrs old and not mechanically inclined. Haven't driven it at all in 13 months and hate to put it into Winter storage without putting a few miles on it.. In Utah a choke is a necessity. Any creative idea's for a switched power source given the situation ?
Why not use the power to the HEI? It's switched power, and should be wired with enough current capacity to supply the choke heater. Chevy used an oil pressure switch when they started using electric chokes around 1981, so the choke will only get power once the engine starts. The switch was PS-135 (Standard Motor Parts number).
Thanks for your prompt reply,squirrel. I want to use the HEI BATT Terminal, but the majority of the hot rodding forums say it is an absolute no-no. Causes high end spark problems or some such. I looked at my oil pressure switch, and it is a one post sending unit looking thing. The car has electronic gauges..if I replace the sending unit single post thing with a 2 or 3 bladed older style oil switch, I'm wondering will it disable the gauge?
you'd need to add the other switch, while keeping your oil pressure sending unit that you already have. Chevy put the oil switch on the side of the block above the oil filter. Are you going to be running the engine at high RPM? or just driving around?
I am near Toronto Ontario Canada (point being I am not in the "tropics" or desert). I had a 350 in an off-topic Chevy Nova (summer driven only) and ran a Holley carb with no choke. I actually milled the choke tower off the carb entirely. I had absolutely no problems running the car without a choke. The car was (as yours will be) stored in the winter. I am unclear why you state "in Utah a choke is a necessity". I would adjust the choke so it is fully open (disabled) and drive it until you store it for winter. If the choke is all that is holding you back, that is how I would handle it. THAT being said, (if I were you and I know, I ain't ) although this requires a hole to be drilled, I'd convert the carb to a manual choke. I believe Edelbrock sells both electric and manual choked carbs so they possibly have a kit available to convert or, hit a flea market and find an Edelbrock that has a manual choke already on it and swap it to your carb. I have no experience with cars not equipped with fuse panels. Good luck
What ^^^^^^^^'He sez'... You're not really gonna drive that 32 'hot rod' in snow & cold weather....are ya ?! Even if ya do.....spray some start fluid/carb cleaner/Brakleen(I love that stuff!) down the throat and fire it up. Let it idle for a while until it gets up to temp and you should be all set. Keep a can of the fluid in the back to use on the road. Electric chokes are more of a pain than a help......for a fun ride/hot rod/weekend play purdy.... For your everyday ride/wife's car its a different story. 6sally6
you never know what an electric choke is or is not doing. I put a lawnmower throttle type cable on all of my cars and always know where its set
Most aftermarket carbs run way rich most of the time, so you can easily get away without a choke most of the time. I like a good working automatic choke....my next preference is no choke at all.
You need to add a good fuse panel/universal wiring kit to your Christmas list. That will give you something to do next year.
Also, it’s pretty common for the gas to evaporate out of edelbrock carbs after sitting for two weeks or longer.. this will make it harder to start and may be part of the reason you think you need a choke..
You have an ignition powered wire going to your HEI. Split the IGN wire and add a pigtail for the electric choke on the carb. That shouldn't effect your ignition at all. The electric choke only uses the electric part to warm up the choke until it opens, and that should ground through the carb body. There should also be a vacuum canister (called a choke pull off) with a rod attached to the choke plate. That canister has to hold vacuum( push it in, cover the end of the hose with your finger, it should stay sucked in, remove your finger from the hose it should come back out). When vacuum is applied, it should open the choke plate, there is a specific amount it should open the choke plate. You bend the curve on the rod that connects to the choke plate for adjustment, a little adjustment goes a long ways. The point is, when the canister has vacuum, it should open the choke plate some (generally less then 1/4" between the blade and the housing). The round choke dial has marks on it for a "normal" then several marks toward either side, rich or lean. Loosen the 3 screws that lock the dial in place and start with it set at the normal position so the choke closes when the motor is cold (below 50). See how it works for a few days. If the motor runs rich (blubbers and chugs and while its cold and the choke pull off is working), move the round dial one line towards the lean side. Try it for a few days. Only move one line at a time, trying it for a few days each time. When it starts to run worse, move back one line. The goal is to have it work for you. The most I've ever seen them turned was 3 lines off center in either direction. If the motor runs lean (stumbles and hesitates when cold), rotate the dial one mark towards the rich side. Try it for a few days. (If moving the dial doesn't change anything, the choke pull off may be opening the blade too far.) Only move it one line at a time, trying it for a few days each time. When it starts to run worse, move it back one line. Again the goal is to have it work for you. The electric choke is a great invention, and it can be adjusted to work very well. Properly set, it makes the carb work its best from a cold (or very cold) start to the best warm performance. Nearly all issues with poor choke performance is poor adjustment.
I apologize for being slow to answer. I only have access to a computer at home, and I was called away. I sincerely appreciate all your help and suggestions. I don't intend to drive the car in a Utah Winter,of course, but even now, and through the Fall, it'll be cold and getting colder. I tried making the choke permanently open, and I have to sit in the car and keep it by running by gas pedal for a good 5 minutes. If I go anywhere and the car sits for very long, its rinse and repeat.It will not idle on its own until the temp needle starts moving up the gauge. I can drive it that way, of course, but it's disappointing and, since I'm sure you all experience this with your cars, people watch these old cars, and its embarrassing to me to sit there trying to keep it idling. Call it vanity. I'm aware of the gas seepage issue with the carb, a place here locally sells "pure" gas,no ethanol or whatever, which I heard or read pretty much stops the float bowl evaporation and seepage? To address some other comments: I would love to have seen a fuse panel in it. I am not capable of putting one in, and over the last year I've found absolutely no mechanic in the area willing to even look at the car. There is a heat/air conditioning unit under the dash, very little room to even see the zip tied wire bundles, but its definitely all direct wired. It is gonna be what it is while I own it. I just want the thing to start/run correctly. The carb is a Edelbrock 1406 and does not, as was suggested in a previous post, have a vaccum canister integrated in the system. I want to hook it to the HEI BATT terminal, as has also been suggested, but my understanding, according to what I've read over the last few days, is that the electric choke draws power (or has power going to it) the entire time the key is on. The argument against using that terminal is based on the constant draw of the choke. The oil sending unit, right next to the distributor, is a single blade "solenoid" type . The gauge it operates is an oil pounds pressure gauge, not an indicator light. I have no idea how that all works. I can buy a blade tap and easily run a fused line from that solenoid to the heater, but will it burn out or otherwise damage whatever system runs the dash gauge? I could use the same type tap, I suppose, to hook up to the HEI. MY last alternative would be hot lead going to the electric radiator fan. It comes on with the key, and a switch on the dash controls high or low speed but not "off." Again, I'm mechanically inept so I don't know if hooking to the fan lead is a bad idea? I did notice that not only is everything direct-wired, but there is not a single fuse anywhere in any wire that I could see! The car may well be a potential fire trap. Again, thank you all so much for your answers and suggestions. If anyone knows about whatever system is converting the oil pressure solenoid signal to a pounds pressure type gauge, and whether tapping into it will damage it, I'd appreciate hearing from you. It would be easy to tie into it at the solenoid.
Electric choke draws less than an amp. About half that of a single brake light bulb. Split the coil feed. It will work fine. An HEI uses much less current as a points ignition. Been using this for years
Thank you, '29 Gizmo, I had decided to do just that and hope for the best, your response gives me encouragement. And again, thanks so much to the entire community for your knowledgeable help and willing advice.
This ^^^^ @utah32 Chevy connected the electric wiper motors to the ballasts resistor on 55-57 Chevy's [electric option]an electric choke draws way less than a wiper motor. If that wire is capable of the load it will be OK You need to look at electrical components as in "draw" or "load" then match the wiring capability to this. Eventually all the wiring will go back to a single wire feeding the ignition switch. How does the wiring go from the ignition switch to the HEI ? there must be a grommet in the firewall [or floor?] edit: or down the steering column You could connect a relay to the Alternator wire [ or starter motor] The relay primary circuit only draws about 0.02 amps Post # 30 to the Alternator or Starter motor Post # 87a to the electric choke Post # 86 to the HEI [only 0.02a draw] Post # 85 to ground But personally ^^^ this is a complicated way to circumvent a single wire from the HEI /Ignition switch to the electric choke I would seriously start looking at redoing the whole harness if there is no fuse box [or at least add one into the system]
If you are against wiring the choke to the HEI and don’t have a readily available switched power under the hood , are reluctant to drill a hole through the fire wall etc . why not run the choke wire under the car and then up through the floor and hook to ign power ? I advise getting someone to rewire the car or at least install a fuse panel .
If there is no fuse box, I would be seriously hunting for someone to rewire the car so you don't end up with an unplanned car fire. Who knows what scary stuff lurks in the wiring. As described it doesn't sound good. Regarding the choke, it sounds like your carb needs some tuning to allow the car to idle better. Some of mine have electric chokes that are hooked up, but I have a Demon on a 455 Buick that I adjusted the choke full open and I don't have to babysit it for more than a minute before it just sits there and runs. I'm in Northern Alberta, so overnight lows are already near-freezing, and every fall we go to a show in a mountain community where it undoubtedly gets frost is at high elevation. No issue with getting it to run there either.
I find it hard to believe that someone could build a car that looks like the one in your avatar would not have installed a fuse panel. Hot rod people are notorious for hiding them. Look behind the firewall, under the seat, behind the rear seat, everywhere. The new fuse panels can be very tiny.
I agree with the comment above. I am having a really hard time believing someone would have built a car with "electronic gauges, an electric fan, and heating/air conditioning" without using a fuse panel or even a wire with a fuse in it. The car looks like a relatively current build ... there has to be a fuse panel somewhere.
If there is a hidden fuse panel, the ignition switch would be a place to start. The switch has battery power. From the switch, there would be switched power to part of the fuse panel, for circuits like heat/air, possibly, electric fan, power windows, etc. It should be possible to trace the wires on the ignition switch to their source.
If nothing else, how about contacting the person you bought the car from and asking "where in the hell is the fuse box?"...that might just cure a lot of your current and future problems....just sayin'
I am of the “choke cable” solution group. It’s hard to imagine that there isn’t someplace on your firewall that doesn’t have wires running through a grommet. Also, I agree that it almost has to have a fuse panel somewhere. I’ve had small blocks with the same carb and never had to use the choke, sounds like you might have to bump up your idle a little bit to help it stay running. That said, you don’t have a friend or family member that can help you?
The Jalopy Journal
