Here's the lowdown. Dwell & timing are not yet set. Carb was rebuilt and running well considering the timing was not tweaked, but just roughed in using th usual finger in number one cylinder method. Tehn instead of setting the timing I screwed with the fuel air mixture on the carb and it's never run right again. Can't keep an idle, it just dies unless I keep the gas going. Then when it stalls and I try to start it again, the carb will pop a flame out. I can't be more than a half of a turn to a full turn off of where I was in the first place, but I can't remember exactly. To make matters worse, I messed with the distributor position to smooth out idel and made it even worse. I didn't move it much, very little in fact. Now I can't tell if it's the timing or the carb causing the flame, or both. HELP!
Well - I've had a lot of experience with flaming carburetors lately. Even caught my buddy Scott's hair on fire in Atlanta :af: I'm not sure this is standard practice but you can time the car without it running. Go ahead and hook up the timing light and while someone else cranks it you can find the timing mark and set the distributor. That would take one element of confusion out of the equation. Then, get it running with the idle speed set way high. Gradually start working your way down in idle speed and air/fuel mixture, in little increments so that it doesn't stall out but so that you are headed in the right direction. That's what I would do :Smarty: (I mean, that's what I've been doing). Good luck. K
Usually backfiring through the carb is caused by timing being way off or plug wires crossed. For the carb turn the adjusting screws in til seated then out 2 turns, that should be close enough to run so you can get it adjusted. You should have a vaccum gauge hooked up to the carb or intake so you know where you're going. Dave Berry
Ken Hook it up at any point where it will see full manifold vaccum with the throttle blades are closed. Depending on your cam you will probably see from 16 to 18 inches of vaccum at idle and the needle should be fairly steady. Setting the carb 2 turns out should get it running well enough to set the timing then adjust the carb screws to get the highest vaccum. Dave Berry
It appears that the issue here is one of orientation of the distributor in the engine. Try this. Look at the timing marks on the engine, at the front. When they are lined up, the distributor rotor should line up with either #1, or #6 cylinder. If it does line up this way, next, pull out the #1 plug, and rotate the engine to the point where the compression tries to blow your finger out of the plug hole. This will be the #1 compression point. Align the timing marks again, by moving the engine slightly, since the marks should be pretty close. Make sure at that point that the rotor points to #1 plug wire. If the point open and close, start the engine and set the dwell, then the timing. Do nothing until the ignition is set up. The carb can be set up for best idle less 10 rpm after the ignition is set. Then set the idle, touching up the mixture if the final adjustment changed the idle speed more than 50 rpm. Let me know... Ray
Ken - Did you get your car running. I haven't caught anybody on fire lately, especially since Scott started wearing his new helmet :TU:
