--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 155 OLD CARS Ref: E2X00006 Date: 02/25/97 From: LANDON ROBINSON Time: 04:20pm \/To: TOM COLLINS (Read 0 times) Subj: 283 V-8 LR> The dist. originaly came out of a 283 V-8 which was made from '62 to 7. TC> The 283 was born in 1957, buried in 1967. TC> Great engine though.... TC> Tom The book of casting numbers I was looking through only had the 283 listed as being made from '62 to '67. And you are probably right, I'n not trying to argue or anything or turn the whole echo upside down on when the distributor was made. My point was just that my distributor was REALLY old and probably needed an overhaul kit. ... Catch the Blue Wave! --- Blue Wave v2.12 [NR] * Origin: The Overworked Dragon BBS (503)256-8451 PDX (1:105/56) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 155 OLD CARS Ref: E2X00007 Date: 02/26/97 From: LANDON ROBINSON Time: 03:35pm \/To: ALEXANDER BILAN (Read 0 times) Subj: Re: engine prob. > One thing I have though of is that the mechanical advance weight springs > might be worn out. The dist. originaly came out of a 283 V-8 which was > made from '57 to '67. So needless to say the springs are rather old. I found a place around here that has the spring kit that I need (comes with new weights too) but it will have to wait until payday. AB> Nows the perfect time to install an HEI! You *will* notice a I don't know if an HEI will fit in my engine compartment, my stock points distributor sits about an inch or so from the firewall and well... those HEI units are rather big. I have seen some after market HEI units that have the coil mounted externally, perhaps one of those would fit. AB> But if you want to keep that old points ignition, whens the last time AB> it had fresh points? Hows the coil? Have you checked the dwell? Hows AB> the condition of the ignition (run-9v or so) feed wire? The points are less than a year old, I'm going to change them anyway and put in some 32oz. points, the ones that are in there are kinda flimsy. The dwell was right where it should be at 30 degrees. The coil was running at 12volts as of a couple days ago. AB> Also, from another message about spark plug heat ranges. Start off AB> with an AC44T or AC44TS. The AC46TS is on the hot side. The AC43TS is AB> good in some applications, and a wee bit cold for most others. Depends AB> on your engine combination. Based on my own experiences of course. =) I was told that the 43's are good all around spark plugs I'll have to experiment and find something that works. Believe it or not K-Mart is the only store in this part of town that sells AC spark plugs. Gi-Joes doesn't even carry them. ... Catch the Blue Wave! --- Blue Wave v2.12 [NR] * Origin: The Overworked Dragon BBS (503)256-8451 PDX (1:105/56) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 155 OLD CARS Ref: E2X00008 Date: 02/26/97 From: LANDON ROBINSON Time: 04:03pm \/To: IAN BORTINS (Read 0 times) Subj: Re: Dwell, Distributors and Timing -=> Quoting Ian Bortins to All <=- IB> @MSGID: 1:206/2734 1c97072c IB> Hi all, I recently got my Dwell corrected at the school's auto shop IB> When the car is idling in drive, it slows, sputters, nearly stalls, IB> then speeds up. Surges, if you will. IB> Then i had someone rev the engine and the mark never moved from that IB> spot. The pedal was to the floor for a brief moment, but still the IB> timing mark never moved. IB> I figure either the vac. advance is pulling ALL the time, or the IB> springs in the distributor are too weak and letting the mech. IB> advance go all the time. help! How did the car run BEFORE you had things adjusted? My three guesses are that (1) there is a little prong that comes out of the back of the vacuum advance can that has broken off (this happened to me). You will not get ANY vacuum advance with that little piece sitting in the bottom of the distributor. (2) You have a very bad vacuum leak that is so bad that there isn't enough vacuum at the 'advance can to do anything. (3) Your dwell isn't set right (highly unlikely though). Buy, borrow, or (ah-hem) a dwell-meter and follow the directions to set your dwell right. Since an authority figure (ok, ok, stop laughing) on automotive repair set your dwell it is probably where it should be. The correct dwell on my engine is 28-32 degrees, I've had it drop (over time) to 17 degrees and the engine still ran (don't ask me how, it should have died). How this is of some help. ... Catch the Blue Wave! --- Blue Wave v2.12 [NR] * Origin: The Overworked Dragon BBS (503)256-8451 PDX (1:105/56) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 155 OLD CARS Ref: E2X00009 Date: 02/27/97 From: JOHN PUMMILL Time: 06:59am \/To: ALEXANDER BILAN (Read 0 times) Subj: HELP !!! AB> What dimensions are the various Mustang & Mustang II brake AB> drums? AB> Being 4 lug, theres enough meat to drill 4 holes for the AB> chevy bolt AB> pattern. You sir have won a cookie for the best idea I have heard in a long time. Thanks for the input, I have a new quest upon which to travel. --- FMail 0.94 * Origin: Used ?? I Prefer Well Broken In (1:123/30) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 155 OLD CARS Ref: E2X00010 Date: 02/27/97 From: JOHN PUMMILL Time: 07:00am \/To: RAYMOND SIROIS (Read 0 times) Subj: HELP !!! RS> Bummer! You won't find many of them at a junkyard either, RS> I'd be willing RS> to bet. At least none around here. Heck, I was looking for RS> parts for my RS> 1972 Matador (now gone) a couple of years ago. The common RS> response I got RS> was "We don't have anything that old here." From a JUNK RS> YARD?!? We now have specialty yards for us junk collectors. Yes, the scrap industry has passed us by and crushed many of the rides we SHOULD have scooped up. --- FMail 0.94 * Origin: Used ?? I Prefer Well Broken In (1:123/30) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 155 OLD CARS Ref: E2X00011 Date: 02/26/97 From: BRYSON HUGHES Time: 11:48pm \/To: IAN BORTINS (Read 0 times) Subj: Dwell, Distributors and Timing -=> Quoting Ian Bortins to All <=- IB> I checked the timing, (Disconnectes dist.vac. line) it was perfect. IB> Plugged the vac. line back in and immediately the timing mark jumped, IB> i don;t know how many degrees but about an inch or more advanced. (The IB> engine would barely run w/o the dist. vac. line plugged in) IB> Then i had someone rev the engine and the mark never moved from that IB> spot. The pedal was to the floor for a brief moment, but still the IB> timing mark never moved. IB> I figure either the vac. advance is pulling ALL the time, or the IB> springs in the distributor are too weak and letting the mech. IB> advance go all the time. help! First of all, let's recognize that if your idle speed is normal with the vacuum advanced "an inch" or more advanced, that when unplugged and the timing showing specs, the engine would of course slow to practically a lope if not outright die. The answer here is simply to recognize that the advanced timing speeds up the engine, and you've backed of your idle speed screw to compensate. Here is the remedy. Set your timing to factory, and adjust your idle speed to a normal RPM without the vacume line connected. That means that when you hook your line up, the idle will be way high; right? Here is what to do: Check your carb vacume ports and figure out which one is port vacum and which is manifold. Obviously you are on manifold vacume now. How can you tell? With your engine at idle, a port vacume outlet will have very little or no vacume suction. But as you open the throttle, the throttle plate raises and begins to expose the port vacume system to the suction of he engine. That means you get vacume when you step on the gas, but not at idle. Test it for suction with your finger at idle. If you don't feel suction, open the throttle and rev the engine a bit. If it suddenly gets suction this is the one you're looking for. This is the port vacume source to plug into. Once you figure which port, you should hook your line there. When you do your vacume advance should move very little if any. If it move just a little the engine will speed up some. Now it is OK to back off the throttle speed screw. As you do, you accomplish two things. You are actually letting even less vacume get to the distributor at idle, and not idling in a state of over advanced timing. There is another advantage to ported vacume. It retards your timing when you let off the gas. This runs the exhaust hotter during that time, burning off explosive fumes in the exhaust generated by the lean fuel condition of a revved engine at closed throttle. This will aid greatly in three things: It produces fewer emmissions, it avoids alot of exhaust system backfiring, and lets the engine brake more smoothly and quickly. Crisp and clean revving and backing off. But before all that, make double sure your distributor is in good mechanical condition, such as springs and vacume advance diaphrams. Also check for shaft slop, and be sure all the electricals are like NEW. I have seen old chugger engines turn into race ready snarlers just by swapping a junk distributor for a really nice unit. There is one more thing. You may have one of those thermal vacume port eelies with the three outlets and vacume lines, located near your thermostat housing or in your upper radiator hose via a splice, or at your radiator inlet. You may have to figure out which ports go where if you don't have a diagram. It is useful to have it hooked up though. If you don't have one, just go with a ported vacume advance as I have described above. But if you do have one, this is what it's for: When the engine is cold, it will idle easier on manifold vacume. But as you warm up, the thing is activated by the heat and swiches you over to ported vacume. How can you figure it out. It's easy: 1) get a piece of vacume line and put it to a manifold vacume source. It is now a suction testing tool dude. 2) Now with your engine cold, and make sure it's cold, start it up and plug your testing line to one of the ports. Now feel the other two for suction with your finger. If you feel suction in one of them, that means the one you're hooked too, and the one you feel suction in, is the cold circuit. If you feel no suction in either of the other two that means you plugged into the hot circuit and your still a cold engine. That one goes to port vacume on your carb. 3) If you got suction the first try, now unplug it and put it on the one that had no suction. Now wait for the engine to warm. As it warms suction will begin to come through one of the first two. Whichever one starts to get suction, obviously gets suction on both the cold condition or the hot condition. THIS is the one that goes to the distributor. The one your are on right now, goes to port vacume, and the one thats left goes to manifold vacume. You're set! It looks like this. --- Dist? | |-======= Port carb hose? | |-======================== Manifold hose? | |-======================================= |_____| [_____] I can't remember for sure which way it hooked up. But if you don't have a vacume diagram, you can figure it out as I described above. If you don't have this thingy, just run one line from port to distributor. I can't even remember what the durn thing is called. If all the above doesn't cure your ills, at least you can be sure these ren't the problems and you can look in other places. Good wrenching. ... Mopar Horse Power --- Blue Wave/Max v2.12 [NR] * Origin: Skeeter Haven "Nashville, TN" (615) 872-8609 (1:116/17) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 155 OLD CARS Ref: E2X00012 Date: 02/26/97 From: BRYSON HUGHES Time: 11:57pm \/To: JOHN PUMMILL (Read 0 times) Subj: HELP !!! -=> Quoting Raymond Sirois to John Pummill <=- JP> NAPA, CarQuest, Autozone, AC/Delco, no luck. These units were only made JP> two years, 62 and 63. With the 65 and ups being the more popular we old JP> four luggers get forgotten. JP> JP> The irony is I can still get pads, spring kits, wheel cylinders, etc. I JP> guess they (the powers that be) figure the drums will last forever. The easiest way to find parts like that is to looks in the Hemmings Motor News listings. After alot of futile hunting and a couple of wrong parts, I realized I couldn't get a 70 Dodge PU front drum in Nashville. I started calling out of the Hemmings. A couple of guys had used. Another couple of guys had new old stock. I ordered one from a place in Florida. Guy swore he had the right part. I sent the money and he sent the drum. Bingo! It was brand new and covered in cosmolene. Drum cost more than the truck though. I was just glad to have it. ... Mopar Horse Power --- Blue Wave/Max v2.12 [NR] * Origin: Skeeter Haven "Nashville, TN" (615) 872-8609 (1:116/17) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 155 OLD CARS Ref: E2X00013 Date: 02/27/97 From: ALEXANDER BILAN Time: 05:35pm \/To: IAN BORTINS (Read 0 times) Subj: Dwell, Distributors and T HI Ian, > anyways, i got the car home, ran great, did a burnout at the same length =) > as when it was set at 22.5 (or so) so i figured it was all ok. > When the car is idling in drive, it slows, sputters, nearly stalls, then > speeds up. Surges, if you will. At this point, I would have said your distributor is AFU. and changing dwell over a short time. (Happens when the distributor shaft gets worn). (HEI it if its a GM) > I checked the timing, (Disconnectes dist.vac. line) it was perfect. > Plugged the vac. line back in and immediately the timing mark jumped, i > don't know how many degrees but about an inch or more advanced. (The engine > would barely run w/o the dist. vac. line plugged in) > Then i had someone rev the engine and the mark never moved from that spot. > The pedal was to the floor for a brief moment, but still the timing mark > never moved. > I figure either the vac. advance is pulling ALL the time, or the springs > in the distributor are too weak and letting the mech. advance go all the > time. > help! Sounds like your mechanical advance is jammed full on. Yes, the springs could be shot in it, or even broken. If the springs are good and springy still, the mechanical advance pivots could be binding. Pull the cap, and see what the condition of the mechanical advance is. Sounds like something that should have been caught by the above institution. (Pssst... HEI it if its a GM) | AmiQWK 2.7 - S/N 0261 | ... A horse will walk to water, but a pencil must be lead. --- OLMS 2.60p.a1+ [EPMAP55A] * Origin: Multiboard * 519-660-3574 * Internet * 4GB * (1:2401/0) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 155 OLD CARS Ref: E2X00014 Date: 02/27/97 From: ALEXANDER BILAN Time: 05:35pm \/To: LORI HARVEY (Read 0 times) Subj: 2.2l You where writing to Tom Collins; > The leak is bad enough that I have to put a quart of fluid in about once > a week. My weekly driving accounts for about 50 miles. That's in town, > because > the wheel bearings have gone bad so we want to replace those before we > drive > it out of town. We just replaced the half-shafts, water pump, and the > power steering pump. (They all have lifetime warranties.) Lori, better get those wheel bearings done! Depending on "how" they are bad, you could be chewing your spindle to hades, and then you've got more work ahead of you--even if its just "city" driving. | AmiQWK 2.7 - S/N 0261 | ... "If you have it under control your not going fast enough", P.Jones --- OLMS 2.60p.a1+ [EPMAP55A] * Origin: Multiboard * 519-660-3574 * Internet * 4GB * (1:2401/0) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 155 OLD CARS Ref: E2X00015 Date: 02/28/97 From: MODERATOR Time: 12:34am \/To: ALL (Read 0 times) Subj: Rules of the OLDCARS Echo Rules for FidoNet's OLDCARS Echo *** Revised 3-18-96 *** The following are the rules for the OLDCARS FIDO-NET echo conference. This conference is carried on the FIDO-NET backbone and is moderated by Gerry Calhoun at 1:2004/200. These rules will be subject to change if a change seems needed or is requested. Enforcement of the rules will be handled in the echo and/or via net-mail. Repeated violations of the rules may be considered grounds for the offending node to have its link to this conference cut. Rule #1: Please try to keep your language suitable to all ages. Remember this message base is open to all age groups, and some may take offense to foul language. Rule #2: The topic here is OLD CARS. What makes a car an old car? For the purpose of this echo, a pre 1975 car in general is qualifed to be considered an OLD CAR. But this is a very flexible rule as limited production cars of newer vintage may be considered on topic. If in doubt, ask the Moderator. Rule #3: No unsolicited commerical sales announcements please. This echo is carried by sysops who foot the bills out of their own pockets for the most part. If sommebody asks for a source of a CAR-RELATED item, feel free to offer advice on where to look for something, or to mention that you have what they are looking for. If you have something which you feel may be of interest to somebody here and are NOT in the business of selling that item and it is OLD CAR-related, you may post about it here. Rule #4: No unsolicited BBS ads here. If you know of a system which has a program or file that somebody has asked about, feel free to post the name, phone number and location of the system, but no messages saying "Call this system now" type of thing. Rule #5: Keep the message-quoting to a minimum, please. Most BBS's are run out of the pockets of private sysops, and nobody wants to pay for (or see) a 20-line message quoted in full to have somebody else say "I Agree". Rule #6: Keep the personal attacks to a minimum, please. Everybody has seen messages posted by people who strike you as complete fools, but you do not have to call a person names in order to give an answer or correct him/her on a point. Hold the flames to a mimimum and try to keep this a fun place. These are all the rules for now. If any other points come up in the future, they will be addressed and added to this list if necessary. If there are any questions or comments about these rules, address them to me, Gerry Calhoun, via net-mail ONLY at 1:2004/200. --- * Origin: PETS R US! 805-946-8345 - Lancaster, CA (1:2004/0)