6-david-5
Well-Known Member
For reference, the following is my Welcome Wagon post I made on this car:
http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/threads/another-b-body.103339
The spoiler on the story.... I got it running!
The lengthier version:
So the city was giving me warning tickets to move my car off the street. Me, my son and my one cool neighbor helped me push it onto my driveway. My other neighbor, who is NOT cool ratted me out to the city, because it is against ordinance to have a dead car in your driveway--it has to be a running vehicle when in public view. Although code enforcement was decent to me about the matter, I had a new obligation nonetheless....
Attempting to start this car was futile, and attempts to do so would yield flames shooting out the carb. I suspected camshaft timing or cylinder head condition given the dubious compression readings I was getting.
I pulled the left cylinder head so I could inspect #3 & #5. Nothing readily visible, but if you flipped the head and filled the combustion chambers with "PB Blaster", #3 and #5 only would leak out of the exhaust-side! Pulled the valves, and the exhaust seats were wearing oblong but the valves were OK. I lapped those valves in thoroughly and cleaned/reassembled the head. It didn't look perfect, but certainly "good enough for government work"!
This engine was rebuilt sometime in the distant past using one of those chrome timing covers with a separate bolt-on timing tab, and I got to learn just how "accurate" those timing tabs can be. I ripped the balancer of my old 361 block and took the factory timing cover off and cleaned it up. I also ripped the balancer off the 383 in the car and removed the chrome timing cover/tab. The 383 balancer was lined up with TDC on the chrome cover when removed. The timing chain looked like this:
I mocked-up the 361 front cover/tab asm. and the 383 balancer. The timing then read apx. 7 deg. BEFORE TDC! I whipped out a dial indicator and set it up on #1 piston. When I had #1 dwelling at it's highest point, TDC on the factory cover lined up also! The chain was also correct with the dots lining up! I reinstalled the chrome timing cover and remarked TDC on the chrome timing cover since it had a new seal.
I screwed the motor back together and reached the point to where I could start it. STILL, flames coming out the intake!
I read this thread for perspective:
http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/threads/440-wont-start-syndrome.183596/
From that, I decided I needed to suspect my ignition system. I was taking for granted the signs that the engine had run before, and so I thought to now that the distributor was best left undisturbed since it was probably one of the only remaining constants with respect to the engine having run prior to me getting it. The engine was fully assembled, but I decided to pull the valve covers only and "feel" the rocker tension on #1 & #6. They felt roughly the same! I remembered the lifters were probably fully bled-down since this thing has been sitting for more than a year. I just said "F it." I'm giving the distributor a "180" since #6 felt a tiny-bit-looser than #1. Then a miraculous thing happened: The damn car started!
Rough at first, but eventually smoothed out. The motor doesn't knock! Blow-by doesn't seem excessive. Virtually no ridge up top! Engine has .060-over pistons, but I don't know what they are. I also saw this bit of history from the previous rebuild:
(Who knew Montgomery Ward rebuilt engines???)
I have since given it a rudimentary tune-up, and haven't even touched the carb or the points in the distributor. I have since driven it, and this sucker is pretty torquey and STRONG! I took it out for tires last Sunday, and this is the car for now:
215/70/15 front. 235/70/15 rear.
The car now runs, and will now have the "right" to be parked on my driveway.
Will be back later.
http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/threads/another-b-body.103339
The spoiler on the story.... I got it running!
The lengthier version:
So the city was giving me warning tickets to move my car off the street. Me, my son and my one cool neighbor helped me push it onto my driveway. My other neighbor, who is NOT cool ratted me out to the city, because it is against ordinance to have a dead car in your driveway--it has to be a running vehicle when in public view. Although code enforcement was decent to me about the matter, I had a new obligation nonetheless....
Attempting to start this car was futile, and attempts to do so would yield flames shooting out the carb. I suspected camshaft timing or cylinder head condition given the dubious compression readings I was getting.
I pulled the left cylinder head so I could inspect #3 & #5. Nothing readily visible, but if you flipped the head and filled the combustion chambers with "PB Blaster", #3 and #5 only would leak out of the exhaust-side! Pulled the valves, and the exhaust seats were wearing oblong but the valves were OK. I lapped those valves in thoroughly and cleaned/reassembled the head. It didn't look perfect, but certainly "good enough for government work"!
This engine was rebuilt sometime in the distant past using one of those chrome timing covers with a separate bolt-on timing tab, and I got to learn just how "accurate" those timing tabs can be. I ripped the balancer of my old 361 block and took the factory timing cover off and cleaned it up. I also ripped the balancer off the 383 in the car and removed the chrome timing cover/tab. The 383 balancer was lined up with TDC on the chrome cover when removed. The timing chain looked like this:
I mocked-up the 361 front cover/tab asm. and the 383 balancer. The timing then read apx. 7 deg. BEFORE TDC! I whipped out a dial indicator and set it up on #1 piston. When I had #1 dwelling at it's highest point, TDC on the factory cover lined up also! The chain was also correct with the dots lining up! I reinstalled the chrome timing cover and remarked TDC on the chrome timing cover since it had a new seal.
I screwed the motor back together and reached the point to where I could start it. STILL, flames coming out the intake!
I read this thread for perspective:
http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/threads/440-wont-start-syndrome.183596/
From that, I decided I needed to suspect my ignition system. I was taking for granted the signs that the engine had run before, and so I thought to now that the distributor was best left undisturbed since it was probably one of the only remaining constants with respect to the engine having run prior to me getting it. The engine was fully assembled, but I decided to pull the valve covers only and "feel" the rocker tension on #1 & #6. They felt roughly the same! I remembered the lifters were probably fully bled-down since this thing has been sitting for more than a year. I just said "F it." I'm giving the distributor a "180" since #6 felt a tiny-bit-looser than #1. Then a miraculous thing happened: The damn car started!
Rough at first, but eventually smoothed out. The motor doesn't knock! Blow-by doesn't seem excessive. Virtually no ridge up top! Engine has .060-over pistons, but I don't know what they are. I also saw this bit of history from the previous rebuild:
(Who knew Montgomery Ward rebuilt engines???)
I have since given it a rudimentary tune-up, and haven't even touched the carb or the points in the distributor. I have since driven it, and this sucker is pretty torquey and STRONG! I took it out for tires last Sunday, and this is the car for now:
215/70/15 front. 235/70/15 rear.
The car now runs, and will now have the "right" to be parked on my driveway.
Will be back later.
