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My 1978 Dodge Monaco 4 door sedan.

Wonderful cars these B Bodies are.
Gary P said:
Hi guys - just wanted to check in and say hello and that, according to the news sites, we are all encased in ice and have unusual snowfall nationwide - so I hope you are all safe and well. Spring is almost here guys, just a few more weeks to power through.

I've not been out in the garage at all, too cold here in Utah. Work has taken over but that's ok for now.

Here's a couple of older pics which were both taken in warmer climes - to inspire us and give us hope :-D


Be safe guys.

Gary

View attachment 1425899
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Gary P said:
@Kern Dog I hear you brother. We actually had a -62F last month up in northern Utah, which from what some of my friends say, is unheard of. I guess it's been "properly" cold this winter after all. And for all of us. The snowfall has been +200% from last year, so with that, I am excited to go fishing this year, in lakes with actual water and hungry fish in them.
Click to expand...
This year in Pennsylvania we have had a milder winter than usual - I have yet to use my snow blower. But that's fine with me, I'm not shedding any tears!

Yes, let's hope warm weather returns. It will be nice to be out in the garage with the doors open and a nice comfortable breeze blowing through!
 
Well fella's, that was Utah's highest snowfall since records began. We thought it was spring last week but ohhhh no, it had to drop a final two day blizzard and another 10". Friday was the first warm day, and today, Sunday 9th April, was glorious. Out came the Monaco, and I finally was able to use the hitch/bike rack/front and rear struts/sway bar linkages that I'd spent so much freezing cold time and money on the trusty Toyota as well. Glorious.
IMG_3025.jpg



Of course the random stumbling on the Monaco didn't just magically disappear over the winter, but with some advice from Hawk Rod, I pulled all the plugs and as they were fouled a little, I cleaned them up and put them back in.

The random stumble continues.

Various opinions came my way this weekend but the one I value a LOT is the legendary Hawk Rod again taking time from his own stuff to help me from so far away - suggesting my jets should be smaller. Makes sense and a few videos on youtube kinda confirmed that. So, another $108 for a jet/rod assortment kit and I'll have the unenviable task of trying to change them. Wish me luck there :-D
 
I had a stumble/sputter that I traced to the distributor. The air gap between the reluctor and pickup is supposed to be .008, mine had slipped open to .020. It ran fine at idle but anything over half throttle resulted in misfiring.
 
Gary P said:
Of course the random stumbling on the Monaco didn't just magically disappear over the winter, but with some advice from Hawk Rod, I pulled all the plugs and as they were fouled a little, I cleaned them up and put them back in.

The random stumble continues.

Various opinions came my way this weekend but the one I value a LOT is the legendary Hawk Rod again taking time from his own stuff to help me from so far away - suggesting my jets should be smaller. Makes sense and a few videos on youtube kinda confirmed that. So, another $108 for a jet/rod assortment kit and I'll have the unenviable task of trying to change them. Wish me luck there :-D
Click to expand...
I'm only a legend in my own mind... :poke: (and truth be told, I am not an expert carb tuner :eek: )

Your plugs look like they are getting too much fuel, so I am guessing your carb is rich. Fouled plugs can sometimes cause a stumble, so that is why I asked you to clean them up, put them back in and immediately try the car again. Since the stumble persisted, this means that it is likely NOT from the fouled plugs. But this is still good diagnostic information.

So, my best guess is you are chasing two things. One is that your carb is rich, causing your plugs to foul. It is likely that your Demon is too rich for your stock 318, which is why I suggest leaning it out and seeing what the plugs look like. They should be a nice, uniform tan color.

The stumble is another thing. @Kern Dog 's suggestion above is a great one, and I would check that. Sometimes a coil will start to go bad and will exhibit a similar symptom. Or, the stumble could be from the tuning of your carb, either getting too much or not enough fuel at certain times. A typical thing to check is the accelerator pump. As I have stated previously, it should start squirting fuel if the throttle moves even a millimeter. If It doesn't then that can cause s stumble too, although you would likely feel that every time you accelerate from a stop (which I don't think is happening).

At any rate, it is good to get this out to the FBBO brain trust so we can all work together with ideas to help you solve the stumble and get your car running great. :thumbsup:
 
Had spark knock at cruse speeds. Due to over fuel on my main jets. Changed back to 76 size jets in the Holley now it is fine.
 
Hawkrod, wouldn't Gary have better luck going to a fatter metering rod and a stiffer spring.
I assume that is the setup on the Demon carb...no?
 
71Beeper said:
Hawkrod, wouldn't Gary have better luck going to a fatter metering rod and a stiffer spring.
I assume that is the setup on the Demon carb...no?
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That could very well work. I am not at all familiar with a Demon carb.

So I assume it is like a Thermoquad where both metering rod and orifice size determine how rich it is? I guess it comes down to which is easiest to replace. If you are familiar with Demons any help you can provide Gary would be great.
 
Thanks you guys. I think this is going to be another situation where I start with the small things and work forward.

My fuel line is 1/4" so I am going to change that out for 3/8" and put a new pump in - just because.
Then, I will order the Holley assortment kit, put the .074 in the carb (the smallest in the kit), and see what the symptoms are.

I've watched a few videos on how to change the jets out, so I am confident with the practicalities of it.

Then go from there.

Cheers to all of you for your input.
 
1/4"? Surely it's 5/16"? I wouldn't do more than have the fuel line flushed. Unless it's blocked up with rust inside, it's not the problem.
 
Gary, it would be easier to change the metering rods and associated springs than change out the jets.
Edelbrock carbs have a chart that the user can reference when making changes from lean to rich or vice-versa.
Here's one of those charts.
1681295596932.png

The numbers on the grid would list which metering rod and spring combo to use to get leaner or richer.
1681295497487.png


I do not know if Demon carbs have a similar chart system or if you can use the equivalent Edelbrock carb chart.

The above charts are just an example - do not use them for your current carb.

1681295199080.png
 
@71Beeper thank you so much for this info!! That's amazing! I'm going to get moving on this, as it seems to be spring now, and I want to use the Monaco!
 
Congrats on a nice Monaco! My dad had a '77, brown on brown, 318/auto. I have a '70, it's a 4-door also. Keep up the good work and keep us posted!
 
Awesome car. love the progress. the thread was a good read and the vlogs along the way were a good touch!
 
What happened to the OP ? Gary hasn't been around in several months.
@Gary P
 
Hi guys!

I'm so sorry I've been completely gone! I was gifted a 61 Beetle and have been restoring that, as well as finishing up me and wifeys Vw Vanagon.

HOWEVER, the last few days, the Monaco has been looking at me and saying "Hey, enough of the summer holidays, now it's my turn" - plus I just listened to a video from Uncle Tony's Garage about daily driving classic cars, and I remembered how amazing it is to cruise in the Monaco.

It's battery went boomboom a few months ago so I must buy one before I can fire her up. I've done nothing to it, since the dreaded final few percent of tuning was giving me grief all those months ago, but now it's time.

I hope you are doing well everyone, and I am excited to post more stuff up here asap!

G
 
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Gary P said:
Hi guys!

I'm so sorry I've been completely gone! I was gifted a 61 Beetle and have been restoring that, as well as finishing up me and wifeys Vw Vanagon.

HOWEVER, the last few days, the Monaco has been looking at me and saying "Hey, enough of the summer holidays, now it's my turn" - plus I just listened to a video from Uncle Tony's Garage about daily driving classic cars, and I remembered how amazing it is to cruise in the Monaco.

It's battery wetn boomboom a few months ago so I must buy one before I can fire her up. I've done nothing to it, since he dreaded final few percent of tuning was giving me grief all those months ago, but now it's time.

I hope you are doing well everyone, and I am excited to post more stuff up here asap!

G
Click to expand...
God hearing from you sir. Looking forward to more reports soon. :thumbsup:
 
Hey there, Gary....I was asking about you not that long ago. Some members just drop off the radar, some pass away and we never know what happened to them.
Thanks for the update, glad to see you're still around.
 
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