[Ben M.]

Yeah, don't jump into a new distributor right away. Put a timing gun on it to see if you have missing or erratic spark plug firing first.

[MCronkGTO]

First confirm timing is set correctly (I think it is around 6 degrees). Then put a vacuum gauge on the carb and check to see how much vacuum and if it is steady. You may have a vacuum leak or a poorly adjusted carb. If it is a stock cam and timed correctly you should pull above 17" of vacuum. Close and open throttle quickly and observe the gauge. I also still have a dwell meter and my typical tune up is to hook timing light up, dwell meter, and vacuum gauge and set everything. Those AFB's have a big screw in the middle which is your idle air adjustment. I have a set of old tune up books that have the basic carb settings. With the vacuum gauge you can also check things like how well the valves are sealing, choked muffler, late ignition timing, etc. If you purchase a high quality automotive vacuum gauge it will have a troubleshooting guide with it. Alternate between the mixture screws to get the highest vacuum reading with engine running smoothly. Then use the idle air screw to adjust the idle rpm to specification (usually 650 rpm in drive A/C off).

MarkC

[20milecar]

I'll throw a new coil on it and shoot a timing light on it tomorrow. She wants to run, starts right up but I think she's drowning out or not getting enough spark and therefore not burning fuel and acting like its drowning. The spark plugs look like they were original, nasty carbon deposits. They were ac r46s plugs.

[20milecar]

Timing helped. Don't know the exact rpms since it wont just sit and idle like a good girl but it cleaned up quite a bit. I shot the light on it when it was trying to idle (very low 400 maybe), it read between 6* & 8*. I turned the dist clockwise and it cleaned it up a lot. To crappy out to test drive and clean her out under a load. Still haven't changed the #8 plug ( pass. Side front) it is buried under the damn ac pump. Looks like a full removal of pump and brackets is necessary. Should dry out tomorrow and ill take her for a spin. Picked up a vacuum gauge but its usless when working alone. I'll mess with the idle screw tonight or tomorrow. Seems to idle on its own when she's cold at least long enough to hop out and get on the carb. I'll just get all my tools ready and might be able to get a reading.

[MCronkGTO]

I would put in a fresh set of plugs before adjusting anymore. I think the correct ones are 45S. The timing should be 6 degrees before top dead center (assumes balancer mark is accurate). Dwell is 30 degrees. Idle rpm in park with A/C off is 600 rpm for automatic cars. On the AFB the big fat center screw is for idle adjustment. The 2 mixtures screws are on either side of the idle air screw. Once you have timing and dwell confirmed then alternate between the two mixture screws for highest vacuum reading an smoothest engine. Then readjust idle air screw for proper idle rpm. A "trick" to test for vacuum leaks is to place your hand over the carb air horn and try to seal it. If engine dies or tries to stall you should not have a severe vacuum leak. If engine continues to run and does not change at all you have a vacuum leak somewhere. I would start with the idle air screw 1/2 turn out from lightly seated and the mixture screws 1.5 turns out from lightly seated.

Also I put a t-fitting and some extra hose in the vacuum gauge line so I can move it where I want it. The spark plug under the A/C unit is a bit cumbersome to get to. Sometimes you can jack the front up a little and go through the fender well and have better access. Might have to remove wheel/tire. I generally have a couple of short spark plug sockets that I can work on the plug and then use an extension with a swivel. When installing the new plug you can use a old rubber hose that fits over the end of the spark plug and "snake" it into the hole. Just make sure you engage the threads properly by hand tightening at first.

MarkC

[20milecar]

Thanks Mark. I got 7 of the 8 changed. The po put a bunch of seafoam in the tank. Said it started running poorly shortly afterwards. I'm leaning towards the carb now. I replaced the coil, 7 plugs, plug wires, cleaned the points and replaced cap and rotor. I'll mess with the carb and try to get it to idle later today. It might have filled with junk after the seafoam. Never really believed in that snake oil/ magic potion stuff. I have my doubts about diesel 911 and similar as well.

[Ben M.]

You can get that plug on the #2 out, it just requires some contorting and creativity with the ratchet & socket to get it out. I did it on both my '67s.

Your problems sound almost the same as mine on my old '67 Bonneville with AFB carb on it. The kit the guy used to rebuild it wasn't correct and it would NEVER idle right after it warmed up. I could mask it but was eventually just going to convert to a quadrajet and be done with it.

[TimeWarp]

Make sure nobody has fudged with the electronics going to the distributor. There is a ceramic looking thing I believe on the firewall if someone will correct me, and its designed to give the distributor 12v on start up, but once the key is released it gives somewhere around 9v to the distributor for running. If it has been bypassed your distributor could be getting the full 12v all the time and it tends to burn points, condensor, etc.

When you switch (and I do on every vehicle) to an HEI you make sure it gets full 12v all the time. But dont buy one of the cheapie ebay distributors. I have seen them listed as low as $49 if you search, but there are some threads on here where I think it might have been Cliff Ruggles tested them for proper advance, and they advanced pretty wildly and far on the curve. He had a fix for it, but it required working on the distributor.

Instead maybe look in the classifieds here for a good used original type HEI or a pertronix or an MSD that has vac. advance.

All that said, you may still be having carb issues. lol Whatever you do, dont buy an edelbrock and throw it on there. Seems like an easy fix for a few hundred $, but the castings have been poor and sometimes they start leaking air around the throttle shafts, and then people spend frustrating years trying to figure out why their car won't idle right because they've ruled out their new carb as the potential problem. I bought a new one back in 1997 and within 6 months started having those issues. Never knew why until years later as I was reading some stuff online.

[20milecar]

I think markc has a fresh rebuilt carb for me. Pm'ed him and waiting for response.

[6 Grrrs]

Nice looking car. Forget stock wheels - nice set of 17s/18s with a meaty tire will look awesome. Maybe even cast center Torque Thrusts.

[20milecar]

I'm looking at 16" tt rims and a set of firestone 245/50/16 wide ovals

[6 Grrrs]

Just a thought...16" tires are starting to be tough to get a hold of. Think down the road 5-10 years when you have to buy your 'modern' tires from someone like Coker. 17" tires are still pretty common as there are many vehicles that use them as OEM fitment. Most guys think a 17" tire has too short a sidewall for these older cars, but there are taller sidewall tires available, you just have to dig a little deeper. For example 255/50-17 is an OEM tire size on the '94-'96 Impala SS.

A 245/50-16 is roughly 25.7" in overall diameter (from BFG site). A 225/70-15 is roughly 27.4" in overall diameter (from BFG site) and is a reasonable 15" replacement for oem type wheels on a full size car. Some even go with a 225/75-15 at roughly 28.3" overall diameter. You can see where that 245/50-16 is a much shorter tire and probably will not fill the wheelwells properly. A 255/50-17 is a little more than 27" in overall diameter. It is available from several suppliers. There are many different tires either taller/shorter and/or wider/narrower in 17" fitments.

It is my opinion that wheels/tires can make or break a vehicle, especially when going the aftermarket route. It is important to put some time into getting it right.

[20milecar]

Thanks for the info. I haven't pulled the trigger on rims/tires yet. Need to get her to burn the whitewalls off first. Sounds like ill be getting a rebuilt afb next week. I've got some time to think about wheel and tire combos. If I had the option of going to a big tire store that has stuff that would fit a 67 Pontiac I would go that route so I could see the rims on the car, but I live in rural Montana so that's out.

[20milecar]

Fired her up to take her to the shop, she decided to idle on her own and act a lot smoother. Still missing and stumbling a touch but it got up to speed and drove like a runner for me. Ordering wheels and tires Friday.

[20milecar]

She's purring like a kitten. New points, 8 good plugs, exhaust fixed, oil light sending unit fixed. I think it was choking on old gas. Got the tires an wheels ordered up. Went with a 26.5 tall x 9" wide oval on 16x 7 w/4" bs TT2 wheels.

[77 TRASHCAN]

It might be to your benefit to check all basics. Potential vacuum leaks, like carb base gasket. Check ground wires. Burn that tank of gas out ASAP to eliminate any problems, from the car sitting over the winter. Don't forget to use straight gas, add some stabil.

[20milecar]

Yeah it was just in the shop on the lift. I'll be doing brakes when I swap the tires. Timing chain and water pump are on the list. Probably do those my self. I put a 20 gal. in last week with 104 boost and heat to knock the h2o out. The po had seafoam in there on top of maybe 8 gallons before the fill up. I'm going to try and take it for a spin next week when it hits 40* and let her run, then I will fill her back up with 91+the 104 boost and some stabil. Now that its running I can focus on problem areas like the heater, hoses, belts and other suspect rubber parts. The heater core is bypassed so I'm guessing heater core unfortunately. I hear they suck to replace. A/c needs some r12 I'm guessing but wont be needing a/c for a while. I got an HEI unit coming from a member. Ill probably just bring it to the shop again for suspension and sway bars. Having a lift is key for that stuff.

The tires I got are 225/60/16. 26.8" tall 9" wide

[blubomber]

replace the timing gear when you're in there

[20milecar]

Can anybody tell me if 3.08 gears will work in my 2 series carrier? I have read conflicting opinions. I know there is a spacer option as well but would rather not go that route.

[20milecar]

Looks like I have an axle issue. Upper control arm is bent causing the axle to sit an inch forward and an inch over to the passenger side. Noticed when I was removing the skirts. Lots of room on the driver side and very tight on the passenger side. Got the tape out and started measuring and upon further inspection noticed the upper control arm was bent on the frame side. The two sides of the channel are sprung outwards just before the frame mount. Would like to do the RAR rear suspension upgrade but think ill just fix the arm and box it for now.

The underneath looks good and rust free and I don't see any other real damage but it makes me think it was in a accident at some point. Don't really see how else you could smash that arm without a hard azz hit.