Ferdinand - '85 Bronco 351W XLT "Phoenix" rebuild project...

[Ferdinand]

Here is the first hiccup:

And here is where I am stuck at this point...

Not real sure what is going on just yet, but the carb is the one that caught fire. I did a very thorough inspection and then rebuilt it. And the distributor is a Cardone select from Rock auto. I am going to try and do some tuning tomorrow because I sure don't want to have to get a new carb and distributor!! (the new distributor has some play back and forth where the housing clips to the aluminum base.) That seems bad... I'm thinking that will certainly effect the timing, but I am not sure.

And the heater core hoses are getting re-routed tomorrow. I don't know why I thought that would mess something up if I switched them. However, I checked my teardown photos from last December and the hoses were backward then... 🙃

[Gary Lewis]

Here is the first hiccup:

And here is where I am stuck at this point...

Not real sure what is going on just yet, but the carb is the one that caught fire. I did a very thorough inspection and then rebuilt it. And the distributor is a Cardone select from Rock auto. I am going to try and do some tuning tomorrow because I sure don't want to have to get a new carb and distributor!! (the new distributor has some play back and forth where the housing clips to the aluminum base.) That seems bad... I'm thinking that will certainly effect the timing, but I am not sure.

And the heater core hoses are getting re-routed tomorrow. I don't know why I thought that would mess something up if I switched them. However, I checked my teardown photos from last December and the hoses were backward then... 🙃

It sounds like timing. Like maybe way too much advance. Maybe the dizzy turned? The exhaust sounds really sharp. Perhaps it is because it is in a garage, but it doesn't sound quite right.

[Ferdinand]

It lives!!!! Congrat's!!!!

(By the way, you can embed the Youtube video here. Just go to it, click Share then Embed, and then click Copy to put the code on the clipboard. On here, click Embed and then Embed Tags and it'll insert Nabble embed tags where your cursor was. Click between the ">" and the "

[Ferdinand]

It sounds like timing. Like maybe way too much advance. Maybe the dizzy turned? The exhaust sounds really sharp. Perhaps it is because it is in a garage, but it doesn't sound quite right.

Yes sir. The headers only and garage to amplify makes it hard to hear much else...

I marked the distributor before I pulled it, and it seemed to go right back in place but you are right. That is where I am starting tomorrow evening. Checking the timing. Although, if I got the distributor back in a tooth off I won't be at #1 & TDC anymore right? If that is the case, I am going to have to find someone with a TDC tool. I've seen a few make-shift ways to try and determine, but I'd rather know definitively.

Any thoughts on how it ran on the start up but now it won't stay running? Seems like if it were the timing, it would have fought me from the start. 🤔

Two or three attempted start-ups landed me volleyball sized fireballs 😳

I want to say that I set my initial base timing at 10 degrees BTDC.

Either way, I am just so glad to have it running again!! :nabble_anim_jump:

(And no leaks so far... 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼)

[Ferdinand]

Oh, and this is rich...

Once I put the phenolic carb spacer on the stock air cleaner doesn't fit 😣

I am not sure how much taller the Airgap intake is over the stock intake. I guess I should have measured that.

I had a similar setup on my '82 F150 with no troubles, but I forgot I had put a 3" body lift on that. That gave me plenty under-hood space.

I even bought new accordion hose for the fresh air intake. Grrrrr.

[grumpin]

I am going to have to find someone with a TDC tool. I've seen a few make-shift ways to try and determine, but I'd rather know definitively.

I'd get on the compression stroke on number one then go to the TDC mark. If that isn't #1 TDC then you have another problem!

 

[Gary Lewis]

Yes sir. The headers only and garage to amplify makes it hard to hear much else...

I marked the distributor before I pulled it, and it seemed to go right back in place but you are right. That is where I am starting tomorrow evening. Checking the timing. Although, if I got the distributor back in a tooth off I won't be at #1 & TDC anymore right? If that is the case, I am going to have to find someone with a TDC tool. I've seen a few make-shift ways to try and determine, but I'd rather know definitively.

Any thoughts on how it ran on the start up but now it won't stay running? Seems like if it were the timing, it would have fought me from the start. 🤔

Two or three attempted start-ups landed me volleyball sized fireballs 😳

I want to say that I set my initial base timing at 10 degrees BTDC.

Either way, I am just so glad to have it running again!! :nabble_anim_jump:

(And no leaks so far... 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼)

Good question about why it started well initially and then fought you later. And I'm going to guess that it has to do with a cold engine vs a warm engine. More compression and more friction warm, so it turns more slowly. But just a guess.

And, did the choke come off when it warmed up?

As for the sound, the headers and in a garage would explain the staccato sound.

On the dizzy, if it went back off a tooth it'll probably mean that you are so far out of time that you can't rotate the dizzy far enough to bring it back in time. Usually there's a narrow window of rotation before something hits. But if you can get it in time it doesn't matter where the gear is.

And, it is a bummer about the spacer. But the Air Gap must be tall.

Anyway, IT LIVES! And that is always a wonderful feeling.

[Steve83]

...I am going to have to find someone with a TDC tool.

I've never used or heard of a tool for that, with all the engines I've rebuilt & distributors I've stabbed. The bottom of this caption explains how to stab it:

https://supermotors.net/getfile/833749/thumbnail/distributor8791.jpg

Any thoughts on how it ran on the start up but now it won't stay running?

If the lifters are hydraulic, they've pumped up now, so the valves might not be closing fully. My ISP is too crappy to watch the videos, so I can't actually see the symptoms.

[Ferdinand]

...I am going to have to find someone with a TDC tool.

I've never used or heard of a tool for that, with all the engines I've rebuilt & distributors I've stabbed. The bottom of this caption explains how to stab it:

https://supermotors.net/getfile/833749/thumbnail/distributor8791.jpg

Any thoughts on how it ran on the start up but now it won't stay running?

If the lifters are hydraulic, they've pumped up now, so the valves might not be closing fully. My ISP is too crappy to watch the videos, so I can't actually see the symptoms.

Steve,

Thanks a million for that thread. That was really helpful! I am going to check it later tonight. I am also wondering if I have a fuel delivery problem...

New tank, sending unit, hard and soft lines, mech. fuel pump and filter so I am not thinking there should be a sediment or restriction problem, but I am a bit sketchy on the carb. I guess I just have trouble trusting my work when it was the first carb rebuild I have ever done. It didn't seem to difficult, just lots of steps but I labeled everything carefully and did the full rebuild after soaking it for a while. Carefully adjusted the floats and was careful not to burr anything when I put it all back together. Plus it ran rather well (had plenty of fine tuning left to do, but it ran consistently).

I am anxious to test it out again tonight. I haven't wired up the choke yet, but I didn't have it wired then either and I am currently heating the garage to around 65-70 so I'm not thinking the choke would be that critical.

I am trying to keep things as simple as possible so as I add things, I am hoping it will be easy to diagnose if there is a problem. Most of what melted or burned away isn't going back on and everything else is virtually new, so I hoping I am about through with my "issues" 😉

[FuzzFace2]

Steve,

Thanks a million for that thread. That was really helpful! I am going to check it later tonight. I am also wondering if I have a fuel delivery problem...

New tank, sending unit, hard and soft lines, mech. fuel pump and filter so I am not thinking there should be a sediment or restriction problem, but I am a bit sketchy on the carb. I guess I just have trouble trusting my work when it was the first carb rebuild I have ever done. It didn't seem to difficult, just lots of steps but I labeled everything carefully and did the full rebuild after soaking it for a while. Carefully adjusted the floats and was careful not to burr anything when I put it all back together. Plus it ran rather well (had plenty of fine tuning left to do, but it ran consistently).

I am anxious to test it out again tonight. I haven't wired up the choke yet, but I didn't have it wired then either and I am currently heating the garage to around 65-70 so I'm not thinking the choke would be that critical.

I am trying to keep things as simple as possible so as I add things, I am hoping it will be easy to diagnose if there is a problem. Most of what melted or burned away isn't going back on and everything else is virtually new, so I hoping I am about through with my "issues" 😉

Ok if it was advanced to far then on restart it would have kicked back maybe even on first start.

To me it sounded like it was not firing on all cly.?

You can try and giving it a little advance and try and start it again to see what happens. It may work but I dont know?

Now if it starts and still sounds the same don't run it too long to get the exh. manifolds hot.

I would say only long enough to tell if it sounds better or not and I will tell you why.

Here is why, motor off feel the manifolds at each port close to the head. If that cly. is firing it will be warm / hot, if not firing it will be cool / cold. Again you don't want to run it too long or this will not work.

Once you know if they are all firing that is good and we have to look else where for the reason it runs poorly. My guess you will find acly. or 2 not firing and if so recheck firing order as I think you have 2 wires crossed.

Dave ----