help damsel in distress!!

Discussion in ''Da Nailhead' started by cnh123, Jun 19, 2010.

  1. wkillgs

    wkillgs Gold Level Contributor

    Use the heat shield for the stock Carter AFB carb. It will fit the manifold and block off that exhaust heat passage.
    Without the metal shield, a plain carb gasket could burn out from the exhaust gas flowing thru the passage, resulting in all sorts of driveability problems. (been there.....)
    But then again, that exhaust passage is often blocked with carbon and doesn't work anyway!
    You won't know if that's your problem until you remove the carb and take a look.
    Doc is our resident Holley-on-a-Nailhead expert, I'll defer to his judgment on this one!:TU:
     
  2. doc

    doc Well-Known Member

    Actually what I have on mine is the ''heat'' type of gasket for a holley carb.... then a 1/4'' thick steel heat shield/adapter , then the regular holley base plate gasket....
    the heat shield/adapter, I made my self ..... it is made of hot rolled steel plate,, that doesnt warp or burn thru.... works great....
    But make sure the exhaust crossover ports are open down thru the intake manifold....you need the heat to make this sorry gas flash into a burnable vapor.... a nailhead intake with the heat risers open and working still only reaches 127 deg. after being warmed up for 30 minutes of idleing.... if the heat risers are blocked ,, just run a drill bit down thru them by hand not with a drill motor,,,, or use a long shanked screw driver to open them up.... makes a big difference in the driveability....
     
  3. 87GN@Tahoe

    87GN@Tahoe Well-Known Member

    Mine is white too.. it needs to be changed
     
  4. cnh123

    cnh123 Active Member

    well, I don't know if I can make one myself, I am only a girl after all:( Just Kidding, I almost put the petronix on the distributor today but my husband wouldn't let me... He is going to "talk" to the mechanics about ripping me off on monday, but I don't see anything coming out of it unless I take them to small claims, total scumbags. Whatever...

    ?- Can I put the new ignition coil and condenser on the car before I take it to the 500th new mechanic for the new distributor and carb, it's an ignitor 2--- or will the old distributor blow it up or anything--- I 'm thinking it will help me start it this week until I get the holley gasket. & why is it that as soon as I hit the carb with starter fluid it starts, but not without it? so confusing....

    Also anyone know of any nailhead mechanincs in austin, I would eventually like to get the valves, pistons?? adjusted to fix the problem of them being seated wrong or cut too short or whatever it was that they did wrong... I swear I don't think anyone has ever seen one here before because they sure don't know how to work on them:Dou:

    After this you guys can tell me how to install a aftermarket ac in my ride, that would kick so much @$$-- I wouldn't mind giving that a go by myself...
    You guys are so awesome:beer
     
  5. cnh123

    cnh123 Active Member

    I only see a plastic gasket, fiber no, silicone no... I checked the ol carb for the ol heat shield, not there:( what is this thing he disconnected and left hanging there, is that ok like that???
     

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  6. cnh123

    cnh123 Active Member

    Yo Doc---
    Is your order of gaskets engine--->up or carb---->down:error:
     
  7. SportWagonGS

    SportWagonGS Moderator

    that was the heat stove to your old carbs choke, part of your starting problem is the fact that your Holly does not have a choke hooked up
     
  8. doc

    doc Well-Known Member

    OOOK,,, I have looked at the pics and the problem is that the engine is painted the wrong color :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: .....
    That unconnected pipe is to go up to the choke assembly, where it pulls warm air from the exhaust manifold to make the choke open sooner.... as you dont have a choke, you dont need it,,, just take it off and store it....
    You dont need to make a heat shield, because you are using that adapter to make the carb fit the intake in the first place,,, you just need the right gasket between the adapter and the intake.... Question; is the adapter plate solid underneath or is it made with webs and open spaces... if it is webbed , you need to fill the voids with a heat proof material....or make/come up with a adapter that is solid...
    As big as the Austin area is there has to be some mech that is knowledgeable about nailheads.... it is just a matter of finding him.....
    Btw, you can get a neoprene plug from C A R s and plug the hole in the drivers side rocker arm cover and get rid of that ugly breather....
    The gasket order is ''engine up''....
    When you are starting a nailhead up ,,, remember that they are ''cold natured'' when starting up.... if you are not using the choke , you need to ''pat'' the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor about 4 times before starting the engine.... this saturates the intake with fuel.... then when the engine starts, use your foot to keep it running untill it begins to smooth out... by giving it short, gentle , ''pats'' on the gas...
    Thats how I start mine up.... in the winter , it will really be ''cold natured'' untill the intake is saturated....
    You are hooked to ''ported vacume'' there on the rt. side of the carb... this retards your basic distributer timing.... personally, I would hook up to ''direct vacume'' at the back of the intake manifold... it is a stronger signal and the way it was done by factories before all the pollution engines came on... just put a pipe plug in the port on the carb.... and hook up where the trans vacume modulator hooks up to the intake manifold.... usually takes a simple T fitting and some rubber hose.... that will give you better throttle response and mileage....
     
  9. cnh123

    cnh123 Active Member

    well I guess I should've waited for the responses before I bought the parts, oh well-- :Dou: I will look at the adapter & see if I find a part # , will change the ports for the distributor Doc, because you are my nailhead zen master. I usually start my car almost like that, but something is screwy now becuz it backfires an goes nuts, stalls without gas, Worse than the ol carb, thats for sure.

    What kind of gasket should I use to plug up the thingys, heat type holly, paper? I dunno, so confusing. I bought the carter type heat shield, should I put it on anyways since I have to take it all off?

    I know the engine is awful, I just close the hood & no one can tell. it's better than the bottom half, thats rust colored:( Maybe I'll win the lotto or one of you all will write me into your wills for a shiny new one:)I should've painted it pink, that would have ruled! :ball:
     
  10. cnh123

    cnh123 Active Member

    I can't believe you don't like my breather, it's all original:):bglasses:
     
  11. doc

    doc Well-Known Member

    No, girl, it aint original,,,,:laugh: I have never seen a breather on a buick nailhead with a hole in the center of it.... the one I have on my riv is domed with a twist on provision.... There is something amiss with that engine , and it is probably something simple like a vac leak, or something.... there is nothing wrong with the holley as a carb.... the next step up is a webber but you aint ready for that.....
    Dang i wish I could get my hands on that engine.... but right now i couldnt do much if it was here.... i had a round with my heart and will have some more tests in the next 2 wks.... flunked the last 3....:Do No: :Do No:
     
  12. 87GN@Tahoe

    87GN@Tahoe Well-Known Member

    Your "great" mechanics might have messed up the firing order on the spark plug wires.. Double check those.

    #1 cylinder is the front PASSENGER's side, unlike almost every other engine which is the front driver's side.
     
  13. cnh123

    cnh123 Active Member

    how can I tell, are they numbered? if so, do I swap sides or have to change them all?:blast:
     
  14. doc

    doc Well-Known Member

    i covered that in one of my previous posts when I gave the firing order and the number order of the cyls....after that all you have to do is to find no1 cyl and follow around the dist cap in a clock wise direction to see if the wire is on the correct dist terminal and the correct spark plug... trace them one at a time untill you get all 8... that way you dont get them all mixed up.....
     
  15. RipRohring

    RipRohring 53 SUPER V8 12 Volt

    Dear Damsel CNH123:
    Some free advice.
    Change one thing at a time. Throwing new unknowns at a problem will just make a big mess BIGGER.
    Once you get your firing order on the wires straightened out, one at a time, run it for a week or so to make sure you fixed it, and that you didn't put your elbow (we ALL do at sme time) on something you shouldn't have.
    .
    Lastly, go to the local nearest Buick dealer and pay them one time to get Humpty Dumpty on the wall one time. Then, don't allow people you don't know to tinker with your car. Keep looking for a NailHead expert in Austin. You are right - there HAS TO BE SOMEONE.
    .
    You know, you can follow an OLD Buick down the road, and when it pulls off in a parking lot, sidle up and ask 'em who THEY USE for a NailHead mechanic. If they give you that ****-eatin grin - well just mosey along. Else, they'll reach into the glove box and give you the right business card ;-)))
    .
    .
    If you join the local BCA, you can probably get REFERENCES of a quality mechanic. :Smarty:
    .
    Just my two cents. :Do No:
    .
    Rip Rohring :Comp:
    .
     
  16. cnh123

    cnh123 Active Member

    These are specialty mechanics that only worked on old cars, although now I'm thinkin they'd never seen a nailhead b4--- they were young. I thought that was what I was doing, paying for specialty mechanics, beep, wrong answer. I am just going to double check everything they did this last run to make sure they did it right since they obviously did something wrong--- Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it:):TU:
     
  17. 66electrafied

    66electrafied Just tossing in my nickel's worth

    Looking at the pictures I'm also wondering if there isn't something wrong with that linkage; maybe it's not getting the right stroke. Your transmission kick-down/stator switch doesn't appear to be hooked up anywhere either. Another thing to check is the distributor itself, maybe the vacuum advance isn't working right, or the centrifugal advance is stuck. If the dwell and the timing are set right, then it should be just a matter of putting the car on a vacuum gauge, see what it's set at, and then just maximizing vacuum. Of course, there could be issues with the carb, it could be jetted wrong, who knows; - if it's backfired a couple of times the power valve could be shot in the carb. One other thing to look at when you're searching for vacuum leaks, there's a plug underneath the manifold, it might be a problem. If you're checking for vacuum leaks on the motor, be sure to disconnect an plug the vacuum (at the motor) to the A/C system, then the transmission, the problem could be with any other system , and not the motor.

    I find that many younger mechanics who have little or no experience with breaker point distributors and carburetors just don't have what it takes to set an old engine up. They many be great with modern stuff, but the old school stuff is barely even discussed in most mechanic schools these days. My brother-in-law is a certified GM mechanic and he had to ask me how to set up an old carb and points, because he had never even seen a set before. You're best off asking around at the next local car show to see which mechanic you should go to. There's probably someone who will be able to recommend a good one who actually knows something about older cars.
     
  18. 87GN@Tahoe

    87GN@Tahoe Well-Known Member

    Marc, kickdown linkage on the '64's is a "pushbutton" style.. Not attached to carb linkage at all, the carb linkage just depresses the button at full throttle.

    No switch pitch on '64 either.
     
  19. 66electrafied

    66electrafied Just tossing in my nickel's worth

    Thanks for that bit of information; I have never seen a 64 set-up up here yet, so I obviously wasn't aware of the differences. Made the bad assumption that 64 would be similar to the later versions, and was obviously wrong. Thanks for correcting me.
     
  20. doc

    doc Well-Known Member

    Yep, Rip is right on about doing one thing at a time,,,, and I will add, write down what you have done... that way you dont do stuff twice.... and yep, the 64 th400 is not a switch pitch...but the way it is set up the passing cant possibly be working.... needs a piece of linkage fabbed up to make it work....
     

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