Weekend Fine Tuning

This weekend it rained almost the entire weekend.  It was not too cold so I spent a fair amount of time working on the car. 

I tried to install the DB Electrical 3223 mini-starter yesterday.  The starter is slightly too large to fit into the block plate opening.  After I set the two side by side, I noticed the snout on the end of the starter is not long enough.  If the starter were to engage, it appears it would be about a half inch too short.  I emailed the DB Electrical about the issue to see if they have one which will work for me.

I spent some time using the new A/F gauge to tune the car.  When I started, the car was idling at 1,000 RPM, vacuum was at 15", and the A/F ratio was 11:1 (quite rich).  I took the carburetor off and adjusted the secondary throttle blades to open them up some.  This would allow me to close the idle set screw some exposing less of the transition slot in the primaries.

After this adjustment, I could set the idle down to about 800 RPM without trouble.  This obviously decreased my vacuum down to the 12-13 range.  However, my A/F ratio was then at 13:1. 

I'd turned in the secondary throttle blade adjustment screw a 1/4 turn about two years ago.  My first change set it a little more open than original.  I pulled it off and turned the screw in some more to open the secondaries.  This lets me close the primaries, exposing less of the transition slot.  I made these changes and now have the 12-13" vacuum, 13:1 A/F, and still idle at around 800 RPM.

I really need a new distributor as I'm currently only able to run about 14 degrees advance (due to 22 mechanical minimum with my factory distributor).  I need to have that to 18 or 20.  When I tested it this weekend (without driving), setting the timing to 18 gives me 15" of vacuum and leaves my A/F about the same.  Unfortunately, I can't leave it this way as I'll have 40 degrees total advance.

While tuning, I noticed the rattle noise I heard under the car was the exhaust rattling against a parking brake bracket.  I loosened up the clamps once it cooled down and repositioned them.  This stopped the rattle noise.

I also worked on the shifter some as it makes a rattle noise when in second gear.  I have already used the rebuild kit.  This time, I stretched out the springs some to stiffen up the assembly.  I also put some grease in the cups on the sides of the shifter to make sure they were lubricated.  I then tightened it all together with some medium thread locker on the bolts.  I'm afraid the rattle is caused by a loose set pin which is in the bottom part that the shift lever connects to.  I'll find out when I get to drive it a little more.

I drove the car around the block late this evening and found the A/F ratio is all over the place while driving.  I tried to isolate each circuit when driving but it is difficult.  I'm running very lean (16+:1) when accelerating but drop back to a reasonable level when cruising.  It is still a little wet on the roads so I'll wait until it dries up some to do more testing.

Installation of Wide Band Air/Fuel Gauge

The AutoMeter Sport Comp wide band air/fuel gauge (ATM-3370) I ordered arrived from Summit last Thursday.  At first glace, I didn't believe the gauge was 2 1/16" diameter.  I've grown so accustom to the 2 5/8" gauges in my cluster it just seemed way too small.  However, it looks nice, matches all the others, came with a O2 sensor, all required wiring, and a bung to weld into the exhaust. 

I welded in the exhaust bung into the passenger side collector last night.  I'm still using the exhaust I put together with some 45 degree bends I purchased at a local auto parts place.  I plan to replace it in the future and route the exhaust a little better.  However, for now, it is working fine (except the parking brake doesn't work) and provides almost as much ground clearance as possible.

I thought I'd need to buy a bracket for the gauge as one was not supplied but I found one in my spare parts stash.  I installed the gauge using some existing screw holes in the bottom of the dash.  I then connected all the wiring needed for the gauge to operate.  I temporarily tied up the wiring under the dash as I've not decided if I'm going to leave it in or just use it for tuning and then remove the gauge.

It is getting late so I did not want to spend too much time tuning the car tonight.  I did start up the car to check the gauge as it requires at least 12.5v (a running engine) to show any signs of operation.  After a few minutes of driving, the choke shut off and the car was idling at 900 RPM.  The a/f ratio was only 10:1 which is rather rich. 

I shut off the engine as I did not want to get sucked into working on it as I would not stop and the neighbors would all be cussing me for running the car late (it is a little loud).  I might drive it to work tomorrow or I'll just wait to this weekend to do some more testing.  Until then, I need to research tuning a car by a wide band gauge.

Performance Test - Before Tuning

I ordered an AutoMeter Sport Comp A/F guage kit (ATM-3370) and a high torque starter a few days ago.  Before fine tuning the carburetor, I though I'd get a baseline run with my Passport Performance Meter. 

The results are much slower than I expected.  I was not going to run up to a 1/4 mile.  Instead, I decided to just focus on 1/8 mile measurements.  I could then just pull out onto a local highway which is rarely used, get centered in the lane, and then accelerate and test it without really breaking any speed limits. 

These are the results:
0-60           7.35 seconds (1 second better than before)
60'              2.53 seconds (.42 seconds faster than before)
1/8 ET      10.25 seconds (.65 seconds faster than before)
1/8 MPH  67.8 (2.4 seconds slower than before)

For the money I've put in the  motor, this is simply pitiful. Granted, I took off and loss traction big time.  I know my air/fuel mixtures are off and my timing is not right.  I guess I'll get to experiment and find out exactly how much those type changes can help.  I might get another test in first just to see if these results can be duplicated.

Edelbrock Heads Arrive!

My Edelbrock E-Street heads (#5025) arrived in the mail today.  These heads have me really excited to get the engine back together. My first impression is that they are very nice for the price and the exhaust ports are huge!

I called the engine shop today and requested they zero deck the block.  I'm really glad it is not too late to have it done.  The guy building the engine (Eric) was married this weekend so the block has not been assembled.  Since I'm having this done, my compression ratio will be at exactly 9:1 without milling the heads at all.

My Ever Expanding Engine Project

After contemplating if I should reinstall the engine or replace the bearings.  I searched the Internet and posted questions on a few message boards and about decided to leave it alone.  I then decided to go ahead and remove the heads in preparation for the camshaft swap.  This would allow me to get them upgraded to screw in studs.

After a week or two, I decided to go ahead and take out the cam.  The first few lobes slid from the block with no problem.  The cam then stopped and would not come out any further.  It took me a second to realize the back side of the first cam bearing was damaged and would not allow the cam to slide out.

I inspected it for a while and strangely, the damage did not impact the cam.  It looks like someone was aggressive with installing the distributor and ended up tearing up the cam bearing.  In a  moment of poor judgement, I used the cam to hammer out the front bearing.... nice, right?  Anyway, it came out and did not damage the block or anything else.
 

Since I was without a cam bearing and worried about the condition of the rest of the motor, I decided I would take the block to have it checked by a Vila's Motor Works.  The charge was only $60 for the block and $30 for a set of heads to clean and determine exactly what work was needed to get them into great running condition.  I dropped them off on the morning of Monday, October 24th.

On Halloween, I received a call from the machine shop stating the block did not need to be bored and could just be honed and reused.  I was glad as I don't know if it could handle a boring to .060 over.  The deck did not need any work as it was perfectly flat.  The block needed new cam bearings, new crank and rod bearings, and freeze plugs.  The only machining needed was to cut the crank .020/.020 under.

I was told the 351 heads would need a large amount of work in order to use them.  The guy who worked on them, Mark, was a bit pessimistic about using them with an aftermarket cam.  He made a comment more than once when I spoke with him about needing new valves to run aftermarket springs.  This made me question his thought process.  In the end, I was told the total price to refinish them was $800.  I quickly told them I did not want to mess with putting that much money into those heads.

The cost for the block work was $270.  I decided I'd go ahead and get different pistons which would allow me to get a higher compression ratio.  I purchased a set of Keith Black flat top pistons (KB115), KB moly rings (4000AM8.040), Cloyes Timing Chain (9-1135), and Comp Cams XE256H (31-324-3) cam and lifter set which arrived on November 3rd.  I dropped them off the next morning with the 289 heads hoping they could be used at a cheaper rebuild price.

I did not question rebuilding the shortblock for a minute when I heard the cost.  However, the cost associated with the job started to hit home when I spent $500 on the parts shown above.  Unfortunately, the shop called stating the 289 heads were worse off than the 351 heads as the 289 heads did not have hardened exhaust seats.  This is when it really started to snowball out of control.

Last night, I searched for heads on the Internet and started considering options.  I thought of going with some GT-40 heads or just some stock style.  I could just use the 289 heads as they were working when I pulled them out.  However, I know there are at least four leaky valves based on a test I did at home.  It would be nice just to have a solid motor and not have to worry about it but all the heads I found were about $300 and they still needed screw in studs, milling, or were just questonable in general.

I started looking at the Edelbrock E-Street heads again.  I took a look at them at the GoodGuys meet I went to in March.  They are the exact same casting as the Performer and Performer RPM heads.  They just have different valves and springs.  I found they were on sale at 10% off until today and decided to buy them tonight.  I'll now need hardened push rods and roller rockers.... it never ends!

I'll need to have these heads milled a little in order to get to 9:1 compression ratio.  If I mill them down about .012, I will have a 58cc combustion chamber and 9:1 compression.  This is not outstanding but it is not bad either.  If I went further with the milling, each cc I decrease the heads by, I end up with another .1:1 which is not much of a gain.  It now occurs to me I probably should have gone with dome pistons but oh well.

As I spent some time cleaning the garage today, I thought about how different it will be to drive the Mustang again.  Since I drove it last, I'll install an electric fan, headers, full 2 1/2" exhaust, new pistons, cam, and aluminum heads.  I'm sure it will be quite different.  I'm ready but I'm thinking I'll need to ask for valve covers and a few other things for Christmas to be able to afford putting it back together.

Checking Engine Condition and Specs

I've wanted to replace the camshaft in the Mustang for a while now.  Since the engine is out of the Mustang, now is as good of time as any to change it out.  I've a set of '69 351 heads as well I'd like to install.  Before starting this project, I decided I would go through the engine and check the condition.

Crank & Rod Bearings

I started by removing the oil pan to check the condition of the cranshaft and rod bearings.  I can tell they are a little worn so I've considered replacing them.  I asked about it on SBFTech and VMF but both suggested I just leave it alone based on the oil pressure readings I recorded about a year ago.

Camshaft
I checked the specs on the cam before removing the heads and cam.  The intake had .230 lift at the cam (.368 at the valve) and .237 exhaust life (.380 at the valve).  After removing the heads and cam, I found the number 560 stamped on the end of the cam. 

A few internet searches revealed it is a Sealed Power 560 cam which is a stock replacement cam.  The specifications on Summit match up to the stock cam grind referenced in Tom Monroe's book on SBF engines.


Intake Duration at 050 inch Lift: 184
Exhaust Duration at 050 inch Lift: 189
Duration at 050 inch Lift: 184 int./189 exh.
Advertised Intake Duration: 292
Advertised Exhaust Duration: 265
Advertised Duration: 292 int./265 exh.

Lifters

The lifters seem to be in excellent shape.  There are no strange marks on the face which rode on the cam lobes.  They slid easily in and out of the lifter bores.  I took them out and put them in an old container in the proper order in case I ever need to inspect the lifter which came out of a particular bore.

Pistons
I noticed the bottom of each piston has the number 1157 cast into the skirt.  I searched the Internet and found these are Keith Black Silv-O-Lite pistons.  They are dish pistons but I could find no cc measurement of the dish size on the Internet.  I emailed the company and they responded stating the dish is 12 cc. 

I measured the bore with a dial caliper and it is bored 040 over.  Once I cleaned off the tops of the pistons, I could make out a 40 stamped into the top of each of the pistons.  I checked how far in the hole the pistons are at TDC. I used a gauge to get the piston to TDC. I then slid a feeler gauge under a piece of metal laid across the top of the piston. The measurement is rather large at .035.

I later learned this is because these pistons have a compression height of 1.585.  Many pistons for a 289 have a compression height of 1.605.  This would change the amount the piston is in the bore from .035 to .015.  This paired with the dished piston gives me a current compression ratio of 8.17:1 which is shamefully low.  Switching to any aftermarket head with a 60 cc chamber (or even the '69 351 heads) is going to drop compression even lower (to 7.74:1 with current parts).

The head gasket they used was a Fel-Pro 8548PT-2.  It has a compressed thickness of .047.

Timing Chain

This isn't the best picture but the engine has single roller timing chain installed.  The chain has seen better days as it seems to be a little stretched.  I chose this picture as you can see the extent of the stretching on the far side of the chain. 

Heads

I took several measurements of the 351 heads to make sure I order the correct valve springs.  I removed all the valve springs with a tool I rented from O'Reilly.  I noticed the valves seem a little loose in the guides.  I also tested with water to find three valves which leak slightly. 

I decided to check the 289 heads I took off and found they have four leaky valves.  I took off a couple of springs and the valve guides seem a little tighter.  A strange oddity is that the 289 heads do not have the bump in the exhaust port but the 351 heads do. 
I've learned a fair amount about the condition of the motor.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it at this point.  There is the desire to have it rebuilt but there is also the concern that since it is already bored 040 over that that might not be an option.  I think I'll take it to a local machine shop and let them evaluate what I'm working with an give me some suggestions.

Leak Testing Cylinder Heads

I've not posted in a while.  I've not done much on the Mustang as it is over 100 here in Texas.  Even early in the morning and late at night it is fairly hot.  I'm thinking I'll just take some time off work soon and get the floor done.

Anyway.... I purchased a set of C90E 351 cylinder heads in Dallas a couple of months back.  I was in Dallas for the GoodGuys Spring Nationals and found the listing for the heads on CraigsList.  The guy wanted $100 for the set.

I offerred $80 and he took me up on the offer.  I'd really like a bigger cam in the Mustang which would require I switch to screwed in studs.  I could pay for this work on my existing 289 heads and the money would just be lost.  With the 351 heads, I can probably sell them later and recover a small portion of the money.  Plus, the 351 heads flow better than the 289 heads.

Today, I filled set the heads down with the combustion chamber facing up.  I then filled the combustion chamber with water to test the valve seats.  All the intake valves are sealed up fine.  Three of the exhaust seats leaked just a little. 

I've posted about it on the SBFTech forum to get a few opinions.  If a valve job is needed, I'll likely just sell the heads.  If I can lap them and make it work or if it is not too big of a deal, I'll keep them for use later.

Patriot Header Order & Garage Clean-Up

I've researched various headers for my Mustang for a while debating the best option. I'd like to not compromise on performance.

I've researched the Hooker Competition and Heddman Elite long tube headers. I've found pictures on them installed on vehicles similar to mine. With each, they tend to hang about an inch below the front sub-frame. The reason I've heard is they make them so they will also work for a 351 engine which has exhaust ports and inch higher.

Many of those I asked on VMF and StangFix stated they wished they had gone with shorty headers. This avoid problems with ground clearance. Additionally, there is more room in the engine compartment to work and they don't need to be removed to remove the starter or transmission. Unfortunately, most of the shorty headers I looked at would not fit with a stock clutch linkage. The Heddman Elites would fit but the primary tubes are only 1 1/2" instead of 1 5/8".

The Patriot Clippsters however are 1 5/8" primaries and fit. The Clippster's are sold for $322.95 with $14.95 shipping through Summit. I received an email yesterday that CJ Pony Parts was running their 15% off discount again this weekend. It applied toward these exact headers. The price after the 15% discount was $285.55 and the shipping was free. This placed it at about $52 below what it would cost through Summit so I purchased them. ... I only worked on the Mustang a little today. I put the first coat of paint (Extreme Chassis Black) on the drive shaft. I then cleaned up all the dirt, rust, and metal particles from the garage floor. I saved the floor using cardboard but it is still fairly dirty.

New Exhaust System Purchase

I've mentioned before my exhaust system is in bad condition. The previous owner used what appears to be a shorty style header designed for a different vehicle. Since it did not fit properly, it was cut at the collector and then welded directly to the exhaust tubing.

The exhaust tubing then runs back to two Pro Sound mufflers. The tubing is 2 1/4" and the mufflers appear to be 2 1/2". The gap around the mufflers was then just filled in with an abundance of weld. The tail pipes appear to be slightly slmaller than 2 1/4" but they are welded just as horribly. The passenger side was cut for some reason about 15" from the tail pipe and then welded back together. Each of these welds has a small pinhole in it somewhere.

Since I need to take out the exhaust to paint the underside of the vehicle, I thought now would be a good time to replace everything. I've been looking for a few days and there are some very nice systems but they cost a large amount of money.

I found a Flowmaster American Thunder set which was not too expensive. I'm concerned it is going to be too loud as it uses there Super 44 mufflers. It was the only FLowmaster system I found for my car using 2 1/2" exhaust. There were other kits but they were all much more expensive. The kit is normally $420 but I found it on sale at C J Pony Parts for $350. This is the same as the cheapest price I found on a Pypes tubing only (no mufflers) kit.

I decided to order the Flowmaster kit this morning using a gift card I received for Christmas which put the total kit at $300. Not bad.

Carburetor Hesistation Cured!!!

After Gary left today, I decided to try to fix the choke. I loosened the choke cap after letting the engine warm up. Unfortunately, turning it does not have the impact he described. It does not do anything to the flap.

Since I had the car warmed up, I thought I would go ahead and decrease the initial timing. I set it to about 8 or 9 degrees. The idle was at about 900 RPM so I went ahead and dropped it to about 700 RPM. I then tried to set the idle mixture screws. This time, it seemed to have a little impact. They are about 1 3/4 turn out.

I thought I would try to take it for a drive with the new timing. I really expected it to hesitate even more but it did not. In fact, I put it in gear and slowly started rolling. I floored it at 700 RPM and had nothing but tirespin. There was no hesitation. I'm glad to have it fixed.

I'm not sure exactly what fixed the problem. I'm not sure it matters.

Quarter Mile Test

Although the carburetor hesitation is not fixed, I wanted to see what type improvement switching to the Holley made. It was about 45 degrees outside tonight so it was at least 30 degrees colder than it was when I performed the same test back in July.

I tried to avoid the hesitation and not spin the tires which led to a slow start. I ran up to 100 to make sure there was no issue with the meter as I experienced previously. Despite the slow start and wheel spin, I ran a 16.75 at 85.4.

My time decreased only by a 1/4 second but the MPH increased by 5 MPH. According to a calculator I found on the internet, the best ET possible with this MPH is 15.87. The best ET with my previous MPH was 16.85 (actually ran a 17.0).

My '60 time in July was 2.63 with wheel spin. My '60 time today was 2.83 so I easily lost .2 seconds with my slow start. If I had the same '60 time as before, I would have run a 16.55.

I still run up to 4500 RPM which may or may not be needed. I don't want to do anything more as I'm not sure the engine could handle it. I really only do this when testing the car and try to stay under 4000 the rest of the time.

Replacing Intake Gaskets

Today I decided to remove the intake to fix the leaks. I was able to take the intake off fairly easily. I tried to slowly loosen the bolts so I would not warp the intake. I was surprised to find the back right bolt was not tight at all. I suppose these worked their way lose much as the intake bolts did. Regardless, I was able to remove the intake with no trouble.

The current gasket I originally installed still looks great. I posted on StangFix about using the same gasket again. It looks brand new but most suggested I go ahead and use a new one. This was the best idea. Once I started removing it, I found it was not sealed perfectly along the bottom. So much so I wondered if I could have had a leak into the lifter valley.

I decided to stop at this point as I had been working all day. Kimberly went shopping in Houston for the day so I was lucky the kids let me get this much work done. Since it was extremely cold, they did not even want to come outside and spent much of the day playing inside and watching TV.

Spark Plug Condition - Running Rich

I was thinking of a good way to fix the carburetor troubles and decided to pull the plugs to see how they look. I started with the number 1 cylinder and the end of the plug was black. This indicates either the engine is running rich or the plug is too cold.

I pulled each of the other spark plugs and noticed the #1, #4, and #7 plugs are the worst. These are all fed by the same side of the carburetor. Since I’ve done more idling than driving lately (to test the coil), this is likely related to the idle mixture screws.

These screws should be set the same distance out on each side and should be set to generate the highest vacuum. Unfortunately, my vacuum does not change when I turn the mixture screws. However, the screws are set the same distance out so you would expect the same plug appearance on both sides.

I checked the screws again and they are about the same distance out. The passenger side, which feeds the plugs in question, was possibly a little further out. I turned it in by 1/3 turn just to get closer to the right spot until I can fix the carburetor tune.

Still Working on the Carburetor

I still have a bit of hesitation off idle which I cannot fix. I've asked about it on a few Internet forums but have not found a solution.

I thought it could be the idle mixture screws. However, when I change them it has only a very, very small impact on vacuum. From what I've read, these should be set to where you get the highest vacuum reading.

Someone asked about a leak around the intake on one forum. I said I had already checked it using WD-40 around the intake but could not find any leaks. I walked out to look it over again today and found oil behind the rear intake seal. It was only a small amount and was not there two or three weeks ago.

I cleaned the oil off and took the car out for a 10 mile drive. When I made it home, I checked and there was no oil. I'm not sure if this would be responsible for the problem or not. Unfortunately, I would need to buy another $30 bottle of Mobile One synthetic oil and drain all the fluids again to fix this seal leak. At this rate, the supplies are going to cost more than the intake itself.

Carburetor Tuning Continued

I called O'Reilly from work yesterday and they said they could get the Holley pump cams by 5 o'clock. I ordered them and paid a premium price ($27.99). However, I would have paid the same to get the from Summit after the shipping cost.

I put on the new coil this morning and the new spark plug wires. I then switched from the stock orange pump cam to use the new size up which is black. I then checked the front float level and found it is not set as high as I remember. I raised the front float level and then took the car for a drive.

The hesitation on accelration if fixed. It seems there is a small hesitation at very low RPM. This is likely because the idle mixture is off or because I could function with the orange cam with the raised float level. I'll fine tune it later. For now, I'm just happy the drivability is much better.

The current setup is shown below.

Carburetor Tuning Continued

I received the new distributor springs, Petronix FlameThrower Coil, and MSD Street Fire spark plug wires in the mail today. The springs are rated to deliver full mechanical advance by 2,400-2,800 RPM. I was concerned that would be too quick so I used one and one of the stock springs.

I drove the car around tonight with only the new spring installed. This seemed to help low RPM performance some but did not fix the hesitation. I posted on a few Mustang forums to get some additional help with the problem. The only response so far requests I try new pump cams.

Carburetor Tuning... Still

I've tried numerous different things to get rid of the hesitation on acceleration. I've tried new accelerator pump nozzles, changed the pump cam position, and changed secondary springs. Unfortunately, none of the combinations of things I've tried have fixed the problem.

I removed the spacer today. The spacer should add power but can move it up the power band and create a lean condition. I was not sure this would make much of a difference but it was worth an attempt. I found the hesitation remains but seems to disappear at high RPM (over 2500).

I've asked on the VMF about the situation and I've received a variety of responses. Several suggested new jets, others said new pump cams, and others have questioned the timing. It is unfortunate so many things can cause the same type situation.

I'm going to expore the timing next as I think I've eliminated many of the carburetor variables as being the entire cause. I took the distribution apart and found 15 degree plates. One spring was very tight and the other is soo lose it could fall off. I think I try to find some at a local auto parts store and then check my mechanical advance with a timing light.

Carburetor Tuning Continued

I received the new accelerator pump nozzle a couple of days ago. I'm replacing my fence and have spent the last few days taking down the fence and removing the poles. I had some time tonight so I installed the nozzle and took a test drive.

The hesitation changed with the new nozzle. If felt like two short hesitations with a quarter second feeling of normal acceleration between the two. I took off the carburetor with plans to remove the spacer and found a leak at the back of the carburetor spacer. I installed a new gasket and then went for another test drive.

There is now only the single hesitation which is short but still present. I'll try to switch back to the .031mm accelerator pump nozzle next to see if it works better with the carburetor spacer leak fixed. Unfortunately, I've run out of time for today so I'll need to try that later this week.

Carburetor Tuning

I drove around some after installing the new carburetor. The car seems to drive fine under moderate acceleration. Once I press the gas about half way, the car hesitates for about a half second and then takes off. I've watched a video which came with the carburetor and performed some internet research and this is suppose to be related to the accelerator pump nozzle size.

I've ordered a new .035mm accelerator pump nozzle from Summit. However, the part will not arrive until I return from my vacation in Las Vegas. I'll need to wait until then to see if this fixes the hesitation.

Installation of Intake and Carburetor II

I made a final cut on the gas line and installed it this morning. I then filled up the radiator and changed the oil. I then tried to start the motor and it started but was not running well.

I checked the timing to find it was 25 BTDC. I could not adjust it to less because the vacuum module of the distributor was hitting the intake. I rotated all the spark plug wires on the cap and rotated the housing. I then could not get the engine to start because the timing was off.

My wife held the timing light as I cranked over the engine. It would start for just a second and she could see the location of the TDC mark. I made two adjustments and the engine started with the timing at 15 BTDC.

The RPM of the engine never seemed to drop. It was then I noticed the stator terminal on the alternator was only putting out 7 volts. I used a jumper to the batter but still did not have much luck. I turned off the car and thought I would watch the Holley tuning video which came with the carburetor again.

The video stated you needed to wait for the engine to warm up and then start with the idle mixture screws. I took a picture of their initial position and then moved them out 1.5 turns as the instructions stated. The engine idle never dropped so I got concerned and tried to turn off the engine. It kept trying to run and died after blowing a mist of gas vapor out the top of the carburetor.

I waited a few hours and then perform the following steps:

1) Checked coolant level

2) Changed choke setting (set wrong from box)

3) Started the car & waited for it to warm up

4) Adjusted the curb idle to 600 RPM

5) Set timing to 15 degrees BTDC

6) Adusted the curb idle to 600 RPM

7) Set the idle mixture screws to get the best vacuum reading

8) Adjusted the curb idel to 600 RPM

9) Set the float levels

This is exactly right according to the instruction video. The engine seems to be running better. I'm going to let it cool and then check the choke setting. Earlier in the day I would get a pop out the exhaust when I blipped the gas. I'll check then to see if it is still happening.

I took the following picture after the first startup. Shortly afterwards, I removed the air cleaner and started tweaking on the carburetor.