Jeff Balazs

Sorry got way off topic here. But in a sense still trouble shooting. Be thankful it's a car and not a hole in the water to pour money into. At least with a car access is relatively good........so with some perserverance you should be able to get it sorted. Jeff

Well that is not what I was not was I was thinking when I made the comment.......but I just about pissed myself when I saw the photo you posted. I spent the day in Dana Point Harbor helping some friends get their boat running. Inboards with poor access. My buddy had mentioned that it backfired quite a bit. Not surprisingly both flame arrestors were loose, Salt water boats are much more difficult than our old Dodges. You should see the wiring.... :eek: Crimp connectors and not a bit of heat shrink tubing......OMG x 10000000. And they think it's ready for a trip to Catalina. Jeff

You have much bigger stones than I. Honestly I would rather fumble along blind than try this. Could get ugly real quick. Jeff

This is one of those items that can be more than a bit fussy to get working. I can't tell you how many times I had my carb apart. There is not an easy way to test this that I could find other than to refit and try again. You can't see the step up to determine if it is working properly once it is installed. It sure gave me fits and I still think it could be better. All I can tell you is to make sure it is getting the vacuum signal and keep trying until you get it right. You will be able to tell when it is as the sooty condition will go away.....and the idle mixture screw will have more of an effect. Once you solve it you should consider doing an oil change as the excess gas has probably diluted the oil. Jeff

Boy did you get lucky. Glad things turned out OK. Another good reason to fit a filter element inside the oil bath housing. Jeff

Hank; I wasn't trying to be funny. That formula is on page 151 of my copy of the Big Book of applied physics for Shop Rats. Perhaps my use of regionally specific sliding scale units of measurements has you confused? In this case the unit of measurement is expressed by the symbol p. This stands for "pube" but can be expressed many ways. Most shop rats have their own terminology but readily understand this to be a very real but undefinable unit of measurement. One well known version of this type of measurement is the term "a country mile". As you might surmise this unit of measurement is on a sliding scale and can mean one thing to one person and something totally different to another. Now I know that this may sound a bit fuzzy but exhaustive studies have shown that this form of measuring can be very accurate when used correctly. Merles' assessment of the problem of the DLL shows that he has at the very least evaluated the problem using a form of applied shop rat physics. One clue to this thought process can be found in the idea he expressed about reforming the bend in the drag link. I could just about hear Wise Way Tu saying "Ah so". The calculation for that solution can probably be found in a copy of Advanced Applied Physics for Shop Rats. It surely would be under the heading of TBOBTFW. But a real solution could be probably be accomplished just by trial and error. Any clearer now? Jeff

The main jet should not effect the way it idles. The problem you are having sure sounds as if the step up circuit is involved. Did you check to see if the small passage from the base of the carburetor going up into to the step up piston chamber is clear? A blockage here would render the step up non functional and cause it to run rich all the time. Also another thing could be happening. These carbs are now over 60 years old and the fit of this piston in the bore may be a bit sloppy. The way it is supposed to work manifold vacuum at idle should draw this piston all the way down effectively shutting the step up circuit off. If the piston is not being drawn all the way down at idle for any reason then it is going to run rich. The fact that your idle mixture screw has little effect would indicate that the engine is getting fuel from somewhere else.......and that almost has to be the step up circuit. Hth; Jeff

Mike; I was thinking about this condition too. Was wondering if a conical bushing fitted on the back side would be a safer way to fit something like this? Jeff

I would say the selection depends on what you are trying to achieve. You really need to do your research and know exactly what you want as an end result. Things like wheel selection, make up of the braking system components and specific driving conditions all come into play. The Grand Cherokee 3.55 axle is what I put in my truck. I wanted 4 wheel discs. There was a fair amount of extra work and expense involved when I decided to go in that direction. A M/C swap and custom wheel spacers to name a couple items. Quite a lot of swaps have been made using the drum brake Cherokee axle and that swap can be much simpler by comparison. There is actually quite a bit of information available in past posts and you really should take the time to go through all this. It is all part of making an informed decision. I purchased a used axle that had been thoroughly inspected from a commercial supplier for $300. Because I wanted this to be as close to perfect as I could get I fitted all new brake components. From what you have said I would recommend that you use an experienced fabricator. I prepped the axle and had a fabricator friend do the install. It took him less than 2 hours to do the actual swap. Hth, Jeff

Ok... In this instance the true center of steering (TCS) has been changed by a factor of .ooo4 MFp. Consequently the drag link length (DLL) must be adjusted and a new COS steering modulus must be established. The simplified formula for speeds under 300mph is as follows : COS squared + MFp x .0004 DLL/2 = TCS Of course we can just live with it the way it is. Mine works fine. I actually prefer the feeling of flying by the seat of my pants. Jeff

A problem in how the step up circuit inside the carb is functioning surely would. Jeff

Yup......same thing here. Maybe it's a 3/4 ton thing? I had to shorten my tie rod about an inch. And reset the steering stops a tiny bit. I will just live with the steering wheel as it is. I don't look at it when I am driving any way.

I think the recommended gap range is .018" -.022". The best dwell reading I was ever able to get with my points was around 33 degrees at .018" gap. Jeff

As with most mods there are some variables and specific considerations to decide upon when making the mod. I started off being completely happy to have a points type ignition. I prefer to avoid electronics whenever practical. Points and condensors certainly works and should not be all that hard to keep working.....if you have all new OEM replacement parts. What I found though was that new points I had fitted from Napa were starting to pit fairly quickly. I bought replacements from two other sources and they didn't seem any better. In fact the one set I got from one of our sponsor sites looked like it had been made on a rock in Cambodia. Very sketchy materials indeed. At that juncture I decided to go ahead with a modification. My rational for going with the Pertronix system was based on the idea that I wanted to keep the mod as simple as possible by retaining the existing distributor....eliminate the wear items and get a good hot spark. It is true that the Ignitor by itself will not provide a better spark than the stock system. In order to get that you must fit a matched performance coil. I went ahead and did this as part of the mod and it certainly makes a difference. If you want or need to prove this all you need to do is fit one of those adjustable gap spark testers to both set ups and you can clearly see the difference. How much difference does all this make to the way one of these engines runs? It is difficult to say without a boat load of side by side comparable data. I am happy with the way mine is running so that is good enough for me. I don't know how long you can leave the ignition on when the engine is not running. I hope I will be able to avoid this. If someone has actually had a meltdown maybe they can chime in. As it is now I have to remember to turn off the electric fuel pump when I shut down so hopefully this will always serve as an adequate reminder. As usual.... what works well for one isn't always the best solution for another. Hope this helps; Jeff

Take a look at the step up circuit in the carb to see if it is hung up or not working properly. If either the piston is binding or the vacuum port is blocked off that would cause it to run real rich. Ask me how I know. Jeff

James; Just ideas. In my previous career I spent quite a bit of time hunting down leaks and defects in underground oil and gas pipelines. In the case of this engine it may only leak when it is completely warmed up. Kinda depends on the nature of the defect. Cracks can behave very oddly. And may only leak under very specific conditions. If it is leaking due to corrosion it should be easier to find and could be made flow in both directions. that is why I suggested pressuring up the cooling side. You could bypass the radiator and rig up a test manifold that allowed for this. One area that seems a likely location would be the oil galley along the left hand side of the block. It runs right next to the cooling jackets at the welch plugs. If this were a leak caused by corrosion that is the first place I would investigate. Unfortunately even if you find it you may not be able to do a repair. I am sure you have already considered this. It would however be interesting to know where it is actually located. best wishes, Jeff

James; It might be worth pulling the oil pressure relief valve and inspecting the bore there for a crack. Another test you could try would be to drain the oil......leave the plug out..... and put a pressure test on the cooling system. I don't know if your cooling system is up to this test but I had 12# on mine for well over an hour. Something like this could force a leak to show up in the crankcase. Jeff

I have not but I have a friend who runs it in a early 70's Chevy Truck. He swears by the stuff. It doesn't seem very likely though. I would assume the test dye was put in the crankcase.......and that shouldn't show up in the cooling system. Jeff

Dave; You are probably right. I thought maybe there was pressurized oil up high in the block for the valves. I have not had one of these engines torn down that far. Maybe a crack or fissure around the water distribution tube would allow some oil to flow into the cooling water? Again this is just a guess. Jeff

I put the Pertronix 6 volt positive ground system in my truck. I like it a lot so far. Mods to the distributor depend on which model distributor you have. Mine required a simple mod to the base plate. This does render it useless for refitting the points. No big deal as far as I am concerned. I prefer the idea of "go or no go" over hunting down an ignition problem. Every mod has its plus and minus sides. I like this one a lot. Starts are almost instantaneous. I doubt the engine make a full revolution before it catches.With the matched coil you get a really nice spark.There are no moving parts and no adjustments required. I am happy to carry a spare ignitor module in the glove box.The way it fits together it can easily be changed at the roadside without pulling the distributor. Another plus is that the leads fit perfectly through the side of the distributor with a fitted rubber grommet and should never give you any trouble like the stock set up could. Jeff

James mentioned that he has done a dye test. That dye may upon tear down indicate where this is happening. I wish I knew more about these blocks. It just seems to me that this has to be as a result of a crack somewhere near the valves? Jeff

Davin; Somehow I knew you would be all over that. You guy's sure have some nice projects down there. I can already tell that this one is going to be a real honey. Have fun. Jeff

I am sure I have seen a new drag link made by Rare Parts offered. New ones are on Ebay from time to time as well. Jeff

Dave; If you really want to sober up ....just think about how most folks would react if all of a sudden they couldn't use all their gadgets. That concept scares the crap out of me. I personally don't mind doing without all that stuff. I don't even own a cell phone or play computer games so no big deal. But I know plenty of folks that would have a complete and utter melt down if they didn't have access to all these silly things. Part of me wouldn't mind seeing this happen......but I know the chaos that would soon ensue would be the death of us all. In an attempt to get back on topic I would suggest that a large portion of this group ...could if they wanted to....figure out how to get their old car or truck to run on something other than gasoline. That isn't going to happen with someone who just owns and drives the average new vehicle. A big part of owning one of these older vehicles is figuring out how to keep it going. And I believe that self reliant nature is something most of us here share. We all seem to want what we want and have figured out a way to get it and keep it going. These old cars and trucks just help us be what we really are. Jeff Jeff

Really....really cool. You folks down under sure got some interesting rides. Have fun with it and please post more photos as you go. Jeff I just bet Davin will want to see this one up close.