Engine finally started!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JIPJOBXX]

Well finally my old 42 started up! After I spent about two hours checking everything out and turning the distributor 180 degrees not getting anywhere but frustrations. I put it back into where I placed it befor but and I say with a big BUT! The bracket that under the distributor has always been not enough play on it to allow me to fine tune the distributor. So today I sacrificed one of the two old distributors adjusting brackets and cut it open at one end so I could get another 1/4 of travel. I noticed that my distributor is different than the two my friend gave me but close enough so I could steal that sacrificed part oft of. So I put the hole thing back together and after cranking a few turns It started right up but of course with all the gasket glue and oil in the cylinders it created quit a cloud of smoke but after about five minutes that cleared up also. So the old Dodge is up and running with a none standard adjustable rotor bracket but it works!!!!!! Oh yes I noticed that I had a great big vacuum leak also and fixed that problem by closing up my milking machine attachment vlv. So tomorrow I will retorked the head and clean up my big messsssssssssssss.

PS. Don't even ask me why that bracket would not work because it is the original one but I think maybe at one point someone might have installed another year distributor Assembly and what I have is not the proper one. Anyway it works and that's all that counts.

[greg g]

I would supect that the problem was the vacuum leak all along, you modified bracket allowed you to over come it.

[55 Fargo]

Well finally my old 42 started up! After I spent about two hours checking everything out and turning the distributor 180 degrees not getting anywhere but frustrations. I put it back into where I placed it befor but and I say with a big BUT! The bracket that under the distributor has always been not enough play on it to allow me to fine tune the distributor. So today I sacrificed one of the two old distributors adjusting brackets and cut it open at one end so I could get another 1/4 of travel. I noticed that my distributor is different than the two my friend gave me but close enough so I could steal that sacrificed part oft of. So I put the hole thing back together and after cranking a few turns It started right up but of course with all the gasket glue and oil in the cylinders it created quit a cloud of smoke but after about five minutes that cleared up also. So the old Dodge is up and running with a none standard adjustable rotor bracket but it works!!!!!! Oh yes I noticed that I had a great big vacuum leak also and fixed that problem by closing up my milking machine attachment vlv. So tomorrow I will retorked the head and clean up my big messsssssssssssss.

PS. Don't even ask me why that bracket would not work because it is the original one but I think maybe at one point someone might have installed another year distributor Assembly and what I have is not the proper one. Anyway it works and that's all that counts.

Jon, glad you started her up, but having to cut open the major adjustment slot under the dizzy, that I do not get.

Can you or anyone else explain this to me. Is it possible your plug wires to diz cap were on correct?

I am happy for you it's now running, but having to make more adjustment on the bottom major adjuster is got me wondering, infact you should be fine tuning the diz with the top adjuster, the bottom should have plenty of movement in either direction......Fred

[JIPJOBXX]

I agree with you about that adjustment cam but even years ago I tired it both ways and I never could get it to move far enough to get the fine adjustment. Those two fasteners the one on the block and the one on the distributor would just become two blocked or run out of travel. If I turned it around than part of the distributor would hit the block. So for many years I just adjusted it as best I could because I did not want to hack away with the original bracket. I'm going to swap out one of the newer rotor assemblies with the one I have in there presently but I need a rotor cap to match up to the new used ones. The new one has something written on the side "Splash guard" or something like that and my old one doesn't have that feature. Like I said befor my old distributor might have come oft of earlier mopar or something that. It does look allot different and with the newer ones it looks like the adjustment cam might just work without any modifications.

[JIPJOBXX]

Yea and that vacumm leak that might have been it all the time also. As yesterday I just tried to start it up and didn't check that vlv. I was a bit concerned it not starting right up and probably just over looked that unit. I had plug into it with my vacumm gage tester befor I figure out that the head gasket had blown and so I probably just left it open and didn't notice it . Oh well things could be worst and I did get a good look at my engine again. Edited February 15, 2010 by JIPJOBXX

[aero3113]

JIPJOBXX,What do you use that vale for?

[JIPJOBXX]

Thats for my cow milking machine!!! No kidding that device came with the car as it was owned by a farmer and when the power was out in his barn all he had to do was plug in a portable milking machine and he was in bussiness! Now do I have one neat extra attachment for my Dodge????

[Joe Flanagan]

Glad you got your car started, Jon. You spent some time in the school of hard knocks during this project.

That milking machine is udderly unique.

[55 Fargo]

Glad you got your car started, Jon. You spent some time in the school of hard knocks during this project.

That milking machine is udderly unique.

Joe, you be making a funny, are you feeling the effects of Cabin Fever.............LOL

[greg g]

If your vacuum valve doesn't seal all the way, it would lead to driveability problems and may have even contributed to the head gasket failure. If it was me I think I would remove it and plug the hole. I know its a fun item, but I would rather have a properly running car. What kind of vacuum is your car pulling at idle??

[aero3113]

LoL,thats Great!!!! Maybe you can cap it off when not hooked up for a better seal.

[aero3113]

Don't forget to re-torque your head bolts. I would re-torque them during 2 or three more runs when hot.

[jd52cranbrook]

Jon, glad you started her up, but having to cut open the major adjustment slot under the dizzy, that I do not get.

Can you or anyone else explain this to me. Is it possible your plug wires to diz cap were on correct?

I am happy for you it's now running, but having to make more adjustment on the bottom major adjuster is got me wondering, infact you should be fine tuning the diz with the top adjuster, the bottom should have plenty of movement in either direction......Fred

Once you find TDC and set the distributor in, by centering the distributor with equal adjustment direction, put your number one plug wire to the cap location that is closest to where the rotor is pointing. On distributors of the same make and model, that could mean moving the number one plug up, or down one location. They are not always exactly the same location from one distributor to the next. That would give you maximum adjustment.

Edited February 15, 2010 by jd52cranbrook

[55 Fargo]

Once you find TDC and set the distributor in, by centering the distributor with equal adjustment direction, put your number one plug wire to the cap location that is closest to where the rotor is pointing. On distributors of the same make and model, that could mean moving the number one plug up, or down one location. They are not always exactly the same location from one distributor to the next. That would give you maximum adjustment.

Yes that makes sense, thanx for explaining

[blueskies]

Yea and that vacumm leak that might have been it all the time also.

Has your oil pump ever been out? If it was installed incorrectly, one or two teeth off, it would affect the postion of the distrubutor/timing...

Pete

[JIPJOBXX]

I finally figured out why I had so much trouble with my blow head gasket problem and my timing! I'm just going to haft to stop having my neighbor over as she is to distracting!

[Plymouthy Adams]

and not too good a griver..done dented the fender trim..El and Bruiser at their finest

[Andydodge]

Tim........is that whats called a dent in the States...........lol............eerr..........now I see what you mean.........oops.........better put my glasses back on.............been using the braille screen.......lol........andyd

[Joe Flanagan]

Jon, your neighbor looks awfully funny in that sweater. I can see why that would be a distraction.

Who's the girl?

[JIPJOBXX]

I want to thank all you guys for your help and suggestions! My car is up and running and seems to have more horse power now. I kind of attribute that to replacing my vacuum advance unit on my old distributor. During my time from hell trying to get the car to fire up I noticed that my old vacuum unit on the distributor was not working and so I replaced that unit with a spare one I had. Jon

[55 Fargo]

I want to thank all you guys for your help and suggestions! My car is up and running and seems to have more horse power now. I kind of attribute that to replacing my vacuum advance unit on my old distributor. During my time from hell trying to get the car to fire up I noticed that my old vacuum unit on the distributor was not working and so I replaced that unit with a spare one I had. Jon

Don't forget you had the head shaved, did you not, more compression = more zip

[Don Coatney]

Jon, did you count, measure, and swap the washers from the old advance to the replacement one?

http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=10684&highlight=vacuum+advance

[JIPJOBXX]

Don my old one had two of those washer looking things and the one I rescued from the junk pile also has two. I plan on using the old rescued distributor one of these days in the Dodge as that adjusting plate seems to work just fine as the one I have in there now, well what can I say? I tried every which way to get that adjustment area to work but never could. I stated befor that this old distributor could be out of older plymouth or dodge and install many moons ago. Anyway the car is up and running and the vacuum advance seems to be working better now. The old one had a hole in the bellow and so it wasn't working. I'm not a great car mechanic but I try and I do believe in safety. Anyway thanks for that info that you just put up on the board as it open up my mind a little bit more on these old distributors.