Jeff Balazs Posted October 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2015 What is a desert cooler type radiator? Some sort of evaporative cooler? I have often wondered how a water mister in the front of a radiator would work in dry (as in very low relative humidity) climates? Swamp cooler effect. Evaporative condensers are very common in industrial refrigeration applications. I guess these are a regional item. Usually they have a larger more efficient core than a stock radiator. Some models even have higher capacity tanks. The ones I put in a couple of GM trucks I used to have had both. They make quite a difference. Every decent tow vehicle here has to have one. It used to be that many stock vehicles struggled with our weather and traffic. My Dad bought a brand new 1966 Mustang 289 automatic with A/C that really had serious overheating problems.....from the factory. Ford never fixed it properly and he got rid of it in less than 2 years. No doubt one of this type of radiator would have solved the problem......but Ford chose to lose a customer for life instead. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted October 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2015 (edited) I put a new accelerator pump in my DTG1 carb tonight. We will see if it makes a difference in how the truck runs. Hopefully it will solve the hesitation that I have had. So maybe one of you B & B gurus can answer a question I have. I have to have a bit of choke on for quite a while with this truck or it isn't really driveable. We are talking 5 to 10 minutes. Is this really normal? Seems to me it shouldn't be so sensitive to this......but it is. Is this an indicator of some other problem? I don't think I have ever had a car or truck that was this cold blooded. I wonder if this has anything to do with the PCV system I have? Jeff Edited October 6, 2015 by Jeff Balazs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merle Coggins Posted October 6, 2015 Report Share Posted October 6, 2015 Did you change the jetting any to account for the PCV system? I almost never use the choke on my truck. Usually 2 pumps of the gas pedal and it'll start right up. If I start driving right away it may stumble, off idle, a little for the first few minutes and all is good after that. Maybe mine is running too rich, but it doesn't show on the spark plugs. Merle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pflaming Posted October 6, 2015 Report Share Posted October 6, 2015 Merle, mine too, seldom use choke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted October 6, 2015 Report Share Posted October 6, 2015 isn't choke and throttle the same thing....(check your dictionary) got to love the way words can be used.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Coatney Posted October 6, 2015 Report Share Posted October 6, 2015 Reminds me of an old tractor I spotted at a farm auction. Knob near the throttle was labeled as CHOUK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NiftyFifty Posted October 6, 2015 Report Share Posted October 6, 2015 I never used to use the choke, but since I had my carb rebuilt, I'm in the exact same position as you...at least 5 minutes with the choke on or it bucks and farts on accel. I wonder if some of these carb kits have become so generic that the needle and jet aren't the same as original. I didn't get a chance to compare, I gave it to my carb guru buddy as I was busy with 100 other things to get it ready this spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted October 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2015 Merle; The more I think about it...... this may be a case of "should have left well enough alone". It is easy enough to put the road draft tube back on and see if that makes a difference. When I had the carb apart yesterday it was spotless......no dirt or deposits anywhere. It truly is just like new. The only reference to re jetting for a PCV system I ever came across involved drilling out a jet. I don't really want to take a chance with that operation at this stage. It did seem to have a bit less hesitation this morning than yesterday.....which may be as a result of putting a freshly oiled accelerator pump plunger in? But I still had a little choke on when I got to the shop and the engine was not quite fully warmed up. Yesterday after reading Dave's and Mark's comments about the cooling system it dawned on me what might have been causing the problem I was having. When I was assembling the hood section I had a issue with clearances on the center section. It was just tweaked enough that it would pinch the overflow tube. My fix for this was a block of wood that bridged the area and held the center section of the hood up just enough to eliminate the pinching. This block spanned the area in front of the top tank of the radiator. Duh......I reshaped it and put some large holes through it and guess what? It ran much cooler. The funny thing is I had it all marked out to reshape but just forgot and never got around to it. Oh dopey me. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted October 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2015 Running much cooler now although it isn't quite as hot as last week. Should get a real good test later this week as it is supposed to be very hot by the weekend. Just got through removing the PCV system. Will test with this off for a few days to see if this has anything to do with the hesitation I have been getting just off idle. While I was at it I checked all the plugs and they were clean with no soot or oil. When I started it I checked the mixture and it responded well to a half turn down. Picked up around a 1/2" or so on the vacuum gauge which is now reading just over 20" at idle when warm. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted October 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 Well I feel like I have made some real progress this week. The cooling issues I was having seem to been eliminated. The real test will come this weekend as we are supposed to have another heat wave. I removed the PCV system I had and readjusted the timing and carb and that seems to have really improved the driving experience. The hesitation I was getting is much less now and I don't have to leave the choke on as much. I can pretty much keep up with traffic now. There is still some room for improvement through fine tuning but it is much better. One of the next things I need to tackle is a minor steering adjustment. Up till now I have left it as I found it. There is a tiny bit more play in the wheel than I would like so I will have to read up on the adjustment process. Also when I put the steering wheel back on I have it mounted a couple of degrees f center.....probably 1 or 2 spline teeth. Hopefully I can get the wheel off without going through the ordeal I had when I first removed it. I think I remember putting some never seize on the splines..... There are several things I feel very good about on my build of this truck. The electrical system I put together has been flawless. I added several items that are not present in a stock system and made my own harness. It all works great and the 6V alternator keeps up with no problem at all. I give a big thumbs up on the full time electric fuel pump and the Pertronix ignition system. Also the overstuffed seat and shoulder belts have been quite comfortable I was concerned about the belts as sometimes the comfort of a retrofit like this can be less than optimum. So that all turned out good. I am also quite happy with the mirrors I fitted. They are not at all stock but they work really well. Visibility out of these corner window cabs is excellent . Not always the case with some old trucks........ Jeff 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Ed Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 Does the steering wheel not have a key or spline to align it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted October 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 My recollection is that it is a uniform spline all the way around. I kinda remember guessing at what was going to be straight when I put the wheel back on. Jeff 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pflaming Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 (edited) My shaft has a 1/16" gap in the cuts and the steering wheel has ah matching extended / raised section. To install I have to mate those or I would have to drive the wheel on with a hammer which would mess up a lot of things. My 54 car has the same. I would strongly suspect yours is the same. ' Edited October 8, 2015 by pflaming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggdad1951 Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 I've not seen a alignment aid on PH truck wheels...just splines all the way around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pflaming Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 (edited) Ggdad is correct, I double checked mine and NO alignment space! My 54 Plymouth has such. The pic may not be clear but I tried. If you enlarge the pic it helps. Edited October 9, 2015 by pflaming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanksB3B Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 (edited) Jeff, I'm glad your truck is working better and running cooler. The transition from idling to acceleration sounds like the vacuum advance problem I just discovered on my truck. It's easy to remove and if you can blow through it, the diaphram is shot. These little things take time to discover. Another little thing is the insullator (7-oclock position in the illustration) that isolates the coil wire going into the distributor. Some models have a ceramic insulator which is prone to breakage and may cause intermittent shorting. This part can be and in my opinion should be replaced with a nylon shoulder washer available from your local Ace Hardware store. . Hank Edited October 9, 2015 by HanksB3B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Coatney Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Better test of a vacuum advance unit is use of a vacuum generator. This tool can also be used to correctly set the vacuum advance curve. The curve settings can be found many places a MoTors Manual being one. Should read something like 3 inches (of mercury) at 400 RPM and full in 12 inches at 1750 RPM. Curve adjustment involves shimming of the pull arm spring. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanksB3B Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Don, Thanks. I have a vacuum gauge but I've never seen a tool like that. Because you know, I;d like to know if it's possible and if so how I can use my gauge to determine my vacuum pressure. Thanks, Hank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Coatney Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Hank, Not sure I understand your question. No such thing as vacuum pressure as vacuum is the lack of pressure. There are two sources of vacuum on your engine. One is intake manifold vacuum and the other is carburetor venturi vacuum better known as ported vacuum. Ported vacuum is what pulls on the distributor vacuum advance and intake manifold is a measure of the mechanical health of your engine. There is a ported vacuum connection located on the base of your carburetor as pictured below and manifold vacuum is where your vacuum wipers connect to the intake manifold if your vehicle is so equipped. Does this answer your question? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reg Evans Posted October 10, 2015 Report Share Posted October 10, 2015 Well shoot ! I'd like to vacuum time my '39 Chrysler 241 but the only vacuum port is off the carb for the vacuum advance. It has electric wipers What's a shade tree mechanic to do ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted October 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2015 Jeff, I'm glad your truck is working better and running cooler. The transition from idling to acceleration sounds like the vacuum advance problem I just discovered on my truck. It's easy to remove and if you can blow through it, the diaphram is shot. These little things take time to discover. Another little thing is the insullator (7-oclock position in the illustration) that isolates the coil wire going into the distributor. Some models have a ceramic insulator which is prone to breakage and may cause intermittent shorting. This part can be and in my opinion should be replaced with a nylon shoulder washer available from your local Ace Hardware store. . Hank Hank; I don't have a vacuum leak. I have checked the advance unit and it seems to be working just fine. I have the PCV system removed and may have gotten some of the improvement by doing so? Not absolutely certain that was the problem as I also made a timing adjustment. It is possible that what is left of the hesitation problem may be coming from the carb. When I got this beauty I did not replace all the gaskets with new ones. Could be the gaskets in the lower section of the carb may need replacement. I believe it is just possible I have a bit of an air or vacuum leak in that area. I will pull it and put in replacements this weekend. At any rate it is a whole lot more pleasent to drive now. The distributor problem you bring up can't happen with my Pertronix set up. The trigger is an isolated component .....It does not ground to anything so no grounding provisions are needed within the distributor. One lead in from ignition switch.......one lead out to coil. It wouldn't make any difference at all if the distributor was grounded or not. All the "magic" happens inside the trigger module which is isolated. When someone puts one of these systems into their car or truck they are actually reducing the amount of potential problems they can experience. There are no points to wear or go out of adjustment........no fiddly ground wiring.....and no condensor to act up. Three problems you see here on the forum all the time. With this module installed.....it either works or it doesn't. And with the matched 40,000V coil boy does it work. Flawlessly. I will take my chances with this set up any day over the stock arrangement. Y'all can have your points. Jeff 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanksB3B Posted October 12, 2015 Report Share Posted October 12, 2015 (edited) Don, Thanks for explaining that to me. I don't see the ported vacuum connection located on the base of the carburetor (the little aluminum button?) That dual carb set up of yours sure looks nice. Is that something you upgraded to of did your car come with a them? If not, did you notice a big performance improvement going dual ? I always appreciate your help, Hank Jeff, I can see your...no, I don't see your points, but I do see your point ! Send me a set for Christmas, it's just around the corner and it'll probably cool down to 90 deg. by then ya think ? Not a purist, Hank Edited October 12, 2015 by HanksB3B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Coatney Posted October 12, 2015 Report Share Posted October 12, 2015 Don, That dual carb set up of yours sure looks nice. Is that something you upgraded to of did your car come with a them? If not, did you notice a big performance improvement going dual ? I always appreciate your help, Hank Hank, The dual carburetors are not factory. I had George Asche modify my factory manifold's so I have both dual intake and exhaust. There is somewhat of a power increase but I did it mostly for the "bling" and sound of the exhaust. Click on this link> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v65/DonCoatney/movie/th_MVI_0030.mp4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted October 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2015 I have not been able to completely eliminate the hesitation of idle. It is not horrible.......but it is not right either. Also make the use of the fluid drive a very iffy proposition in traffic. Stalls pretty easy. Have been all over the carb....no joy there so I put my old one back on. It pretty much runs the same way. I also ditched the PCV system and went back to a road draft tube. That did not change the way it is running. Have tried several minor timing adjustments.....no joy there either. Vacuum at idle is a steady 20.5" I am running out of ideas. I know it has to be something simple that I have overlooked. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanksB3B Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Your vaccuum advance diaphram may be shot. Made it necessary for me to tennderfoot my gas pedal. Extremely weak acceleration and weak power band from idle up to running speed. Just a thought, Hank . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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