noob fuel question

[Djweaz]

POW!!! I was chasing multiple issues replicating the same problems

Issue #1 low spark result= either the ignition wire or the ignition itself is bad. Jumpered from solenoid to the battery. Starts right up and will die as soon as you take the jumper off the battery

Issue #2 Low Spark result= new Spark plug cables were bad and arcing from the boot to the manifold.

Issue #3 changing cap. result= 180 Degrees out as I thought because the rotor seemed to be pointing towards cylinder #1 instead of at #8

[Djweaz]

It was strange today we kept bumping it and bumping it and could not find a timing mark for it at all. Timing light flash light nothing. Is this a strange occurrence with the 59 MELs?

I've had problem with the harmonic balancer slipping. There is a piece of insulating rubber bonded to the crank piece and the piece with the timing mark and pulley. With age the rubber loses its bond and allows the timing mark piece/pulley to slip. I sent one away for rebuilding and it came back 80 degrees out. It was done by an individual with experience in this work. I marked it correctly, sent it back and it was then done correctly. Since I deal with a lot of 430's I always use a vacuum guage to set the timing.
Carl

[Yadkin]

Take out the #1 plug, turn the crankshaft by hand (clockwise, looking at the crankshaft from the front). Seal the plug hole with your thumb as you turn. When you feel pressure, the piston is rising on the compression stroke. Continue to turn until the piston reaches the top. Use a small wood dowel to feel for the top of the piston. When you're sure it's at top dead center, mark the flywheel damper at the timing pointer.

I have a bottle of silver nail polish that my daughter didn't want just for this purpose. If you suspect the rubber isolation ring has deteriorated, mark on both sides of it.

[Djweaz]

Are you sure you are putting the wires on correctly. They need to be put on counter clockwise.

John

Hey John. Found out plug wires were wired 180 degrees out so when I put them on correctly it would only spit and sputter. I wish there were an easier fix for this. I hate coming across cars where the distributor is installed incorrectly

[Yadkin]

It sounds to me that the distributor was installed with the #1 cylinder at TDC of the exhaust stroke.

[Djweaz]

Yep we got it yesterday and set the distributor back to where it was supposed to be. Took a couple extra days because when we closed the hood he cable releasing the passenger side broke and believe me that was no fun at all getting to it. Tried getting a set of pliers on it and pulling couldn't get a good enough grip to pull it. Ended up taking off a panel in the passenger wheel well and reaching as far up as we could and around to the top of the blower motor and then the spring was in the way. We actually went to the bone yard where 2 1960s were and bought the latches off of one of them to get a view of what we were feeling for. Such a shame to see them in their. They looked to have been pretty decent cars before going there. I wanted to pull off everything I could use incase I need them some time and can't find it. Was a shame to see people just tore them up just to destroy things. Was a good console but it didn't have the power windows so I just grabbed the ash trays out of them as a PO glued dice on them. Got one headlight bezel other someone had smashed. No tailights all 6 were gone. Going back Monday because I didn't notice I didn't have the hood scoop vent in mine and there was one in at least one of them. I was hoping to get power windows or seat motors. Mine are fine but shelf items are good to have. Both were non power seat or Windows. One of them was a factory ac which I still might go back and grab parts from it since mine isn't, at least the box on the firewall. I didn't know until today that the lever in my door was for the windshield washer. I've been moving it around trying to get my mirror to adjust. No wonder it didn't. And obviously it doesn't work. Any tips on trouble shooting it? Maybe I will get the ones off those cars. Might even pick up the manual seat tracks in case I have an issue and need to go to manual. Any suggestions on getting new or used parts places? Most every thing on my car works, with the exception of the wipers, the washer fluid, speedo(the needle is out of it but I have it) the gauges and the clock but I have working ones under the dash. I actually got both stainless pieces for under the dash so when I fix my dash stuff I can put the stainless without the holes from the after market gauges. My seats are all rather nice. Drivers side lower piece the seam came apart I put a couple pieces of electrical tape and it blends rather well. But the buns are crumbling. I'd really like to go back to the original air cleaner as my car is fully stock and in very good condition. My bumpers the chrome is faded but not pitted but my door chrome and mirrors have pits. I saw a 59 or 60 sunroof model that had a chrome package that I'd love to own. Skirts are chrome the fins around the tail lights are chrome so many classy parts are chromed. Other than those minor things listed it is ready for a paint job and will be a stand out in the crowd

[YellowRose]

noob fuel question

Rob, I gather you were trying to get your hood open when the cable broke. Take a look at your fender wells in the engine bay. You should see a plugged hole (if the plug is still there) or an open hole on each fender well. Mine had the plugs in it when passenger side cable broke. By popping out those plugs from the outside of the fender well, you can reach the hood release and push down on it. That should cause the hood latch to release and pop up. In my case, the drivers side released, but like yours, the passenger side did not, because of the broke cable. We were able to take a longgg broom handle, and screw a wood screw into it and use it to grab the hood release and push down on it. That popped open that hood release and we were able to open the hood fully and replace that broke cable. Here are some pix that will show you what I am talking about.. In a couple of pix you will see my broken passenger cable hanging down. The end connector broke off and that caused the problem. We went to an auto parts store and bought a replacement cable to fix it.

As for the parts cars, I would grab everything you can get off them, especially the external chromed pieces. You can have them re-chromed, if needed and put them on your Tbird. I have both the engine chrome "kit" and the external chrome "kit", including the hood scoop, installed and it really dresses up the car. The other thing I would suggest is to take a camera with you, and take close up pix of the Data Plate on the drivers side door post and send the pix of those two Data Plates to me. That way, I can register them in the Tbird Registry so that we will know those two cars have been scrapped and people are pulling parts from them. John Rotella, for years, has been trying to record the circumstances of every Tbird we can find out about. That might be two more Tbirds that he does not have in his data base. He presently has 61,511 Tbirds listed in his registry. If yours is not listed, you can do so yourself. Here is his website. http://tbirdregistry.com/

[Djweaz]

Thanks Ray that's interesting never even noticed those plug holes. We just noticed the upper hole that was a little bigger than your hand and looked in the inner well and saw the panel and went that way that looks much easier haha.

You knownI never thought of that. I'd really like to get the fenders, fenders and such off of them I don't know that I have the room but I know how hard stuff is to find on old cars and I've kicked myself for letting cars go like that when I found them. I had a nice 55 Victoria a couple years back and I wrecked it bending up the door and fender. The fenders are easy to find but try finding a one year only hard top door that only fit one model- the Victoria. I ended up selling it in frustration. So I believe I will be grabbing more parts. Out of both cars there was only one skirt and it had a little rust on it so I left it. Interiors were pretty gutted and every single window was busted out. I still want to get the door handles and such. Whoever had them were wise enough to strip off every single emblem or it was done after they arrived. I spend a lot of time in the classic section there pulling parts or finding something I could use for something else. I wonder how much people would be looking for that I could sell like the console for instance, I didn't know if it would be an Item I could sell but knew I couldn't use it myself.

The longer I have my Tbird (I'm naming it JayBird) the more I like it. I never really paid attention to them at all. One of the 1960s have been in the bone yard for a year and I never paid attention to it at all. That just shows how far one was from my mind. This one is perfect for me though, it's not all hacked up buy different owners through the years, it's in very good shape. But most of all its is very close to factory condition. That is how I like cars of the 50s. They were elegant enough from the factory that too me they didn't need much changing. The Mfg, paid attention to all of the customizations that people like Winfield, the Barras Brothers, Watson and all of the other legends of custom cars. Then they went to the drawing board and replicated things. Being so close to factory and being in Nashville, my goal is to get it into some music videos or movies. That has always been one of my dreams to be able to accomplish that and have it be immortalized in film.

[OX1]

It was strange today we kept bumping it and bumping it and could not find a timing mark for it at all. Timing light flash light nothing. Is this a strange occurrence with the 59 MELs?

The marks on the 430 are on that very thin edge and hard to see even with the engine
stopped. As mentioned, I use white crayon to fill that mark in once I figured out which
end was TDC.

but to answer your question, no I timed my 430 just like I would any other carbed,
vac adv motor (procedure-wise anyway).

[YellowRose]

noob fuel question

While I am thinking of it, I should tell you that you will need the key to the trunk if you are thinking of taking those two curved pieces off the tail end of the car, and the "eyebrow" pieces over the tail lights. To get those two curved pieces off, open the trunk, take down the liners on both sides, take a longgg screwdriver with you and use it to unscrew the bolts holding them in place. As I recall, mine were bolts with the * heads, not flathead bolts. Take both types of longgg screwdrivers just in case. Then to get the "eyebrows" off, they will be easy to get to once the trunk is open. To get the air scoop off, you will have to be able to open the hood. If the '60 headlight rings are chromed, forget them, as '60 headlight rings will not work on a '59. Unless you want to sell them to a '60 owner in the future. Ford made a change in how those headlight rings snap in place between '59 and '60. The other parts will interchange. The external chrome "kit" consists of those two curved tailfin pieces, the "eyebrows" over the tail lights, the hood scoop, and the headlight rings. The engine chrome "kit" consists of the oil cap, voltage regulator box, and chromed valve covers, as I recall. In my case, I also chromed that big white air cleaner over the carb. I am not sure that is accepted, but I did it. The other components are being considered by the Vintage Thunderbird Club, International, as acceptable during judging. Depending on the color of your car, the chrome pieces can really set it off. Especially red, black, and some others. Some people like them very much, and others do not. It is certainly your choice. Here are a few pix of what my Yellow Rose looks like with them. You can see that I also added the chromed dual MC/dual power booster system for my disc brake conversion.

[Howard Prout]

That's an interesting looking engine compartment, Ray. But when did you do the engine swap? I thought you had a 352 - that looks like a 430 to me. As a matter of fact it looks like MY 430. I guess I'll have to have a look to see if I am missing an engine!

[YellowRose]

noob fuel question

Lol... Hi Howard! Nooo, that is a 352! It has the standard distributor that a 352 has, and the expansion tank turned the way a 352 has.

[jopizz]

It does have the 430 air cleaner snorkel though.

John

[YellowRose]

noob fuel question

Ya know... I never thought about! I just assumed that it was a regular air cleaner!

[Howard Prout]

Take a closer look at the picture, Ray. That is a 430 engine. The body colour is Doeskin Beige - as is my car. Also, look at the vacuum lines - they have one way valves in them to separate the intake vacuum from the vacuum pump in the oil pan. Also, the hood latches are chromed. I am quite sure your picture is of my engine.