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351C Engine Won't Stay Running

Instead of buying and throwing a bunch of small parts at it. Buy a complete new HEI for it and for get it for ever. One wire hook up and it is done, plug in the tach lead and you will probably never have another ignition problem. I have seen these HEIs go for well over 100,000 miles with no problem.

This one even has a blue cap.
 
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They have HEI setups for ford so it will work in older chevy also. Back to what you thought was a timing issue. In those motors they used alot of plastic coated timing gears to quiet them down . They deteriorate over time then plastic falls off and then jump time. Have replaced many sets back in the day.Just some thing to check easy fix now sucks when broke down.
 
Thanks for the suggestion on the HEI Ron, those HEI units are hard to beat. Having said that, I will simply upgrade my distributor with the Pertronix Ignitor 2 and FlameThrower 2 coil eventually, as to keep the older look.
 
My car uses the large Pertronix Flame-thrower. It's probably as old as the car - at least 10 years - and still going strong. These won't fit with some intake manifolds, so the smaller unit you're planning (with a separate coil) might be a better choice. Glad you got it running for now. One less headache to deal with for the short-term. :)


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Jack
 
Not sure I understand your question, but this is a current-production item. I just recently bought a new rotor and cap for mine from Summit. You can also get a spring kit for the mechanical advance, and it's very easy to tune. I'm sure that's true of the smaller Pertronix HEI distributors as well. Just be sure you buy one with vacuum advance if you'll be driving it on the street.

Jack
 
I got a great deal on my mallory unilite [$25] , before I used it I talked to a mallory rep about various things I should know , among them was whether or not I needed vacuum advance & how it would affect mileage, his comment was vac. adv. "might" be good for 1/2 mile to the gallon, i.e. , I have run my non-advance unit for many years & even w/dual quads see 16-17 M.P.G.....just an observation..
dave
 
I have run my non-advance unit for many years & even w/dual quads see 16-17 M.P.G.....just an observation..
dave
Dave, no offense, but that's awful fuel efficiency for such a light vehicle. I know a radical cam can chew it up (and change the pros and cons of mechanical-only advance), but to put this in perspective, that's the same approximate fuel efficiency as my 6,000 lb. truck. It's been my experience that vacuum advance is good for 20-30% better mileage on a street motor. Any rep who tells me the difference is only 1/2 MPG goes immediately to my BS list. For anyone interested, there's a thread right here on the site that explores this topic (and don't forget to read the PDF I linked at the end):

https://tbucketeers.com/threads/timing-and-vacuum-advance-101.9213/

Again, no offense, but I've been on both sides of this argument, and I learned the hard way.

Jack
 
Loose the EFI & OD on your truck. See what that gives you , probably 10 mpg or worse . That would be closer "apples to apples...dave
 
Loose the EFI & OD on your truck. See what that gives you , probably 10 mpg or worse . That would be closer "apples to apples...dave
Well, my point was that 17 MPG from a 1,800 lb car doesn't seem to demonstrate the fuel efficiency of a mechanical advance distributor very well. I've owned cars just south of 4,000 lbs with 454s that were non-EFI and non-OD that saw close to 20 MPG in town. They were tuned for low-end torque and fuel efficiency, the opposite of most small blocks built by rodders. Motors like that are much more responsive to vacuum advance than small blocks with racing cams and tunnel rams. Every one I've ever changed to a mechanical distributor has lost significant mileage, exactly as predicted by theory. Just sayin'...

Jack
 
Well, my point was that 17 MPG from a 1,800 lb car doesn't seem to demonstrate the fuel efficiency of a mechanical advance distributor very well. I've owned cars just south of 4,000 lbs with 454s that were non-EFI and non-OD that saw close to 20 MPG in town. They were tuned for low-end torque and fuel efficiency, the opposite of most small blocks built by rodders. Motors like that are much more responsive to vacuum advance than small blocks with racing cams and tunnel rams. Every one I've ever changed to a mechanical distributor has lost significant mileage, exactly as predicted by theory. Just sayin'...

Jack


Am I missing something here? I never worry about the Gas Mileage on a car like a T bucket that I drive a few thousand miles a year. I never check the mileage just like I don't keep track of the receipts for parts and stuff. It would scare you to death and take all the fun out of it!
 
Am I missing something here? I never worry about the Gas Mileage on a car like a T bucket that I drive a few thousand miles a year. I never check the mileage just like I don't keep track of the receipts for parts and stuff. It would scare you to death and take all the fun out of it!


You be like me Swampdog. If I checked on how much fun cost, I'd never have any!! Fun that is!!
 
Dave, no offense, but that's awful fuel efficiency for such a light vehicle.

Jack

Don't forget that a brick is probably more aerodynamic than these cars with no hoods, tall, straight windshields, and no side windows. The fat Mickeys that alot of guys are running on the rear are no help either. My '27 with a warmed up 302 and dual quads gets about 18 mpg on the highway...I'm good with that.
 
railroad, as stated, it isn't fuel. I check the sight glasses on the carb when it dies, and the bowl is half full as needed per Summit's instructions. You can also see gas get pumped into the carb. I am nearly positive it is spark.

Jack, it's not coming from the dipstick...that is sealed tighter than a whale's butt. It drips out from the bellhousing...you can see it. Not even drips, it comes a runnin out!
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just because a carb has fuel in the bowl doesn't mean squat. Always when your looking at a carb for issues, look down into the throat when you operate the throttle to see if its actually squirting and the fuel is actually getting in there.

If I were you, I'd do the pertronix sooner rather than later....the old points/condensor/coil setup is just asking for a reason to strand you somewhere....Always carry a extra ballast resistor.

Nice T by the way!!!!
 
Thanks Screaming! Every part on a car is just asking for a reason to strand me somewhere...points, carbs, etc... Anything can go wrong with all of this old technology at any time. LOL. I will upgrade to the Pertronix Ignitor soon enough. For now, I am good with the points. I did check the carb of course fully, my comment about the fuel bowl sight glasses is that the carb is getting fuel...I did not have any pre-carb problems. Looking down in, it was also getting gas.
 

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