'73 Chevelle SS Wagon (local find)

[Rusty Nail]

Ooooohh weeee! You got the 140hp 2bbl?
Dang. Maybe it's a good thing she's still a bit sleepy - all them ponies could come on too strong and surprise you.
Might break something downshifting!

 

[SK 99]

I'll stay longer at the show the next time! It sucks I had to leave early.

I'm surprised people were second guessing the legitimacy of it being an SS. I guess I understand being skeptical considering how rare and unknown it is, but it's pretty obvious the emblems were original, unless these folks are thinking the emblems were stuck on there 40+ years ago.

 

[bucket]

I went to move the car today. Gave it a pump, turned the key and it was barely cranking over, like it was heat soaked (but of course it wasn't, it was a cold start) and as soon as I started thinking "well, that starter just bit the dust", smoke started rolling out from under the hood.

Thankfully, it was nothing major. It just melted the battery ground wire that goes to the fender:

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But why? My first thought was poor frame/body grounds. But that didn't make sense as the cable went directly to the engine which of course the starter is bolted to. The negative battery cable looked good and the connections were clean. After a quick talk with my dad the electrical wizard, he insisted there had to be an issue with the battery cable and all the starter amperage was trying to go through that fender ground wire. I removed the battery ground cable and sure enough, the eyelet end was nothing but a ball of corrosion where it was crimped to the cable.

So now there's a new battery cable installed and it cranks over great again. It wasn't the starter after all.

 

[bucket]

Drove the car to the west side of Columbus this morning, then out to our shop in Springfield. Even drove it on the interstate for a couple miles. I'd say that it's officially "on the road again".

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[bucket]

Fiddled with the tuning a bit tonight. Fattened up the idle mixture a couple times. The screws were initially set to 1.5 turns out. Backing them out another 1/4 turn got the highest vacuum at 21 inches. Turning them out further did not improve vacuum, but did seem to improve the tip-in stumble. Right now they are about 2.25 turns out. Setting the timing was just a guess. With that non-vac advance distributor, I set it to where it would hot restart easily without lugging the starter. I didn't have a tach hooked up and I don't have a dial back type timing light. Looked like it might have been around 16° btdc at idle and 30°+ by 3000-ish rpm.

Stumble is still there, but it happens less often and recovers quicker. It sure seems like an issue with the accelerator pump, but I'm still wondering if that distributor might have something to do with it. I'm completely unfamiliar with those old Accel distributors.

 

[WFO]

Fiddled with the tuning a bit tonight. Fattened up the idle mixture a couple times. The screws were initially set to 1.5 turns out. Backing them out another 1/4 turn got the highest vacuum at 21 inches. Turning them out further did not improve vacuum, but did seem to improve the tip-in stumble. Right now they are about 2.25 turns out. Setting the timing was just a guess. With that non-vac advance distributor, I set it to where it would hot restart easily without lugging the starter. I didn't have a tach hooked up and I don't have a dial back type timing light. Looked like it might have been around 16° btdc at idle and 30°+ by 3000-ish rpm.

Stumble is still there, but it happens less often and recovers quicker. It sure seems like an issue with the accelerator pump, but I'm still wondering if that distributor might have something to do with it. I'm completely unfamiliar with those old Accel distributors.

Is that Accel a dual points type?

 

[bucket]

Is that Accel a dual points type?

I don't remember. I looked up the part # before, but I'll be damned if I can remember what I read about it. I'll have to look at it again.

 

[bucket]

It's an old 51100S. Google says it's of the breakerless electronic variety.

 

[WFO]

It's an old 51100S. Google says it's of the breakerless electronic variety.

Must've been an early electronic one.
I reckon it must use a cap from a points distributer though.

 

[bucket]

Must've been an early electronic one.
I reckon it must use a cap from a points distributer though.

I found installation instructions online, the copyright date was '97. I believe the cap is an Accel-specific part. In reading the instructions, it is not to be used with a resistance wire to power the coil because it will overheat the module in the distributor. So I need to fix that issue if the dizzy stays there much longer.

The more I think about it, the more I think the accelerator pump system is the cause of the stumble. I need to investigate how to fatten up the start of the pump shot.

 

[WFO]

I found installation instructions online, the copyright date was '97. I believe the cap is an Accel-specific part. In reading the instructions, it is not to be used with a resistance wire to power the coil because it will overheat the module in the distributor. So I need to fix that issue if the dizzy stays there much longer.

The more I think about it, the more I think the accelerator pump system is the cause of the stumble. I need to investigate how to fatten up the start of the pump shot.

I think I'd try the full 12 volts to the distributer first. Maybe more juice will help the stumble, plus you'd need that wire in case you eventually go with an HEI.

Is your accelerator pump linkage already on the closest hole to the carb, or does that 2 barrel even have that option?

 

[bucket]

There's no adjustment for the accelerator pump. The slightest bit of throttle movement does squirt fuel, but maybe it's not quite enough.

 

[bucket]

Ok, so... I put in a 12ga fused hot wire to the coil. The car actually idles perfectly now. Well, it idled great before, but the minor popping in the exhaust note is completely gone now. It's mellow and smooth.

...But, am I going to fry my coil in short order?

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Should I run the original resistance wire to the coil and the new 12v wire to the distributor separately? Or do I need a different type of coil altogether, like an Accel Super Coil? Can I just run an '87-up coil? Or am I concerned about nothing?

In other news, I finally got around to installing the rearview mirror. The tab needed reattached to the glass. Normally I don't need a rearview mirror at all, but the sport mirrors are pretty small.

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[Camar068]

I went to move the car today. Gave it a pump, turned the key and it was barely cranking over, like it was heat soaked (but of course it wasn't, it was a cold start) and as soon as I started thinking "well, that starter just bit the dust", smoke started rolling out from under the hood.

Thankfully, it was nothing major. It just melted the battery ground wire that goes to the fender:

You must be registered for see images attach

But why? My first thought was poor frame/body grounds. But that didn't make sense as the cable went directly to the engine which of course the starter is bolted to. The negative battery cable looked good and the connections were clean. After a quick talk with my dad the electrical wizard, he insisted there had to be an issue with the battery cable and all the starter amperage was trying to go through that fender ground wire. I removed the battery ground cable and sure enough, the eyelet end was nothing but a ball of corrosion where it was crimped to the cable.

So now there's a new battery cable installed and it cranks over great again. It wasn't the starter after all.

yup, seen it a bunch. The cable including the ends look good, but you replace the cable and it fixes the issue. The corrosion will work it's way inside the insulation where you can't see it. Cut that cable you took off and see how far the corrosion made it inside the insulation.

 

[bucket]

I have a 10 sec video of it idling, but don't have a good way to upload it. Maybe @78C10BigTen can help me out with that again?