So when I had the car out at New Years I was fooling around in teh driveway and decided to powerbrake. The car was warm, and the weather was maybe mid 40s. Choke was off.

As I laid on the throttle, the car lifted, began to slide the front tires, then went POP! (out the carb) and stalled. Is that weird?

The engine is a stock '89 350 (Corvette) with some sort of mild cam in it (guy I bought the engine from told the builder to put something in that he could hear, but mild enough that the wife wouldn't have trouble with it, if that makes sense) Edelbrock Performer manifold, and an Edelbrock 4150 carb (600CFM, never changed from factory jetting) with the electric choke add-on. Stock GM HEI, Summit long tube headers, uh, Accel shorty spark plugs, and Taylor 8MM plug wires. I'm not sure what the timing is, but I have a light if someone can explain how to properly check it.

Any ideas as to where to start to get it to not do this? it was a bit embarassing.

Keith

I am sure others will have their thoughts and think I am crazy, but I wouldn't even bother hooking a timing light up on a non-stock setup.

Racers back in the day never bothered with timing lights either, just adjusted the timing for best throttle response - with NO detonation problems under load.

With a manual trans, I used to do it by taking off in 2nd gear. Advance til it pings, then back it off til it doesn't.

Only works with manual trans though.

OK so the ideas so far: Don't bother putting a timing light on it....

So, maybe I should try the handful of aluminum shavings from behind the Bridgeport at work that a guy suggested? He said that the rings were probably tight and that it would loosen them up.

K

Check float height. Pop out the carb can mean you are lean. Edelbrock carbs are sensitive to float height.

I would use a timing light -- I like to know where things stand to make adjustments more scientific. Especially when it comes to setting/changing the mix between initial, mechanical and total advance. If you know two of the three by measuring with your timing light, you can calculate what you need to do to adjust the third.

Connect the alligator clips to the battery and the clamp to the #1 wire. Unhooke the vac advnace hose and plug it. Shine the light at the timing tab, pull the trigger, and read the line on the balancer against the timing tab.

Zeke, that will tell me base timing then, correct?

About where should I start with that?

There are so many different things I read, I get confused.

Thanks

K

With a manual trans, I used to do it by taking off in 2nd gear. Advance til it pings, then back it off til it doesn't.

Only works with manual trans though.

OK so the ideas so far: Don't bother putting a timing light on it....

So, maybe I should try the handful of aluminum shavings from behind the Bridgeport at work that a guy suggested? He said that the rings were probably tight and that it would loosen them up.

K


OR better yet - Buy a Fuel Injected Rice Burner & Sell the Chevelle :boring:

...told the builder to put something in that he could hear, but mild enough that the wife wouldn't have trouble with it

If I was gonna order that cam...WTF p/n would I ask for....and no, it don't make sense to me. :confused:

If I was gonna order that cam...WTF p/n would I ask for....and no, it don't make sense to me. :confused:

I have no idea. He keeps telling me he is going to get me the cam card, but never seems to come up with it. I only mentioned it because I know it isn't a stock cam, and sometimes that makes a difference. Do you think the cam has any relation to my problem?

Would I get more responses if I post this over in the engine forum?

It isn't like the car isn't driveable, it just won't powerbrake. I don't even powerbrake it often. Like once in the last 7 years.

K

Sorry it took so long to post back. Even a mild street cam can need as much as 12-14* of initial timing, maybe even as much as 18*. You set intial with your timing light. However, you don't want more than 36-38* degrees of total timing.

Total equals initial plus mechanical advance. Mechanical advance is adjusted by changing the amount of travel the weights in the distributor can make. This is typically done by adding a bushing or using JB weld on the advance slot. Some distributors (like Mallory) adjust with a screw. Also, you want the mechanical advance to come in by 3600 RPM as a rule of thumb. You change springs in the distributor to change the RPM range.

So to measure your total, set your initial first, then have a buddy rev the engine to 3600 RPM and use your timing light to read the what the total happens to be. Now, if it is more than 36-38*, you need to buy a spring and weight kit and follow the directions to set your mechanical advance.

Finally, add in vac advance connected to manifold vacuum source to help with idle and part throttle driveability.

Post back once you have some measurements.

P.S. I am assuming the "Bridgeport comment" was an April 1 comment from you friend?

Thanks Zeke,

I'll try to get that today. Check float, make sure carb is clean, set timing per instructions. Cool.

And yeah, I figured at least one person would show up and go "WhoawhoaWHOA!" Either that or I would get even wackier comments back.

K