1964 chevy c10 driving me crazy

[melhilburn]

I have a 1964 c10 with a strong 292 in line 6 - it will start and idle just fine - once it warms up if you hit the accelerator it will have a very slight lag and then rev up nice and smooth - When I take it out for a drive it will "sometimes" not everytime - sputter pop and just die like it is out of gas - I have clean out the gas tank and gas lines - replaced the fuel filter and rebuilt the carburetor (single barrell Rochester) - I checked the vacuum advance last night and it hods pressure - Should I go ahead and replace the carburetor or does this dound like something I'm overlooking

[oem4me]

Pull the lid off the air cleaner and look into the carb while working the accelerator. Do you see a good stream of fuel? The initial hesitation may be due to a bad accelerator pump or plugged outlet. Mine did the same thing and clearing the tiny hole made all the difference.

[chevyrestoguy]

Did it have this same symptom before the rebuild?

It sounds like your float level might be off. Sometimes, after a rebuild, you might have to adjust it a couple of times to get it just right.

I would have thought it was the accelerator pump until I read that the carb was recently rebuilt.

[geezer#99]

Carb heat!
Is the flapper (heat riser valve) free to work correctly in the exhaust manifold. THe flapper deflects the exhaust up onto the plenum of the intake keeping it warm. If it's not working the fuel vapour goes back to a liquid causing the lean pop and dieing.

[melhilburn]

I really appreceiate the comments - I will check each item and report back with my findings - My initial feeling is that it my be related to the exhaust heat riser valve - More of a hunch than anything else - I also had a bit of oil / liquid on the fuel pump side of the engine I quess I should replace the valve cover and gasket (but how about the two metal panels do they also have gaskets which shoud be replaced - Again I appreceiate all your comments and hope I am able to report back with some informaiton that is able to help someone else in the future - I am new to the whole onlilne posting and information sharing world so just bare with me if I get a bit long winded - I will post pictures is the coming days - thank you all

[geezer#99]

Replace the gaskets on the side covers is easy to do. Front one is a bit of a pain to work around the distributor. Measure the height of them first to be sure it's a 292.
292 is about 6" tall.
250 is about 4" tall.

[melhilburn]

Just took it our for a drive - started fine / idled fine / drove for three minutes good and steady - then all of the sudden sputtered popped backfired died - This must be carburetor related is some way - any other ideas - I paln to buy a new carb tomorrow.

[melhilburn]

Also check my heat riser vent - the spring is broken and the counter weight has turncounterclocwise towards the engine and is wired to stay in the position - Any potential problems with this - I'm sure there are?

Does any of this sound like timing problems ???

[63ChevC10]

Subscribed. I'm having trouble with my truck too so I'm curious to see how this turns out. Good luck man!

[oem4me]

Originally Posted by melhilburn

Just took it our for a drive - started fine / idled fine / drove for three minutes good and steady - then all of the sudden sputtered popped backfired died - This must be carburetor related is some way - any other ideas - I paln to buy a new carb tomorrow.

The symptom that your truck runs and idles fine for a short time before sputtering out is telling. It could be carb or fuel, and it could be ignition related. I had a truck that did the same thing and it turned out to be a bad condenser in the distributor. The misfiring would start after it ran long enough to get hot. I replaced the condenser for a few dollars and it was smooth sailing after. That one screwed with me for awhile before figuring it out.

[melhilburn]

My c10 has a HEI distributor - would this cancel out any ignition related issues? - I plan to take it a part this weekend anyway just to get famiiar with it.

One important fact I have left out in this thread is that the truck set for a long period before being restored - Just about everything was worked on except the gas tank and fuel lines - Since the my sending unit is bad and doesn't register fuel level I ran it out of gas a fw days agob and all this madness started all over again - I'm fairly sure I have crude in the sending unit sock / the fuel line and fuel pump / the fuel filter is crystal clear curious enough - My plan of attach is this 1. Im going "All in" 2. new fuel tank / sending unit / fuel lines / fuel pump and new Rochester single barrel - The only kiker is the heat riser vent between the carb and exhaust manifold is stuck but I have found a new spring which should get it back to working - I going to replace all the gaskets - fire it up check the timing and if all that doesn't do the trick - Well we know its not in the fuel system that's for sure

[melhilburn]

I'll tuned I will keep posting until I get this kicked - I really believe it is fuel related due to the fact it will be running smooth as glass and all of the sudden its like you started tuning the fuel switch on and off - gass one second no gas the next - its the only thing that makes since.

[geezer#99]

Originally Posted by melhilburn

I'll tuned I will keep posting until I get this kicked - I really believe it is fuel related due to the fact it will be running smooth as glass and all of the sudden its like you started tuning the fuel switch on and off - gass one second no gas the next - its the only thing that makes since.

That's what it does when you got no heat to the intake.
Fix the heat riser first.
Or just wire the flapper the other way and see what it does.

[melhilburn]

bought all the parts today will take a week to get them in - I'll report my progress - in the mean time does anyone know where I buy an exhaust manifold with a working heat riser vent.

[melhilburn]

I'm back on the road - This is what I did:

1. Remove the sending unit sock
2. Install a new inline filter just before the fuel pump (easy to change out and see if any crud is come from the tank.
3. Removed the initernal filter from the carburetor fuel liine intake (the one if place was too long and it would get twist so tight that it would hardly let any fuel flow through.
4. I replaced it with a over the counter filter I just cut is down a good 1/4"

Fire the truck up and drove around most of the day without any problems.


Now I need a little help setting the idle and idle misture screw - I starting with 2 turns out from seated - Any words of advice