The Official John Lee Jr Thread

[Sharps40]

I got the main and idle jets + gaskets from Weber America today. Right quick swapped in the smaller 135 main jet on the primary barrel per Mr. Langdon's instructions. Fortunately I covered the carb with tape, sticky side up, cause I dropped the lil tiny choke e-clip when reassembling the top cover. Caught it on the sticky tape and finally managed to get it all together. That choke e-clip is the worst part of tuning the DGEV carb. It takes lil tiny mini fingers to get it on and off.

Anyway, headlights work fine. Passenger side is a bit high but that's a simple adjustment one evening this week.

As for the drivability, very nice with the new leaner jet in the primary barrel. Hot idle dropped from smooth 600 RPM to smooth 500ish RPM and much less popping in the exhaust decelerating slow in second gear...nice quiet mild mannered Thrush equipped exhaust.

Cold start was instant. Hot restart was just as instant. Ran about 10 miles at 60ish mph over hill and dale and the drivability is still quite good. A bit of hesitation, almost imperceptible, kicking in the secondary hard but if that gets worse I have a one step larger secondary jet to install. (150 on the secondary now, ordered a 155 per instructions in case I need it later as the carb leans down).

But anyway, had lightly blackened rich plugs when I started out....shut it down from 30 mph and coasted into the garage and pulled #3....Quite nice, burned completely clean, dry and starting to get a touch of that proper light brown on the tips. So, I'll run a tank or two to check overall mileage....been averaging 15.5 to 16 mpg with the richer settings and a bit of black smoke/fluffy black plugs. We'll see how this new leaner setting does for a couple weeks. Then maybe, lean it again to see if drivability falls off.

But, as it is right now the Settings for the 32/36 Progressive Weber DGEV on a rebuilt 230 cu in I6 are as follows:

Cold Idle: 1000 rpm
Hot idle: 500 ish rpm
Primary Idle Jet: #60 (Large body jet)
Secondary Idle Jet: #50 (Small body jet)
Primary Main Jet: #135
Secondary Main Jet: #150
Idle mixture: 2.75 turns out from bottom
Idle speed/butterfly adjustment: 1.5 turns in from first contact with linkage
HEI timed 18 Degrees BTDC (35ish degrees all in w/no vacuum advance hook up at 3000 rpm)
Plugs gapped at a strong 45 thousands

[Sharps40]

I checked the voltage at the lights with the motor running....full 14.5 volts, just whats needed to blind anything lookin at my truck!

[Sharps40]

Tomorrow at 10 AM I am looking over Kato....we'll see, maybe I'll buy it. Golly, its ugly..refrigerator white with green nose and scallops down the side....

[Sharps40]

Kato should be on the rollback and heading this way. Prolly a couple hours till the big reveal. In case no one guessed yet, it ain't a truck but it is a Buzzin Half Dozen Chevy. Well, that is if it starts. Sure is ugly. But it comes with spare parts!

[Sharps40]

Great ride up and back to look over Kato this morning. I topped off the tank, the prior jets rendering 16.60 mpg combined city/highway.

This was the first trip on the new leaner primary jet. Just over 150 miles round trip at 60 mph and the needle is just touchin half tank....so, maybe in the neighborhood of 17+. Plenty good manners on the highway. I am pretty sure I'll richen up the secondary jet after another tank and plug check...guess I oughta go pull a plug or two to see.

[Sharps40]

Well, it ain't a truck so I won't post it too much but here go's...

I don't know what Green Hornet drove but it was black and had machine guns and rocket launchers and his Driver and Sidekick Kato (Bruce Lee) musta drove something like this. Either that or this used to be some sort of South Of the Border Fun ride.

But....here we go....





Real good glass all around....better than the paint.





Now this one has very cool custom paint touches....Chevy Emblems in alternating Silver and Green front and rear!



The wheels ain't the best looks or fit.



Laquer don't work well over enamel....



Grill looks great.

[Sharps40]

This one has a rear view mirror inside and out!



Most of this is just bad paint...it is still pretty solid.



A roomy low slung front seat.



And, a real back seat!



A trunk big enough for coolers fulla deer.



This is either a 194 or a 230...I'm bettin its a 194



Front shock towers are in fine shape...no rot.



The accessory pack includes a spiffy new Hurst 3 speed floor shifter!



The trip home on the roll back shook loose the junk in the tank and it started leaking. I managed to put my finger thru the thin spot so, caught mosta the gas in a bucket and pulled the tank out for safety. Cleaned up and thankfull, the trunk is in near perfect shape...a shot from the underside with the fuel tank removed.



Time to start tinkering...put on the new fuel pump that was in the back seat and see if the free spinning motor will start from a can of gas. Starter is great, spins like an airplane and most of the electrical works (all but L turns.) Even the factory original AM radio in the dash still works

[Sharps40]

Sorry, I know its a truck forum but its born the same years as me and could soon become John Lee Jrs. Stable Mate....just another exploration of Kato before I set to work tryin to start it. I'll stick to Kato stuff only where it has application to our trucks...promise!!

I'm pretty sure its a 194 but have to run the numbers .... if they are runnable. I'm willing to rust blue like a good classic rifle but for the life of me can't figure how to boil it to bring up the beautiful velvet black oxide!

For now, lets explore.

Shade tree mechanic trunk key....



Insert the key and turn it clockwise to unlock.



Just below the shade tree trunk lock is the Red neck tow hitch....who needs a license plate, Cops can't tell when the trailer is installed....



Couldn't mount the tow hitch to the frame but the trunk bottom is still quite solid....



And the diagonal bracing ensures at least 75 lb toung weight is doable.



Uh Oh...unskilled trailer backing damage...didn't notice that with all the cosmetic issues.....



I'm pretty sure this is NOT a rust hole in the PS side front fender. That is actually a little known knock out for cold ram air intake for the Buzzin Half Dozen 194 I6. I can hook it up with no issues... as I recall the knock out is sized for a Hillborn Air Scoop mounted flush.



But, this here rear view mirror says it all....Chevy Alley, first across the finish line leaving Found On Road Dead (Ford) and Damn Old Dirty Garbage Express (Dodge) way behind.!!!

[Sharps40]

GoodWife says, "That's all the same guy with three different handles. It ain't three guys sayin they like that car. I don't care how many brain damaged older men you find to say they like that Chevy...That's the ugliest car I have ever seen and I ain't ridin in it."

[jonathan-m]

damn that towing setup is scary!

[jcramsey]

Love the new car... I was just checking out a 4 door nova with an inline 6 the other day and really wanting it but I've only got room for one project.

What are your plans for this one?
Posted via Mobile Device

[Sharps40]

Start it, put on brakes (all new free parts in the trunk)....

Evaluate the motor and see if its a keeper or a seller.

But for now...

Much to my delite and the chagrin of Good Wife, my son likes it and Kato LIVES!

Motor is well worn, turn it with one hand on the fan all plugs installed. But the spare fuel pump, a patch on the gas tank, a set of points and I got him to fire and run for 1 full minute before using up all the gas in the little 12 oz tin under the crossmember....once the tank patch sets, I'll put in 2.5 gal and try for a start. Meantime we wait for the charger to do its majic to the battery - after filling up one dry cell and topping off the other cells.

[Sharps40]

Well, the last of Ol John Lee's mangled and shredded metal went to the recycle yard this morning. 270 lbs of broken bits and netted $22 for my troubles. Other than some glass and a few small bits that may be useful later, the parting out of Ol John Lee is completed. John Lee Jr did the duty and carried his partner away....And that, my friends, is the rest of the story.

I did get an accurate empty weight on John Lee Jr...3460 lbs with 1/2 tank of gas and me off the scales and out of the way.

[XtechX]

Posted via Mobile Device

I thought I'd share a pic of my 64 Nova.
They're great cars! But I would like to fab
up a dandy hitch like yours.
Posted via Mobile Device
Posted via Mobile Device

[Sharps40]

No way ya wanna hitch like mine! So much creative thought just to ensure ya loose the trailer or damage the trunk metal!

[XtechX]

LOL(It amazes me quite often when I see what PO's do vehicles.)
I haven't beeen on for several months, what happened to your first truck?
I just found a new replacement for mine after a Michigan loader hit me and totaled mine.

[Sharps40]

I think I put a link to NCGO on the life and death of the first truck, 64 C10 Ol John Lee.

Got hit head on on Valentines Day 2013 heading home from work. Totaled Ol John Lee and with the insurance settlement and parting out Ol John Lee, John Lee Jr became the essentially free replacement truck. Jr is a refreshed "Barn Find", 1965 C10. 200 miles on an 18 year old redo when I found him in Easley SC and had him trailered home. Were at about the 2000 mile mark now and Jr is running like a top. In fact, this tank of gas is lookin like 17 or more mpg on the 230 engine with HEI and a Weber DGEV.

[aggie91]

Kato has it's own cool factor. Why not start a thread for it in the Alternative Tinkerings section?

[Sharps40]

Originally Posted by aggie91

Kato has it's own cool factor. Why not start a thread for it in the Alternative Tinkerings section?

Not a bad ider...didn't even think of it! We'll see if Kato runs well and is worth keepin or not all together!

[Sharps40]

Fuel numbers are in for this latest tank of gasoline on the leaner primary jet. (Currently running one tank of gas on a 135 primary main and 150 secondary main.)

Overall performance has been consistently fine with easy hot/cold starts and no reduction in power and no pinging. Plugs are burning wonderful on the mix and with the HEI ignition.

This tank provided combined Hwy (60% at 60 MPH) and City (40% average amount of stop and go) mileage of 17.83 MPG. That's up 1.24 MPG from the prior/slightly richer 140 jet in the primary...as you recall, the previous combination yielded 16.6 MPG.

So, off to the garage. This time I'll install the leanest jet I have in the Primary Main, a number 130. And, following Mr. Langdon's instructions, I'll put my richest jet in the secondary Main, moving from the 150 up to a 155.

Same procedure, I'll run at least a tank under normal driving condition of the cheep 87 octane and monitor the plugs and report back. Closing in on final settings with this lovely carb. I wonder how a built 194 would run with two of these in tandem jetted properly and cammed....thinking ahead to getting Kato on the road one day.....

[Sharps40]

Jets are in and the cold start was just fine. 130 main jet on the primary and 155 main jet on the secondary. Now for a week or so of drivin to see how it performs...starting tonight with a R-o-C Coke Cola run!

Went ahead and tweaked the aluminum carb hat on the table saw. Just screwed it to the fence and buzzed it in a circle across the carbide blade to open up the air flow and expose the filter. A bit of sanding with 220 to clean it up and smooth the edges and a rub out with Brownells fff compound to remove some of the oxidation without making a high shine...Really needs a K&N in there now that I can see the filter. But it shows off the carb a bit better and eliminates a bit of restriction in the air flow. Should be able to hear the secondary kick in now too!






I gotta find a better top nut though...maybe a Chevy Bow Tie.

[Sharps40]

Tonights update email to Mr. Langdon at Stovebolt Engine Company...

Mr. Langdon,



Still having a fine time tuning the Weber DGEV 32/36 I purchased from you. (65 C10, rebuilt stock 230 I6 with your HEI)



Each tuning sees a bit better performance and following your instructions has helped immensely. Each time I think I know better, I fall back on your advice and wind up quite pleased with the results.



As you are aware, I started with the provided 140/140 jetting, this yielded about 14.5 mpg and good power but with a hesitation when transferring from primary to secondary....additionally power was adequate but seemed slow/low on the bottom end.



Progressing thru a series of main jets in the primary and secondary yielded 16.5ish mpg and much smoother performance/power at all ranges (including a much increased top speed) using the 140 primary and 150 secondary main jets. Plugs lightly sooted black.



Having recently run thru a tank of fuel on a 135 primary and 155 secondary main jets, combined mileage again increased to 17.83 mpg with no significant loss of drivability. Plugs burning clean to very slightly light brown, no black soot at all.



Today I installed a 130 primary and left in the 155 secondary main jet. Cold and hot starts remain just fine. In addition, the engine seems to remain ping free regardless of how its lugged. In addition, I opened the air cleaner, your spun aluminum model, to expose the element by milling off about 2" of the cleaners sides...sort of a lid instead of a pot to cap the air cleaner. Whether there is a power increase from this or its an effect of comeing in much closer to the right fuel air ratios, it seems much smoother and faster to respond. And, it looks neat.



For now, I'll run a few tanks of fuel on the 130/155 combo to monitor mileage. But, based on tonight's test ride, I believe I am reaching the drivability issues you discussed as the primary leans out. I note it takes just a bit more pedal at 55 mph to climb steep hills in high gear but very low speed pulling in 2nd up hill remains unaffected.



I suspect the next steps will be to make some highway runs to check the secondary and monitor mileage. I may try a 160 secondary main jet for grins down the road.



Overall, thanks for a very tunable and drivable package in the DGEV and the HEI. The DGEV is the finest carburetor I've ever worked with. I've got a slap worn out 63 Chevy II 194 car sittin here and I have no doubt when the time comes your HEI and either a DGEV or a pair of Carter Webers from you will find their way under the hood.



V.R.



Rich.

[Sharps40]

Good golly thats a big truck. Kinda washed it today and figured what the heck, I got two random buffers, lemmie shine up this dull 18 year old paint with some Turtlecrap.

I'm just finishin up. It was a three pipe, 2 tea and one beer job and I still gotta do the front bumper!

Whew!! No wonder new cars are clear coated....all that rubbin and running the buffer wears a fella out!....I gotta find a bottle of The Wax Shop Liquid Carnuba...very easy, Wax on, Wax off, wait 6 months till ya have to do another 30 minute session....Darn fine wax for quality guns stocks too...best I ever used and I quit waxin em when I lost touch with supply. Now I'm back into good wood and old cars I gotta find a new supplier cause I'm gettin too old to be doin too many multi-beer jobs.

[Sharps40]

By the way, Mr. Langdon mailed back. He's recommending going to a 160 or 165 jet on the secondary and watching for power increases at WOT. No impact on daily fuel mileage since thats all on the primary...so....I ordered bigger jets for the second barrel. This is fun!

[rustyescott]

wax shop got baught out by turtle wax a while back. wax shop products no longer sold