Need a mechanic for classic ugly car

J R Green

J R Green

Member
Charter Life Member
Joined
Dec 17, 2016
Messages
9,417
Location
Statesville
Rating - 100%
10   0   0
OK I went and picked up my 78 ranchero from the garage today. The mechanic said he had the issues worked out. I don't know what that means when the damn thing stalled out on me at least 20 times. Sitting at a light, or stopping in traffic. Then it would stall every time I put it in gear after that. I only got it home by feathering one foot on the brake and the other on the gas. Also if you give it some gas it accelerates and then like chokes like it cut off for a split second several times during the process.

I don't want to take it back to the same guy again as he's had it for over a year and still can't figure it out.

It's had all the wires, hoses, belts, plugs and rotor replaced. Installed a brand new carb, new radiator, fuel pump, and gas tank.

Call me a mechanic please. GTOWN? I'll take it a ways for quality work.
 
Have you had the distributor checked out?
I see you replaced the rotor, what else inside of it did you replace? The cap?
 
351?

Q-jet?

sounds like every car I own if I don't run it regularly...

vacuum leak, timing, carb/choke related, fuel delivery all come to mind
 
Hrm, from your brief description and how it translated to my muddled brain, my first thought was it's a fuel problem.

What's your idle RPMs, in park and in gear? Does it idle fine, or does it stall at idle?

New carb doesn't always work for every engine right out of the box. They have to be matched to the engine, even though it's fun to over-carb a car...and you can get by with under-carbing it, too. What size engine do you have, and what size carb (CFM) do you have on it? What size jets in that carb?

It could be a lean or rich condition, when you transition from the idle circuit to off-idle until it gets up to higher RPMs. Your squirter could be pegged to the wrong hole in the cam, and you may be flooding it upon giving it gas. Lean conditions usually produce a popping/backfiring sound. Any of that?

From your description, it sounds like it runs okay once it's going down the road?
 
Beef15 said:
Significant one I'd say.
Click to expand...

Easy way to test it out...do you have a propane torch? Open it up and let the propane flow, but obviously not lit up with fire. Move it around the edges of where the intake manifold meets the heads and block, and if you get an increase in RPMs at one point, that'll be where your leak is. Rancheros came with FEs, I believe...they're notorious for how difficult they are to seal the intake to the block. The cork gaskets are very finicky, and most guys I trust use the Cheeze-whiz can of RTV to bead along those edges instead of using the cork gaskets (myself included).
 
It's a 351 M the carb is a direct replacement two barrel. I wasn't trying to rod it just have a truck that would take a licking.
there could be a gasket leak as there is some clatter coming from under the hood. I specifically had the guy check for vacuums leaks especially the vacuums valve that leads to the transmission.

No backfire and seems smooth enough just cruising but cuts out during acceleration. I can't answer the technical questions though and the tach is out.

I don't want to become a mechanic, I'm old enough to let someone else fix it if i can just find the right guy.
 
Sounds to me (without ever hearing/seeing it) a vacuum leak at the butterfly bushing on the carb.. as you push past to accelerate it smooths out.

Wish I were closer.
 
Last edited:
Mirac said:
Sounds to me (without ever hearing/seeing it) a vacuum leak at the butterfly bushing on the carb.. as you push past to accelerate it smooths out.
Click to expand...
Very possible. Or a loose carburetor or leaking base gasket.
 
200w.gif
 
Ok, ok. Try this. Take the air breather off. Start and run the engine at idle. Lay your hand over the top of the carb to cut off air flow.

Does it stay running ( if so, massive unmetered air leak) or does it choke down to a stalled shut off (if so, more than like a fuel delivery issue)?
 
Mike Overlay said:
Ok, ok. Try this. Take the air breather off. Start and run the engine at idle. Lay your hand over the top of the carb to cut off air flow.

Does it stay running ( if so, massive unmetered air leak) or does it choke down to a stalled shut off (if so, more than like a fuel delivery issue)?
Click to expand...
Got to deal with family issues today. Will try some things suggested tomorrow. Still looking for a shop.
 
I started looking around and found two of the plastic tees that had only one vacuums line in and the other port open. I got some caps and plugged them and it runs much better but still not perfect. it still goes to a rough idle when the transmission is engaged and has shut off a few times.

It's the type of roughness that I used to give my cousin crap for when he would brag about how well he had his old F100 tuned.

I found a shop that is supposed to specialize in classic car restorations and it's going there tomorrow.
 
The 351m is a good engine and some people build them up fairly well. The m blocks were supposed to be bad ass but the government made sure it wasn't. I hope they help you out and get it running right.

Tim meyers website is a good place to look if you wanted to build that M. Cleveland heads, a decent cam and a 400m crank would be cool.

Pictures would be nice.
 
Mightyox04 said:
The 351m is a good engine and some people build them up fairly well. The m blocks were supposed to be bad ass but the government made sure it wasn't. I hope they help you out and get it running right.

Tim meyers website is a good place to look if you wanted to build that M. Cleveland heads, a decent cam and a 400m crank would be cool.

Pictures would be nice.
Click to expand...
Not really looking to turn it into a gas hog.

It looks just like that pic ^... when it was new.
 
J R Green said:
Not really looking to turn it into a gas hog.

It looks just like that pic ^... when it was new.
Click to expand...

Nice car. So what mph you getting now for 170ish horse power? The kit I recommend would get about 15mpg not giving it hell and 400ish hp. Out of a 400m block most people would tell you it couldn't be done.
 
Last edited:
Old school mechanics are hard to find..Usually because most of us have died off. To me, your problem really shouldn't be difficult to find from your description. I wouldn't bother going back to the original hack, if he had your car for a year? That means hes just lost..
 
The problem is there is no plug to plug a scanner into to lead a "tech" to the problem. There are very few real mechanics out there that can use their head to find a problem and fix it correctly the first time. It's a old school engine/car. Not too many things it could be. I would suggest checking the vacuum with a vacuum gauge, this can tell you a lot about what's going on with the engine.
 
Last edited:
I had a Ford Courier years ago. A previous owner had stripped threads while reinstalling the carburetor and used LockTite to get the screws to stay in. Gasoline dissolves Locktite. Almost.

Every few weeks it would stall at idle. PITA with a standard at stop lights needing to use all three pedals. I had to remove the air cleaner and run a thin wire down to clear the idle intake jet.
 
It's in the new shop. The mechanic said that he found no other vacume leaks but the valves were clattering bad. Said he would adjust the valves for me then called back yesterday saying there was no oil getting up through the push rods so he's going to check that out and let me know. The previous guy did say he put a pressure gauge on it and had pressure from the pump. I guess sitting for a few years could have clogged the ports in the rods though.
 
Lager said:
Old school mechanics are hard to find..Usually because most of us have died off. To me, your problem really shouldn't be difficult to find from your description. I wouldn't bother going back to the original hack, if he had your car for a year? That means hes just lost..
Click to expand...
His lot is always full. I guess he couldn't spare the time for an old school diagnostic session. Like it has been said, most mechanics are just parts changers relying on a code book to tell them which part is bad nowadays.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom