i have a 1962 chevy truck with a 235 6 cyl. engine ,it ran just fine then one day i started it up and it started hacking and coughing ... i took the spark plugs out and they are all black soot fouled ...it sounds like it backfires through the carb and runs like crap ,,idles great..is it a intake valve stuck open ? if so is there a quick fix like pour something in the tank or major engine work,,, i have a car show coming up soon and id like to wait til its over to start work ,,so if theres anything that will unstick it for the moment id like to hear from someone to tell me what it would be ,,,,please if you have an answer lay it on me carshow is this weekend

 

id second the carb rebuild relativly cheap and quick to do

 

I too suspect flooding carb.

When it is running rough, (I'd rather do this while it's somewhat cold) turn the engine off and as quickly as you can, remove the air cleaner and look down the carb throat. If it's flooding bad, you will most likely see fuel dripping into the intake manifold. Open the carburator top. If it is full to the brim, it's too full and the needle valve has failed.
Take the float out and shake it, see if it has fuel inside. It's supposed to be sealed and empty so it floats. If it has a puncture it will be too heavy to float properly and close the needle valve when it's supposed to.
Rebuild kits for most chevy carbs are cheap and available at most auto parts stores. You can try cleaning the valve too, the tip and the seat it seals against. A hole in a brass float can be soldered shut, it should get you through your weekend at least.

Do you have a stock fuel pump?

 

ok the carb is rebuilt ???? ,,,it has a new fuel pump ,,, you guys very well maybe right tho ,,this thing never started running til he rebuilt the carb ,,to explain what happened here it is i sold the truck ,,running excellent when i let it go ,,when i get it back he did a lot of work under the hood ,, but its running like crap ,,backfires im sure through the carb ,,i here it popping ... i took the plugs out one at a time and checked them ,,all were black from soot ,,,sounds decent at idle ,when you give it gas it starts farting and jumping and carrying on... my neighbor says valves ,,he says needs a new motor ,,just turned 70,000 original miles,,, but again hes been wanting that truck for ages so thats why he says i need an engine im thinking ...car show tomorrow so im taking it anyways along with my 53 chevy belair ,,,might sell them both if offered enough ..thanks for all your advice ,,,lord knows i need it ,,,

 

Sounds like your distributor may have slipped out of time or your vacuum advance is shot or disconnected...

Otherwise, I also agree with 1Gary,budsjlm,and Bugfuel.

 

ok it looks like he changed the valve cover gasket ,,maybe ,,just maybe he tighten the rocker ????????? would that do it ? ..i just turned the air screw all the way out and it ran the same ,,,choked down when i ran it all the way in ..???maybe after the car show ill check that saturated float thing if it has that kind ,,if not ill check the brass one , i couldnt hear or see a exhaust leak in the intake anywhere ..looked like all the gaskets were good...poor little 6 banger i hate to hear it run like that ...

 

Another pitfall of the older engines is the distributors with point type ignitions were designed to have the points and condenser changed as a set. If the condenser gets ignored through too many tune ups, the spark gets weaker.

So, hows that condenser?

 

ok ill try the timing thing ,,,ill let you know what happens ,,,by the way i brought home 3 trophys with it yesterday ;o)

 

Congratulations! Sometimes the distributor hold-down clamp works its way loose, or the bolt at the clamp needs a lockwasher. If you're not positive about that point/condenser change-out, replace them both as a set, you may be surprised.

 

ok i loosened up the bolt ,turned it both ways and it ran the same..gave it some gas and seen the vacumm advance is working,,,so i dropped in a new set of points and condenser which looked new already ,,,didnt make any difference ..im thinking maybe yank the head off and have it redone and see if that helps,,if it dont im just afraid ill dump a 350 in it ,,,id like to leave it original tho if i could...