oilcanhenry

Yeah, I gets cold enough here in the winter, that I get all I need to do before the cold weather comes in. I don't have a shop heater, but perhaps I'll get a propane unit one day. Yeah, 20 years on a carb rebuild is great. As for the old shotguns, I keep it, as it was my grandpas. I can shoot #8 Dove loads down it, but I wouldn't think of using a Waterfowl load down it. It wasn't made to handle that much pressure. Still have a few boxes of my grandad's old ammo for her, but I doubt they'd even fire, not that I am going to risk it. I, too, prefer rifles of any kind, including bolt-actions. I've shot hundreds of thousands of rounds of .22 Long Rifle over my many years, mostly using semi-automatics. Not really into handguns, but own one anyhow.

Jay Dee

Yeah Henry , forums like us to stick to the genera's, but I do recall years ago, they used to say: If you don't vote, you can't complain, but then I recently realised that if you voted and they could swing it their way through creative means, and your real vote didn't count, then that is the conundrum.
I can say I went to finish up the suburban today, + I didn't get much done since I had forgotten to hook up the lower hose, so that took some extra time and when I got there I had 45 minutes till dark, so I ended up with grease and oil to my elbows since I couldn't run it through a car wash first after it crapped out . I also had a small stabilizing bracket fall down from around the air pump with a small crook in it and 2 flats with a hole in each flat on each end. Decided to just not put it back because frankly I couldn't see where it came from, but maybe will later figure it out.
I am going back tomorrow to finish it up to see if it will run. That mount is like 5 inches long, if anyone knows where it goes. Got all the other bolts and nuts back . I thought it might have connected to the long air pump fulcrum bolt, but darned if I could see even with a flashlight.
The one thing that may affect our hobby in the near future, is if they approve the russian lady for head of the fed who wrote articles that explained she plans to shut down the coal and fossil fuel industries, and NATIONALIZE banks to end banking as we know it, and regardless of it being a Chevy forum, if THAT really happens, I can't fathom that car enthusiasts won't be cancelled next soon after. I think we must ease into new technologies as it happens in it's own time , but not push it faster than technologies reasonably permit. I am non partisan as a voter, might say , Independent, but believe in what's best for all and keeping our freedoms written by our forefathers. And not changing to any failed radical type dictatorship, but optimistically feel that reason will prevail over the bat- s_ _ t crazy. So that's my 2cents on that subject. I will apprise you , as to IF my work on the suburban was successful, as few of us can afford electric cars, and reminds me of when Az. Tried their propane vehicle idea when Mecham was Governor . Where is the reincarnated present day Nicola Tesla when we need him ? Or how about releasing some area 51 anti- gravity Alien technologies I've been reading about since I was a kid.?

Jay Dee

Henry, i fired up the suburban this evening, but it was popping back through the carb after about a minute , , BUT it was NOT backfiring . In order to have that car pass emissions I had to advance the distributor ridiculously to make it pass, so my question is: since it's timing is now back on, wouldn't the extreme amount of advance need retarded now ? And wouldn't that much excess advance now be causing the popping of excess gas through the primary flapper on the quadrojet, as it idles?
I forgot my dist wrench so I couldn't retard it to see, but under the popping , it sounded smoothe, so do I have it wrong on the chain, or is it what I think.?
I believe on a 350 chevy retarding is counter clockwise , and advance clockwise. Correct ? Any thoughts on this are appreciated.

73shark

GM cam timing gears used to be aluminum, may still be as the latest thing I've worked on is a 1973 small block, with a nylon tooth ring molded on them in order to be quiet. If you had what appeared to be an aluminum cam timing gear, I suspect the nylon was all worn off which may have contributed to the timing chain jumping teeth.

If you decide to rebuild the Q-jet, there is a kit available with aluminum plugs with O-rings to replace the pressed in caps in the secondary wells that are prone to leaking.

Good luck with your project.

Jay Dee

Thanks for that, but what do you think about my last questions + about the carb popping? I understand about the stock timing chain cam gear w/ nylon teeth, just trying to get some experienced feedback regarding my current situation. I am a little unsure as to if I am on the right track, in case I'm wrong. I did forget to hook up one 1" hose on the drivers side , but don't feel it is the problem. I did tighten a few rockers because they were coming off their valve spring centers , but only on the left side. Didn't take off the right valve cover as its a bear. Might have to loosen them some, so....If anyone has any other possible possibilities , jump in please. Thanks for any other ideas, but still seems to me I got the chain cam gear and crank gear set right, and think I might have stated the advance and retard directions for the distributor bass ackward. I said advancing was clockwise, but think instead it's counter - clockwise for an 86 350, with clockwise being retard. I think I am close to finding the solution, but am grasping at straws at the moment.

oilcanhenry

Did you get all the spark plug wires connected correctly? That can cause a motor to sound like it's popping. The only other thing might be a vacuum leak, Jay Dee. Yeah, you are correct about how the distributor timing works on a Chevy, I hope you don't have a smog pump on your motor. Those can also cause a popping sound when they go bad, or to be more correct it's the damn converter valves going bad., I had a real bad experience with the smog pump on my dad’s C-60 medium duty truck years ago.It would pop like crazy. One of the best days of my life was when I removed it, and chucked it in the trash, and plugged up the exhaust manifolds.

Jay Dee

Hey henry, I checked the firing order 2x, and had marked not only the cap outsides , but the wires, so that's good, smog pump is good as it was fine prior to my teardown, .....BUT in thinking on it last evening, I remembered that there is this huge 1" dia. Rubber hose that must be a vacuume line at the top front of the left valve cover I forgot to hook up. I got busy on other issues and spaced it out, so it might just be that, as at first , I didn't think it could be the problem, but now think it may be.
Some guys desmog these beasts, and they perform better, but it depends on the state + emissions regulations. I am going to go over in a little while and see what's shaking on this hose issue, + take my distributor wrench and timing light too in case it needs adjusting. I appreciate your comments and concerns, as I never claim to be a mechanic to anyone, I consider my self merely a car enthusiast , but know lots of mechanics that can work faster but I don't feel are as thorough, as I spend hours reading books and researching where others might not. I think the timing set is ****, and nothing is leaking, ,so that's good, and although my non conventional approach might be different, the end result was the same+ is the point. I will get on it asap, and check back later , and I always try to fess up to my shortcomings , as I suspect some folks might hide their stupid mistakes, but to me I don't consider that self deprecating, merely human. In this case, it might just be the ticket. I did notice that tightening up those loose rockers on the left side made the engine not turn over as fast, but it did have some clacking lifters that quieted down, and I could tell it was not at zero lash on some of the push rods prior to. I have a 49 studebaker 6 ( champion) I rebuilt maybe 15 yrs ago, I need to adjust the valves on, in a 43 peep I own that's needing adjusted I had bored .030 over on the pistons. I was tempted to installing a pinto engine since it had self adjusting valves, but felt it would detract from the look of the engine bay. Those flat head sixes need adjusted every 12,000 miles, and this will be the first 12 on the rebuild. I completely rebuilt the whole vehicle upgrading everything I could on all its processes. I think I have 24,000 in that alone total over the years, and it gets attention even sitting undriven. Talk later, thanks again OCH, and the moderator too, for your helpful responses. Soon as I get this running right, it's going to the car wash to clean up the engine crud and grease. Keep your fingers crossed.

LarryE

The old cam gears were aluminum with nylon teeth supposedly to be less noisy or just maybe cheaper to make.I had one chain strip off the nylon teeth causing the engine to die.After replacing the gear it still wouldn't run.What happened was When I tried to restart it I bent a few valves with the pistons because it was out of timing.The pistons were ok but I had to pull both heads and replace a few bent valves.This was on mt 70 P/U with a 350.

Jay Dee

Thanks for sharing your valve story, but was it popping through the carb also similarly ? Anyway , today I HOOKED UP THE HOSE I left off, it ran awhile but kept popping through the carb and couldn't find a sweet spot turning the dizzy. As it was still Belching some gas out occasionally. I had changed the the timing , checked the choke, adjusted the carb air fuel mixture as it was like turned out 3.5 turns, so I dropped it to 1.5, but know 2.5 is a starting point.. Loosened the rockers I tightened previously, and it spun faster, but a little less popping, ....but think I need to pull off the carb and give it a looksee inside that carb has been a problem. I might call Cloyes tomorrow to see what they say , but before this happened, the carb was easy to flood and ran super rich. Problem is ...this vehicle is also a transitional model in between the hei types and the new computer types with the diagnostic plug in to check systems....it has the brain box in behind the glove box, but never had the test plug in it like the ones a few years later for diagnosing the codes. It's an albatross and seems to me to be just getting too much gas, and I was never driven after it stopped except to trying in a parking lot to start it, but it might be a valve......can't rule that out for sure. It is the type of carb that has the gray tower on the top you hook up to a plug that regulates the mixture,but that tower might not be working , ( not the blue type), and either of those are tough to find used. I know the difference between the BB type and the SB, so my plan is to pull off the carb tomorrow and see if there's anything wrong inside first.
i have no dessire to replace any heads just yet, as winter approaches, but need to troubleshoot the ramchargers shut down electrical problem now first. I LIKELY PISSED OFF some PEOPLE IN THE APARTMENT COMPLEX this AM., with all the noise, so that was not good. It is a good learning experience for me, ... I will figure it out.

LarryE

Not being there it is hard to tell.Was it running OK before? If you have even one bent intake valve that is even partially open it will backfire up the carburetor.Your heads are probably fine.I am assuming you have the gears lined up and the distributer and wires installed correctly and lined up in the right order on the distributer.