276 stroker from 35 years of parts

[sidevalve8ba]

It's like an old buddy of mine says, "if you've got an old house or an old car you always have something to do!" And I have both!

[flatford8]

“ Now with the crystal clear windshield in, the dash looks like a POS... And so it begins.”

Or……” and so it never ends!”……………Mark

[GB SISSON]

At least all the big stuff is taken care of. I'm actually back making some custom doors for a contractor in the woodshop this week. It does feel good having the woodie 'all done'...... (for now)

[cadillac512]

A clear new windshield is a wonderful thing on an old car. So is a new engine powering up formerly formidable hills in OD!

[GB SISSON]

Maybe it's time to organize tne 'Mt. Pickett Hill Climb'. It'll be like the race of gentlemen but without all that salt wreaking havoc with our sheet metal. We have the 1/8th mile oval for the afternoon's dirt track event and the day wouldn't be complete if it didn't end up with a pig roast.

[petehoovie]

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Originally Posted by GB SISSON

Maybe it's time to organize tne 'Mt. Pickett Hill Climb'. It'll be like the race of gentlemen but without all that salt wreaking havoc with our sheet metal. We have the 1/8th mile oval for the afternoon's dirt track event and the day wouldn't be complete if it didn't end up with a pig roast.

[51504bat]

Or maybe a boat ride for the catch of the day? (in season of course)

[GB SISSON]

Originally Posted by 51504bat

Or maybe a boat ride for the catch of the day? (in season of course)

That could happen! I still have yet to be out on the water this year. Now that the woodie is 'done', I'm playing catch-up in the wood shop. I have two more doors to assemble after dinner and somehow I committed the next two mornings from 8 til noon to help a friend remove a front end loader off his dead tractor and assemble it onto his better tractor. Send epsom salts....

[GB SISSON]

OK guys, back to business here. I have a couple of carb questions. While I am overjoyed with all the systems that really matter, power, oil pressure,starting,idle, no leaks etc I have been chasing a stumble or surging just above idle. I have done a lot of searches and have been working up the 1 1/16" model EC carb from page 20 on this thread. Seems it's a model 2110 by the generic instruction sheet in my carb kit. It had #55 jets, but for my test I have 50s in it just like the current 8ba carb now installed and for now am keeping it's large throttle plate section, even though the step is there, and I get that. Sometimes turbulence is good, right? I did place that carb on for an early test, but it ran really rich. Today I found that it's PV was a total leaker and it had the 55 jets. I now have a new PV that holds the tongue suction test installed. I also adjusted the float which was way high. Instruction sheet said should be 1 15/32" for the model 2110. So... Should I use the base from the 8ba carb since it matches the manifold and has no spark valve, or use the base that's on it and perhaps plug the spark valve? I prefer keeping both carbs intact, but will swap bases if important. Will test it out after work and report back. I DID order another 8ba carb with my correct air horn and no spark valve on ebay this morning for the price of a local cheeseburger so I would have 2 equal carbs to mess with in the future..

[tubman]

In my opinion, a small-base Rochester 2G is a better "fit" for your engine size and build type. It is also immune from most of the problems you are experiencing.. Sure, you will need a different manifold and distributor, but you're the one who decided on a "big-inch" blue-printed engine. The bigger 94 (2110) is also more appropriate than a plain ole' 94, but matching throttle bores on the carb and manifold is really quite important. Those "steps" can cause a lot of mischief.

[Bored&Stroked]

I've not used the Rochester carb, but would have no problem doing so. I have used the 2110 Holley carbs quite a bit - on both naturally aspirated flatheads and blown flatheads. They're a nice carb and it doesn't take much to modify the manifold for the larger throttle bores of the base.

[tubman]

The small base Rochester's were used on early small block Chevys. Here's some math : (265+283)/2=274. Plus you have the benefit of at least 15 years progress in carburetor design.

I wouldn't get into this except that you seem to be looking for the optimal combination for general use.

[oldbugger]

Originally Posted by tubman

The small base Rochester's were used on early small block Chevys. Here's some math : (265+283)/2=274. Plus you have the benefit of at least 15 years progress in carburetor design.

I wouldn't get into this except that you seem to be looking for the optimal combination for general use.

I totally agree but then you get into trouble with the lodamatic vacuum needs, correct?

[tubman]

That's the down side; you need both another distributor and a different intake manifold. I am in no way saying that the stock 8BA components won't produce a fine running unit. It's just that I hate to see all of the extra work he's done and then leaving the last 15-20% of performance on the shelf.

[GB SISSON]

Denny, keep in mind I've chosen to run a stock cam and with the upgrades you suggested will not realize the performance many of you have attained, and I'm fine with that. I am more than satisfied with the current performance level of my vehicle. In fact it far surpassed my expectations. All I am looking for now is to reduce or eliminate what amounts to an annoying stumble just above idle. If I am not able to, I will live with it and just enjoy all the other huge benefits of the larger bore and stroke along with that smooth shiftin' T-5 transmission!

[GB SISSON]

Preliminary results are in. It runs really nice with the 2110 with #50 jets, correct float height and a PV that holds suction and doesn't leak. I also plugged the spark valve port with an old spark valve fillrd with JB weld. There is no more stumble/surging at all. I did maybe ten laps, mostly slow around my track as it was getting dark and I didn't feel like heading off down the county road with an untested carb. I was mostly doing this to see if I'd fixed the off idle problem, and I did. But... tomorrow I need to see how we do on the hills and how it feels and responds in the 40-50 mph realm. It certainly still seems to pull really strong. I dug out a couple of intake manifolds afterwards to study what I need to ream out, but I'll need the gasket from under that carb to determine that. If it pulls hills the same, the new manifold is apt to be a 'next winter' project. But I will definately modify and intake manifold simply because it just seems wrong, all that fuel/air mixture smashing up against a cast iron ridge......

[51504bat]

All the good advice on this thread is from people who have forgotten more about flatheads then I will ever know. But that said, If it were me I'd send the carb to Charlie NY for a rebuild and a converted Chevy distributor. Don't know if he needs a core or not. I have one of his carbs on my 8ba and it ran perfectly right out of the USPS flat rate box it came in. My converted Chevy distributor is from Buba (RIP). The only thing I don't like about the Chevy conversion is the window cap. Pertronix sells a windowless cap but it still has the Chevy cap size appearance. The other option is a Mallory and have it converted but for the cost I will have to live with the looks of the Chevy window cap distributor.

[GB SISSON]

For now I'm gonna do small things one step at a time. Each thing makes an improvement (or doesn't). In a search about the 2110 I see that they were normally fitted with #57 jets. So maybe over the weekend I'll get daring and try it out with some #52s that I have.

[josels]

GB SISSON, Thank you for all the helpful information

[GB SISSON]

Had a great run on interstate 5. What a difference! I had my speedometer app going on my phone and found 70 mph was a fine cruising speed (for the drivetrain), but the old truck liked 60 best. Still I spent plenty of time at 65, (4:11 and 31" tires), mainly to see how temperature was behaving. The stock temp gauge has been confirmed by my infrared gun as being remarkably accurate and it never climbed above the 180 territory. Outside temp was just below 90. Champion 3 row aluminum radiator, no shroud and 180 napa thermostats. My stock oil pressure gauge has also checked out well against a mechanical under the hood. Once I realized I had been running a 50 psi gauge with an 80 psi sender and changed to a 50 sender it has been very accurate and the gauge is normally pegged anytime on the island, but once everything was good and hot I was seeing 50 going down the road, but never below 18 at hottest idle. Never idled below 20 on the island. Once back home the water level in rad, and oil level on the stick was just the same as when I departed. I had chamged oil and filter once at 50 miles and again at maybe 300 miles just before the trip. Vacuum is excellent at 21 inches idle and at idle, my vacuum wiper would throw it's blade 20' if it tore loose from it's arm, and it doesn't mind the the hills. The engine starts on the first revolution hot or cold 90% of the time.
This engine along with it's T-5 companion is a compilation of all the things I desired in the woodie. My goal was acheived on a shoestring budget and could never have come to be without the generous sharing of decades of knowledge from so many barners. You know who you are and I am forever grateful. Now excuse me as I go down to the shop, finish unloading the wagon and re-install the rear schoolbus seat along with the rear seatbelts my younger daughter gave me for my birthday. I have my other group of grandkids appearing at the end of the week.