427carl wrote:

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cantafforda2door wrote:

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Thanks for all the input guys, you have given me lots to consider. I think I will hold off on intake and carb until we go on our first road trip and I get acquainted with her and see how she performs. I'm going to drain the 5 year old gas today and fill with some fresh stuff and let her run for 30 minutes and see if she stops smoking. If not I found two completely rebuilt heads for 500 that I will invest in instead. I also changed out oil and filter and used valvoline high mileage with zinc and a litre of Lucas oil so hoping that may help too.

-- Edited by cantafforda2door on Saturday 24th of January 2015 09:31:53 AM

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         IF it needs valve seals  you are going to buy other heads?    interesting  

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Yes well I'm not so mechanically inclined so me doing it myself is out of the question and I got a quote for 325 just for seals so if I can grab freshly rebuilt heads for 500 I can bolt them on myself. 

beaumontguru wrote:

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Doing valve seals is a piece of cake,  changing heads is a nightmare.  If you have limited ability,  jsut resarch it, ask questions, adn have a buddy help you.

If it smokes out the oil fil cap, it will need seals,  if it smokes out the tailpipe, just run it and drive it, it will go away completely, especially since it has been sitting.  Ge out drive the car for a few days or weeks,  then reassess.

This topic is going to get ugly with opinions and power addons,  if you have no/little mechanical ability, then just tinker with small things like checking the point gap or filling the transsmision oil,  start slow and dont strip the car down to the frame like most people would do!

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 Well said, exactly what I was thinking too.

beaumontguru wrote:

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Doing valve seals is a piece of cake,  changing heads is a nightmare.  If you have limited ability,  jsut resarch it, ask questions, adn have a buddy help you.

If it smokes out the oil fil cap, it will need seals,  if it smokes out the tailpipe, just run it and drive it, it will go away completely, especially since it has been sitting.  Ge out drive the car for a few days or weeks,  then reassess.

This topic is going to get ugly with opinions and power addons,  if you have no/little mechanical ability, then just tinker with small things like checking the point gap or filling the transsmision oil,  start slow and dont strip the car down to the frame like most people would do!

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 EXACTLY........!

 DO NOT watch ANY of those STUPID TV shows    OR read ANY car magazines....

Just keep it running and driving.......and enjoy it......they are a blast to drive...in STOCK form   and any performance upgrades will compromise fuel economy...

Greaser wrote:

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MoboMac wrote:

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 I'll have to try the Seafoam on mine....what exactly is that stuff?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Seafoam Motor Treatment For Gas And Diesel Engines

 Sea Foam® Motor Treatment For Gas And Diesel Engines Is A 100% Pure Petroleum Product That Works Instantly

To Clean Deposits From Internal Engine Parts And Remove Moisture From Oil Crankcases And Fuel Tanks 

 

 

-- Edited by Greaser on Saturday 24th of January 2015 01:07:09 PM

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 so its a fuel additive?  this would possibly help with my valves and or lifters?

Greaser wrote:

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cantafforda2door wrote:

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Greaser wrote:

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MoboMac wrote:

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 I'll have to try the Seafoam on mine....what exactly is that stuff?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Seafoam Motor Treatment For Gas And Diesel Engines

 Sea Foam® Motor Treatment For Gas And Diesel Engines Is A 100% Pure Petroleum Product That Works Instantly

To Clean Deposits From Internal Engine Parts And Remove Moisture From Oil Crankcases And Fuel Tanks 

 

 

-- Edited by Greaser on Saturday 24th of January 2015 01:07:09 PM

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 so its a fuel additive?  this would possibly help with my valves and or lifters?

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 Fuel or Oil additive (same can) .......and it does work.

Best read instructions on the can.....I believe Crappy Tire sells it as well as other auto supply stores.

d 1 1/2 oz Sea Foam Motor Treatment per quart of oil.

The length of time you need to leave it in your oil depends on how much old-oil residue and varnish is in the crankcase.

Sea Foam Motor Treatment works by dissolving this buildup and returning it to a liquid state,

which will make your oil dirty more quickly than without treatment.

Check your oil regularly for color and clarity; when it looks dirty, change it.

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 ok thans for the tip, i'll give it a go and report back with results.

Pontiacanada wrote:

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beaumontguru wrote:

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This topic is going to get ugly with opinions and power addons,  if you have no/little mechanical ability, then just tinker with small things like checking the point gap or filling the transsmision oil,  start slow and dont strip the car down to the frame like most people would do!

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 Ya, other people will easily spend your money for you! 

Just freshen up the small things at first ... check to hoses, lines, belts, fluids, etc. Google "how-tos" for the 1964 Impala.

Remember KISS (and I don't mean the band).

If you are going to get the 5 year old fuel out of the tank, and replace it with fresh gas. Manually drain the gas tank ... don't run it/burn it through the car. That is one sure way to dirty-up your carburetor. That 5 year old gas will likely have some bottom tank sediment in it.

Any questions ... fire away.

 

 

OK I'll pick your brain a little. Here's my conundrum. When the car was delivered I had to "feather" the gas to keep it running. I drive it off the flat bed and let it run in the driveway. As it warmed up the idle picked up but it seemed to run very smooth. I shut it down and covered it up as snow was on its way and left it for a few days. Next time I started it I still had to feather but thus time as it warned up I started seeing smoke and when I revved it up it was a crazy cloud and I could smell oil. I checked plugs and #1 and#2 were very fouled the others pretty clean. I decided to change out all ignition parts including a pertronix electric points upgrade. That didn't seem to help much in fact the idle seems even rougher and when I pull off several of the wires one at a time it doesn't change engine speed or idle making me think they aren't firing however I have a huge blue spark that jumps over an inch back to the distributor. I also changed oil with valvoline with zinc and,a quarter of Lucas. I also drained the gas ( that was orange) and fuel filter. Another thing I noticed is the small diaphragm on the carb which I believe to be the chose constantly oscillates back and forth while motor running. Today I ran it for a good. 40 minutes hoping it may clean itself up and I noticed when I revved it it would run smoother for a minute but then go back to the loping idle. In sure it could be a million things but I'm not sure where to start. Really disappointing as I thought motor was good but getting a bit nervous. We set timing 3degrees over top dead but it seems to want to be further ahead like 10 degrees. It's also farming out carb throat. We had to stop because we broke the key off in the ignition (what a day) so that's where she sits now. 

 

Thoughts? 

MoboMac wrote:

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Just off the top of my head......did you do a compression test....?

Couple other things to think about and check....sloppy (or jumped) timing chain....and or broken valve spring?

-- Edited by MoboMac on Saturday 24th of January 2015 08:33:59 PM

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 I'm going to do a compression test as soon as I get a new key made. Good idea. I could pull the valve covers off to inspect springs too. 

Thanks

Pontiacanada wrote:

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rabbit64cs wrote:

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That was blunt...BUT.. I totally agree.....those stock engines are to be admired and appreciated....that is why I still have my 64 custom sport...mostly thanks to the 283 ...saved the car..cause ya know what a 16 year old is like!

beaumontguru wrote:

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I would not bother doing anything to it, if it runs good, leave it alone,  those 2bbl carbs are the best damn carbs in the world, you will never have a problem with it,  good choke, great driveability,  ungrading to a 4bbl will make no difference,  its a 283.  especially stick with the stock cam,  has the best low end torque curve.  if you plan to drive the shit out of it at every stoplight then upgrade it by all means,  and if you plan to rev it to 4000 rpm 95% of the time,  then upgrade the cam.

I all depends of what you are going to do with it,   if you want more power,  replace the motor with a larger displacement, or replace the car with a different car

Its a 64 pontiac 4dr 283, enjoy it for what it is!

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That's what I was hinting at when I said this: "A replaced carburetor, intake, headers, & dual exhaust won't harm the transmission or rear end because the horsepower gains won't be too much."

It also would not be cost effective in my mind.

I'm just going to upgrade from a single to a dual 2" exhaust when the time comes. I've already refurbished the stock 2 barrel carb & intake, plus the exhaust manifolds. Mostly time and some money, well spent.

 

 

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 YES SIR TO ALL THAT. Keep her simple because she do not need any fancy shmancy stuff to keep her a good, reliable and economical work horse. The only thing i would do to your already built prof combo, is to add dual exhaust and to convert those silly points on the ignition to a PERTRONIX electronic unit. You will never regret going to PERTRONIX. Why would you need a four barrel carb and forget a cam. A total tune up is what matters in a stock driver 283, after the duals and the ignition conversion. Good luck with what ever you decide. Cheers. George.

George......
Points are NOT silly.............they work EXTREMELY well.......and you can set them at the side of the road if you need to.
When the silicone expires in your chinese Petronecs....you will be calling the tow truck to get home....

People that don't like points generally don't understand them.....and are afraid to work on them...

I can explain how to change the the points if you need some help with that....It's really a SIMPLE procedure....and if you put in a quality set....they will likely last LONGER than YOU....

 AND....there is nothing MORE satifying than opening up that little window in the side of the cap....and dialing them in with an allen key and  dwell meter.......although you can easily set them without one...