Operation "Buzzin' Half-Dozen" Underway

[DWright]

thanks joey. tonight i installed a pedal and cable from my parts '76 and hooked every thing up. i also adjusted the valves while the cover was off. i'm baking the finish on the valve cover at the moment, so no pics tonight. carb is adjusted and the truck runs pretty good; cant wait to drive it tomorrow! next to come is the 3-on-the-floor conversion and then, if i can ever find a decently priced one, a t-5 conversion.

[TwoFiftyShifter]

3 on the floor.... That sounds so cool. 1st and Reverse being right in line.

[DWright]

i would rather keep my 3-on-the-tree with this trans but i cant find headers to clear column linkage.

[DWright]

more pics...

[DWright]

should i convert the carb to mechanical secondaries? has anyone done this on the 250 with successful results?

[DWright]

so... finally got it completely assembled and working correctly. i drove it to the end of the driveway for the first drive with the new setup and then....POP! hissssssssss..... when i installed the carb onto the manifold i didnt use the "extra" 1" wood spacer that came with the package (in the pic). dont ask why, i just thought the guy who had it before me used it so that the kick-down linkage would clear the manifold. apparently the base of the carb was about 3/16" wider on one side than the base on the manifold; how i overlooked this i do not know. the spacer was used to solve this problem; and now i know. the pop and hiss was the sound of the gasket breaking and then a massive vacuum leak. tomorrow i gotta get longer carb bolts and two more gaskets and try this again.

[DWright]

valve cover installed, now i'm off to get some longer bolts for the carb!

[Corts60]

Nice! It should be a good feeling that first drive to feel the responsiveness...

[slepysal]

Update? So howz it run with the 600cfm?

[DWright]

this setup kinda sucks; the truck idles and runs smoothly, but doesnt have anymore pick-up than the 1bbl had. not much pep to speak of, i feel like i've wasted my money. i'm sure the problem is the carb being too big and i've learned that nobody speaks very highly of the holley 4010, not to mention that holley doesnt make it any more. i've also noticed my secondaries arent opening. thats probably a big part of the lack of pep. any suggestions will be appreciated.

[ChiefRocka]

Nice progress bro !!!

[protrash64]

I am not a carb tuning guru, FYI. I thought Ive seen kits to change the vac sensitivity for the secondaries. Maybe the engine doesnt have enough airflow to open them depending on the calibration? Also, is the accelerator pump working? On earlier Holley's they could be blown out easily by backfire. Throwing out a couple ideas...

[DWright]

now that you mention it, the truck did backfire once or twice while i was tuning it. before then the truck seemed to rev quicker than it does now. but also, when the truck isnt running i can step on the gas and hear the carb squirt. from what i've read the secondaries on this model dont open until about 5200-5500rpm, a range of which is of no use to me with a 250. would the truck still run okay if the power valve blew? (assuming this particular holley has one)

[DWright]

i "converted" my vac secondries to manual lastnite. (screw in the linkage) just a temp fix until i get another carb. it helped alot, i have it set to open at 3/4 throttle. pick-up is pretty decent but still feels a bit over-carbed to me, i mean, 600cfm on a 250 is a bit much. i was working on a guys truck at work today and we got to talking and he told me he knew a guy who had a truck like mine and he had his 6 cyl rebuilt. then he came across a 350 for a great price and slapped that in his truck instead. he's had it in his garage for 5 years now and told me that if i want it to come pick it up monday. for free. also said he has a bunch of other parts he'd give me, including a power steering setup. score or what?

[protrash64]

Definitely a score!!! From my limited knowledge and understanding of carbs if the power valve blew, it would bog hard on acceleration. As you open up the carb you need the fuel shot to compensate for the additional airflow. If it was blown out, the engine would run ok and accelerate slowly, but just bog if you gave the pedal a decent push. I have learned how to correct this on the Edelbrock carbs...not sure on the Holleys.

[DWright]

i've determined that the powervalve was not the problem as the truck idles smoothly, does not use alot of fuel and does not bog down at any time while accelerating.

[Alan's Classic]

Originally Posted by DWright

i "converted" my vac secondries to manual lastnite. (screw in the linkage) just a temp fix until i get another carb. it helped alot, i have it set to open at 3/4 throttle. pick-up is pretty decent but still feels a bit over-carbed to me, i mean, 600cfm on a 250 is a bit much. i was working on a guys truck at work today and we got to talking and he told me he knew a guy who had a truck like mine and he had his 6 cyl rebuilt. then he came across a 350 for a great price and slapped that in his truck instead. he's had it in his garage for 5 years now and told me that if i want it to come pick it up monday. for free. also said he has a bunch of other parts he'd give me, including a power steering setup. score or what?

That's a great score.

[DWright]

i thought it was a pretty good deal, hey, you cant beat free!

[ol Curt]

The power steering setup alone is worth something if you decide to convert. If it is complete with brackets they sometimes go for near $200.

[DWright]

yeah the brackets are for a small-block so i have to make or find brackets; no biggy.


P.S. has anyone here put a TBI 4.3l v6 in their 60-66? i have a strong one (rated at 225hp) laying around with a 700r4 attached. i've been tossing the idea around for a little while; although i'd hate to be rid of my 250. what do you guys think?

[slepysal]

So what's going with your truck ?

[Frizzle Fry]

Great thread. I say stick with the 250. Get a 390 or so carb and she should do well.

[protrash64]

Originally Posted by DWright

yeah the brackets are for a small-block so i have to make or find brackets; no biggy.


P.S. has anyone here put a TBI 4.3l v6 in their 60-66? i have a strong one (rated at 225hp) laying around with a 700r4 attached. i've been tossing the idea around for a little while; although i'd hate to be rid of my 250. what do you guys think?

I was curious about this driveline combo myself. I'm dying to have an old truck DD and thought about raiding my '99 Blazer drivetrain for one of the many old 'powertrainless' 60-66's I see all the time.

[DWright]

ok. been working on the truck for the last couple of weeks. i picked up a camaro t-5 for $100 and a "new" 4150 style 600cfm carb with vac secondaries and elec. choke. believe it or not, i picked up the spotless carb from an old man at a flea market for $30. i installed the carb and did a little tuning and the truck runs like a champ. the only thing i did was swap out the original accelerator pump cam for an adjustable one. now, with the 3-on the-tree and 4.56 rear, the truck gets to its max speed of 60mph pretty quickly. cant wait to install the 5-speed. i'll post picks of the new carb setup soon.

[DWright]

heres one, sorry its a little blurry, more to come later.