83 swb thats been sitting awhile (pics)

[motornut]

cool nice save!

[paintslinga2010]

Here is where I am at today. It will start and run until the choke cuts out. I want to get this thing to run enough to where I can move it around so I can drive it into the garage when I want to work on it. I attempted to change the fuel filter at the carb but I guess I was doing something wrong because I ended up bending the fuel line. Hopefully it is not ruined. Then I sprayed the carb down with cleaner. I didnt spray any inside of it. After it dried I started it and it ran again until the choke cut out. Now I cant get it to start again. Please give any advice to help me to get this thing to at least go down the driveway. thanks

[grs]

Keep an eye out for engine oil leaks, and trans. leaks. The seals can start leaking. Check the rear end for leaks also. The truck looks real good.

[spudz]

looks real good! it sounds like its time for a carb rebuild.

[paintslinga2010]

Just a little update for you guys... I could not get the truck to start to save my life so i started looking for the source. I checked fuel..no fuel. So I changed the fuel pump. no dice. I was about to take the block out from behind the tire and let it roll off the hill until i remembered it has dual tanks so maybe the switch went bad. Bypassed the valve with a foot of rubber hose and booyah! fuel. I fixed up a somewhat temporary line from the pump to the carb and now I'm back to where I was last week. It will run until I let off the gas then it immediately dies. Is there anything else I can try to get this thing to idle and drive?...Or should I sack up and make an attempt to rebuild the carb?

Oh..and my grandpa finally remembers why he stopped driving the truck. He said it was running rough and he had a guy mess with the carb but it didnt help much. Not the worst but now I'm even more leary about messing with the carb but its not going to rebuild itself.

[fanmanj]

Originally Posted by paintslinga2010

should I sack up and make an attempt to rebuild the carb?.

yep! Sounds like its time for a rebuild.. Sack up! LoL
Posted via Mobile Device

[motornut]

not sure but
you may wana try turning the idle screws in all the way and out 1.5 going up a .5 turn

[Keith Seymore]

Stripes and sides look correct to me, but not the top. It was fairly common for the stripe to be misaligned at the fender/door gap, because stripes were installed in the paint shop prior to installation of the fender to the rest of the truck (in other words, they would be thrown off by the fender and door fit).

Originally Posted by paintslinga2010

Did they paint the cabs before they went on the truck at the factory?

Cab and box were painted sitting on a little wheeled cart as they went through the paint shop. They were then trimmed out in General Assembly and, lastly, set on the frame on the final line.

Jeff has some great pictures (and excellent expert commentary ) at his website, which you can see here:

http://www.73-87.com/7387info/Assembly%20Line.htm

Where was your truck built - St Louis, perhaps? Also - do you still have the SPID label (service ID label) in the glovebox? It will show the original paint scheme, which would be something like ZY4 or ZY5 etc.

K

[Keith Seymore]

One other comment about those stripes, while I'm thinking of it:

They were installed prior to paint, so the fender would have been primered (ELPO'd) but would not have had the color coat. There was a beige masking tape over the surface of the stripe.

Upon entering the paint shop the secondary color (silver, in this case) was sprayed first. After the inset had been baked and dried, the inset area was masked off and the rest of the truck sprayed in the primary (red) color.

After baking once again the masking, along with the covering over the stripe, was removed revealing your two tone paint scheme.

K

[paintslinga2010]

Originally Posted by fanmanj

yep! Sounds like its time for a rebuild.. Sack up! LoL
Posted via Mobile Device

Appreciate the motivation. lol.

Thanks for the info guys. That stuff will be very useful when I get further into the build and look to paint it back to original. At this point I just want it to move on its own. haha

Oh and the truck is originally from Texas. So I don't think it would have been built in STL

[paintslinga2010]

Well I grew a pair and rebuilt the carb. Took my time and did everything right to the best of my knowledge. I'm still right where I was before though. The truck runs and sounds fine while the choke is on but as soon as it cuts out the truck dies. I've tried the idle screw on the right of the carb but the screw is bottomed out before it even touches the throttle plate assembly. What is going on here?

[1LowToy]

If I understand you correctly you still cannot get it to idle after the high speed idle kicks off. If so your looking at an extreem lean condition. I had suspected the idle circut of your carburator of being plugged. Hopefully you have cleaned the carburator thoroughly an replaced the idle screws in the base plate, backed out from bottom about three turns. Your carburator may have never been touched from the factory and the idles screws may be blocked off to prevent tampering. Maybe someone can chime in with a pic of the idle screws covered or uncovered.

After that you may have a broken vacuum hose, bad egr, pcv valve or brake booster causing a huge manifold vacuum loss. At choke idle speed does the engine run smoothe, on all 8 cylinders?

[paintslinga2010]

When revved slightly the engine sounds pretty healthy and it acts like it wants to idle but eventually dies. I started replacing some vacuum hoses. They are all old and rotten. Maybe this will help. I didnt not replace the idle screws in the base but i knocked out the pugs and took them out to clean. I've tried everything from 2 turns out to 6. The further out seems to get it closer to idling.

[1LowToy]

As long as you blew out the idle circut (with idle screws out) with air it should be good. Your carb base gasket surface area was clean and a new gasket? Try blocking off the vacuum to the pcv valve and the vacuum power brake booster. Rare but brake boosters go bad. If that doesen't let it idle replace the egr valve or make a block off plate with gasket.

All the spark plugs look good or new? Firing on all 8 cyl? Keep in mind Grampa said it was running rough when he parked it

By off chance does the exhaust sound like it's plugged? Like a plugged catalytic converter or muffler?

[1LowToy]

I just loked at your post on the idle screw. Look for some wiring with a flat two or three prong plug. I think you may be missing an idle solinoid. I don't know if your states emissions had one on that truck though. I know in cali I bet it did.

Wait a min. The idle screw cannot touch if the choke fast idle has the idle up that may be why.

[paintslinga2010]

I don't see any wiring. I'm 90% sure there isn't any to the carb other than the electric choke. I replace some vacuum lines and it seemed to idle a bit before it died. So next week on my days off I will pull air pump and all the vacuum lines involved with is. Then I will replace and vacuum line I can find so I can eliminate vacuum leaks. Then after that I'll try to track down the next issue. Thanks for all the help. I would be at a complete loss if not for this forum. I really want to get this engine running smoothly before I pull the engine to replace gaskets and put on cam, headers, intake.

[paintslinga2010]

Update: I've slowly gotten the truck to run better by changing out vacuum lines and this but it will not idle!. I got angry so i took it out on the truck. I got it in drive and went out into the wet grass in a field and whipped a couple donuts. Stupid I know.
But here is where I am at now. I've been replacing and deleting vacuum lines. I pulled all the smog, vacuum lines included. I need to know if these slip fit rubber things are important and if I can just get rid of them and plug straight into the fitting. This picture might make more sense.

The missing middle hose went to the valve on the manifold.

There is also a hose that loops back around into the same port. wtf?

I hate this stuff and I'm sure you guys find these questions annoying but I am at a lost with getting this thing to idle. Oh and are those circular things mid line necessary?

[paintslinga2010]

Now I can rule out the cat being plugged. I cut it off today and it didn't change anything besides its super loud and when running the fumes are STRONG. It sounds like a big cam so its gotta be a vacuum leak right?

[Desert1957]

Just an observation. For your own personal safety. PLEASE replace this fuel line from the Pump to the Carb with the one piece steel line it came with. Over my long career working on vehicles , I have personally seen vehicles burn to the ground with a fuel leak at his location.
Rubber hoses will not last due the extreme heat.


Desert

[my4by2]

Every single square body Chevrolet I have owned I have replaced the stock metal line with 3/8" hose and a Fram G2 inline filter & have NEVER had a leak or an issue!!! It's all in the care that you install it with - secure it out of harms way & so that it isn't "flopping" around to get damaged. Use a p-clamp if you have one.
The metal line SUCKS - especially in hotter areas & if you have more under heat than stock as in the case with uncoated headers.

[white82]

a good number to start with on ur 2 fuel-air mix is 2 1/2 turns.. sounds like vaccume leak but could be fuel pressure at least 5 to 6 pounds to make run .. run a compression check on all 8 see if any is low no more that 20 pounds from highest to lowest.. also if loosing fuel pressure might try loosing the cap on tank cap might be bad but deftnly sounds gas starved or gas overload.. without being there i cant tell one more thing to add when u bypassed the switch be shure ur using a good fuel line that wont breakdown from the crappy eythnal they put in gas now and strong enough where it dont suck together and cut full off

[white82]

i just seen where u rebuilt the carb.. 2 questions there did the kit have green seals for the xclerater pump.. plunger on top and did u put a new float in it it and set it to cut fuel off at proper height..

[Desert1957]

Originally Posted by my4by2

Every single square body Chevrolet I have owned I have replaced the stock metal line with 3/8" hose and a Fram G2 inline filter & have NEVER had a leak or an issue!!! It's all in the care that you install it with - secure it out of harms way & so that it isn't "flopping" around to get damaged. Use a p-clamp if you have one.
The metal line SUCKS - especially in hotter areas & if you have more under heat than stock as in the case with uncoated headers.

Thank You for that.

My only concern is not with any performance gains by temperature. Think of it this way, If you develop a leak here because of a cracked rubber hose , loose mini clamp, or even a leaking filter , you will never know it until it lights off. the engine will still get most of its fuel and run fine. I know you don't believe this but there is a reason that GM made this a steel line.

To have any fuel spraying under the hood with Hot manifolds or headers would be Bad. Even an HEI distributor will light off raw fuel. Please I am not preaching to you guys.

I have been a mechanic for a very very long time and have seen over 20 vehicles totaled because of fires , mostly related to this.

Sorry to steal this thread , I love my trucks as I'm sure you guys do. I surely don't want to loose them because of anything that could have been prevented.

If you guys get a chance please read this article to the end, it may change your thinking on all fluids and there properties.

http://pieforensic.com/articles/arti...cle-fires.html


Now back to the thread at hand....

Desert

[paintslinga2010]

I've seen a few vehicles with rubber fuel line at the carb. It says fuel line so I would hope that it can handle fuel. Those clamps are super tight and its only a cheap fix until I get this thing going. This problem has to be the same one that caused my grandpa to stop driving the truck 10 years ago. Something is causing vacuum loss but I cannot pin it down. Could it be electrical? Are there any solenoids or anything that can go bad?

[paintslinga2010]

Originally Posted by white82

i just seen where u rebuilt the carb.. 2 questions there did the kit have green seals for the xclerater pump.. plunger on top and did u put a new float in it it and set it to cut fuel off at proper height..

Yeah I remember some green seals in the kit but I don't remember replacing them. The guide I was using did not say to I don't think?