lemoldsnut

I have a 71 455 bored .60 over and with what works out to 9.5 to 1 pistons, a mondello cam and harland sharp rockers. Car has run well for some time. recently had bubbles in the coolant recovery bottle and a little white smoke on the right bank. I pulled the intake (a performer) and right head. Took it to the machine shop and it had 3 hundreths or warp in one spot. Machinist felt that could be the cause but usually sees head gasket issues at 4 hundreds or larger. I had him surface the head to be safe. Used new perma torque head gasket and new intake and fired it back up. No bubbles in the coolant recovery bottle. Had the carb (a qjet) act like a failed float so took a Holley (not my favorite) off a good running car and put it on to get it running. Then had excessive and I do mean excessive white smoke on the left bank. Pulled plugs and compression is at 155 across the board. #1 and #7 plugs are gas fouled. replaced with new r45 plugs. During this I also took out the mallory unilite ignition and installed an HEI with a new cap rotor wires and control module. took the Holley back off and fixed the qjet. reinstalled it and still excessive white smoke left bank. again #1 and #7 plugs fouled. Different carb and different ignition. I am not sure I got the valves adjusted with the harland sharp rockers correctly. I will go threw them all again tomorrow.
I like how the mallory ignition fit in the car better. (a 67 442)

What confuses me is I never had the left head off or touched the valve adjustment on it. Why all of a sudden this issue?

What opinions are there out there?

thanks
Larry

oldcutlass

The Unilite uses a ballast resistor, where as the HEI needs full battery voltage. WHat did the white smoke smell like, fuel or coolant? 155 seems low, whats your compression on the other bank?

lemoldsnut

yes 155 across the board. give or take 5 psi. mostly within 2 psi. The smoke is not coolant it is smoke. Plugs are gas fouled. just #1 and #7 on left bank. Changed carb still the same. Not sure if it filled the exhaust with gas on the last carb and it is in need of burning it out. did not pull the plugs after the qjet back on.
heads are C and were built and ported by Mondello about 10 years ago. Cam is a Mondello grind don't remember the specs. Running stock manifolds with 2 1/2 inch full exhaust with flowmasters. I think I did say Edelbrock performer with a mondello valley pan.

Yes I did correct the voltage to 12 volts to the distributor.

oldcutlass

The only thing I can think of if you have only run the car for a short time, it may not have been enough to burn all the crap out of the exhaust that might have spilled in there. I would suggest changing the plugs and taking it for a good ride at temp so it can all burn off.

cutlassefi

Pressure check the cooling system. Since the heads were ported by Mondello after Joe left I'll bet you have porous heads.

Octania

white smoke is water or coolant I believe. Or, a new pope.

Fuel excess makes for black smoke. No new pope.

Blue smoke is oil burning, or a pope suffering from depression probably.

Your intake was off to service the one head, and so may not be sealed well on the LH head now, with coolant leaking into the intake to produce white smoke...

lemoldsnut

I know the (pope signals) and agree. I did use a new set of intake gaskets and cleaned it all like new. But, that does not mean I did not screw up. I think it could be that or just a left exhaust full of gas. Hoping so anyway. It runs well.

Thanks
Larry

oldcutlass

When I did my heads, there was enough coolant that got into the exhaust manifold that it took a twenty minute trip to get the smoke to stop. It would not burn off just idling.

nj_cutlass72

I had a white smoke issue that went away after installing paper gasket that was recommended by Edelbrock for the Alu intake... I have good compression in the 170's across all pistons but somehow still burning oil... I will go back to stock intake before doing anything else...