I haven’t worked on the car for a while but today I finally picked up the braided lines for my rear brakes. It’s pretty slick how it all fits together. I also got my trans cooler lines today and all the fittings I need. A little fiddling with the exhaust and i’ll Be ready to drop the body on.

 

t’s been ages since I’ve posted. As some of you know, I was right on the verge of selling off the ol’ cutlass. I thought it out and decided that I couldn’t leave it unfinished so close to the end.

So, right now I’m right on the cusp of test firing the engine. All I need is a battery and some fuel and it’s ignition time. The odds are that it will go ‘click’ and nothing happens or run like a diesel 3 cylinder garden tractor if it does start so I’m a little squeamish about the whole thing. If everything goes to plan, the next step is dropping the body on and finishing the mud work. I expect to have it finished by the summer.

 

The test fire still hasn’t happened yet. Life keeps getting in the way. Having said that, this coming weekend I am going to drop the body on the chassis with the full expectation of the engine firing. 👍🏼

 

Yesterday I was working on test firing the engine. There were a few minor wiring issues that had to be resolved but after 5 hours of trying - no results except somehow pressure built up creating a backfire big enough to grenade my P.S. muffler. The boom was loud enough to bring neighbours from two blocks away over to see if our house fell down...luckily the internals didn't travel too far. Nobody was hurt but ears were ringing.



I made one more attempt resulting in another backfire (not as loud) then I called it a day. I was hoping that it would have gone better so I can move on to the next level but I'll take the opportunity to learn.



The engine turns over but even with quick start there is not so much as a sputter trying to fire up. We seem to be getting voltage at the coil - maybe not at the plug wires? I dunno...

 

Backfire out the exhaust would indicate not enough timing. Advance it some like, 5-10 degrees, and see what happens.

 

I would start from square one and go through the ignition system
Check that the distributor is installed correctly
timing advanced or retarded?
Firing order
plug wires test resistance
cap
rotor
plug gap
points or electronic module test
coil test
You should have a test plug that's a simple way to test for spark quality as a week spark will also prevent the engine from running.
once the ignition system checks out move on to the fuel system.

 

You should pull the dip stick and smell the oil for fuel.
If there is any trace of fuel in the oil, change it and the filter.
I think the no run issue is ignition related.

 

I'm going to go through the whole system again. My father in law was troubleshooting the electrical while we were doing our thing and it seems the coil was fine. Perhaps I buggered up the firing order - really badly...