The Crusty Cuda: Whole lotta Shakin' (N96) Goin' on!

[cook_dw]

Originally Posted by A12pilot

Don't you worry Big D, video of that to follow!
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[A12pilot]

Welp, like everything else automotively planned, it all went up in smoke. Coincidentally, I did receive another text from Phil!

So right now I can't figure out what the deal is and why it won't stay running more than a few minutes, then not start after it dies, so it's best to just walk away in disgust.....yet again.

I was ready to back her out and go for her maiden voyage on my birthday, but that'll have to wait until later on this month. By the time I get back I'll have the glass installed and she'll be done! That is, if I can ever get her running more than a few minutes.

She sure looks good though!

Cheers
Dave

[njsteve]

You know I have a voodoo doll of your car with a pin stuck right through the distributor where the ground wire connects to the base plate.

I am waiting for you to give up, and ship her to me.

;-)

By the way. Try starting it and holding the key in the impossible position between run and the starter engaging. I had a Superbird that fried the power feed to the ignition switch in numerous places between the alternator and the under dash area and grounded itself out intermittently. The only way to keep it running was to hold the key past "run" and just before "crank" in order to limp it home.

Also my old 70 Charger would have a random "no-power" anomaly on occasion when the power feed male terminal inside the main bulkhead connector at the firewall would separate from the opposing female connector on the engine compartment side. A good yank and tug would fix it...(but don't quote me on that one).

[A12pilot]

Ha! I knew it! It was YOU all along, Steve-O!

Well, remember, everything is new on the electrical front and tight (all harnesses, switches, relays, etc). No tuggin’ and yankin’ needed on anything! Also, went through two distributors, two carburetors, two ballasts, two voltage regulators.

What’s happening is she’ll fire right up and run smoothly for about two minutes. Not a pop, not a miss, nothing. Then out of nowhere it’ll start running rough, acting like it’s got some huge cam in it. Really lumpy. I’ll reach in and bump the butterflys a bit and it’ll smooth out when it hits 2000rpms or so, then after a few seconds, right back to stumbling and stalling while at that setting. After it dies, it won’t start again no matter what I do.

Perfectly good running engine for a few minutes and then rough running, and then dead. It’s perplexing...perplexing I tells ya!!!!

I’ve got 5 months until the Super Car Reunion to get her running good!

Cheers
Dave

[Lee Stewart]

I'm going to take a wild ass guess . . . would the problem stem from the cam not being properly installed?

[RS_COPO_Canuck]

Sounds like a fuel issue to me.
Is your gas cap "Vented"?
New fuel pump?
I had that problem on a 440-4....ended up being the Carter carb.....but you have tried two carbs already....Hmmmm

[32KZ]

Couple "sound" shots:

Ignition, increased resistant when heated up:coil/ballast resistor.what do the plugs look like ? Fouled?

Starving for fuel? Whats fuel pressure when it starts stumbling?

Vacuum leak? Controlled port opening?
Just some thoughts.

[KenMaisano]

I have not read the full post.. But has the engine been Dynoed or on a run stand? Did you mark the pushrods and made sure that they are all spinning. If not the cam will go flat. Anyway if the engine has never ran on its own. I would start by taking the car out of the equation, Run a power lead direct from the Battery with a new ballast resister to the coil. See if it will keep running.. start there, if having the same problem then add a gallon fuel can direct to the fuel pump... Now it will be simple to start looking for the problem...
Coil, Resister, carb,fuel pump,.. Mopars also run there power through the amp gauge.. Also does it have the mopar electric ignition box?? I have had many problems with them.

[njsteve]

How about a porous or cracked casting in the carb body? Once it heats up, the crack opens and the vacuum leak or fuel dump begins. Do you have another carb to throw on there in a one-minute-pit stop swap, the next time it dies? And also running it off a gas can and an electric fuel pump, and not the fuel tank itself.

Sounds kind of like the old Qaudrajet problem with the leaky lead plugs in the bottom - when the carb heats up, the leak begins and it floods the engine out and no-restarting for a while.

[big gear head]

I was going to make 2 of the suggestions that have already been made. The electric fuel pump with a gas can will eliminate the fuel system on the car, and running a hot wire to the coil will eliminate the ignition switch.