Daily Driver help for 170 C.I.

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone,

I purchased a 1961 Falcon today with the 170 six and the 2-speed auto. It appears to have the stock carb and distributor. I would like to use the car on almost daily basis and would like suggestions on how to make it more reliable. Two prime areas of interest would be:

Carb conversion suggestions
Electronic Ignition or Point Replacement modules

Any other help or suggestions are welcome and appreciated as well as where to find these parts.

Thanks!

Jeff Goswick
Adairsville, GA

 

[Asa]

one of the common swaps for electronic ignition is the DuraSpark II system
unfortunately, on all blocks before '64 the distributor is too big for the proper hole, so this won't work

there has been talk of machining down the DSII's shaft to allow it to fit, but no one has yet done this

the other common swap is to go with a Petronix ignition, this is simple as pie as you just take off the cap, remove the points, screw down the Petronix module, and run a bit of wiring

you can get the Petronix from pretty much any Mustang magazine

 

[Anonymous]

In regards to the carb - why convert to a different model? If you're looking for reliablility, there is nothing wrong with keeping the stock 1 barrel that was meant for that engine. It truly depends on how bad the current carb is - if it just looks a little dirty and perhaps there was some bad gas going through there, then I would spend 20 bucks and a couple hours going through the rebuild kit (i just did this and was amazed at how straight forward it can be). Otherwise, if you want to upgrade, you must find the 2 barrel of your choice, then deal with an adapter which means you'll have to make adjustments/modifications to the linkage, not to mention you'll have issues with clearance once the air cleaner assembly is on...Just a couple thoughts that I pondered before getting a remanufactured autolite 1100 (1 barrel). Let us know what you do...

 

[XFlow_Fairlane]

I daily drove on my 170 for 4 years (40K miles)

I swapped a pertronix in early on (first 6 months of driving)

2.5 years later I did a 1100 swap. this helped out the idle a bunch but I lost a little economy out of it (2-3 mpg) but had much better throttle response and power

but swapping on the 5200 got my milage back higher than ever and gave me a super smooth idle. those early carbs work fine as a daily but are a poor inefficent design.

 

[CZLN6]

Howdy Jeff:

And welcome to the forum. There are some stickies at the top of this forum that you should consider required reading. One has to do with Understanding the Load-a-matic distributor system in your '61 engine. The other has to do with the Spark Control Valve (SCV) in the carb which sends a load sensitive vacuum signal to the distributor.

I say "System" because the SCV in the carb and the Load-a-matic distributor are designed to work together. Change one and the other does not work as designed.

After you've finnished the required reading you should consider purchasing a shop manual for your car. They run about $50.00, but I consider it the foundations of "Reliable" operation. The key is understanding what you have, how it works and how to get the most out of it.

asastangs suggestion of a Petronix conversion unit is an excellent one. It eliminates the points, and gives a stronger spark to the plugs. It is compatible with your carb and distributor.

As for carbs, you are blessed with one of the cutest one barrels ever made. If you're really lucky yours has the glass float bowl. It is a Holley #1908 with manual choke. In a 144 engine it was rated at 130 CFM. It is very simple and basic. It is easy to rebuild. They are susceptible to dirt and wear. Yours, being an automatic trans may not be as bad as some from engines tht turned as stick tranny. A good cleaning and rebuild with fresh accelerator pump and SCV are a cheap step to better running.

Both the OEM Load-a-matic distributor and the Holley carb are very reliable and give good service when maintained and serviced.

What kind of driving will you be doing- on a daily basis? Has the car been well maintained over its 44 years?

Adios, David

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I am going to keep the stock carb and probably rebuild it, since it looks gunky, and replace the SCV, and get the ignition module kit.

Just to tune it up, I plan on replacing the wires and plugs since I am in there, and because they appear to have been in there a while too. Despite this, the car is in surprisingly good condition and appears to be well cared for, despite the engine grime.

I plan on driving the car about 10-20 miles per weekday in an area surrounding a small, rural town, without much traffic.

David, what type of shop manual would you recommend and where could I get one? Also where can I find a rebuild kit for the carb, and the SCV?

Thanks again!!!!

Jeff

 

[CZLN6]

Howdy back Jeff:

That soulds like a good plan to begin with. I'd be a little concerned with the gunk on the outside being an indication of what might be on the inside. Changing fluids and filters might be a good idea too.

I made a mistake on your carb. A Holley 19o8 for a '61 170 with an auto trans will flow 150 CFM. I get my kits at the NAPA store locally. Ask for a kit for a-
1961 Falcon with a 170 Auto.
The engine code will be C1DE with either a D or F sufix
The OEM carb list # is either a #2191 or #2247.
A new SCV is part of the kit.

A shop manual for your car should be available from Dearborn Classic, 1-800-252-7427, or AutoKrafters, 1-800-228-7346.

While you're puttering make sure the throttle linkage is correctly adjusted to give you full throttle when the pedal is pressed to the floor. Also add an additional 5 degrees of initial advance to your distributor setting. You'll love the feel and the increase in mileage.

Enjoy the journey.

Adios, David