Vaughan_D_W
Active member
Ok, first off, I'm an OTR truck driver, so I don't get home to work on my car all that often. I finally got the newly-rebuilt 200 in the Mustang, got everything hooked up, and I want to get it running next time I'm home. It's a pretty basic rebuild, nothing major. No headwork beyond new valve seats and replacing the valves that needed it, shaving the head a little bit, and shaving the exhaust manifold mating surface. Block decked, bored .030 over, crank turned, etc. Just a basic rebuild the way the nice, patient old man at the machine shop advised me to do it. This is my first rebuild, and I assembled the freshly-machined parts myself with a little help from a gaggle of half-drunk hillbillies. Sounds fun, right? Like I said, I got it in the car now, and I have a few questions.
1. It doesn't run yet! I hooked up the battery, and it was dead. I had just charged it, but then left it hooked up to my other new project, an '84 VW diesel, which drained the battery overnight. So there's a fun thing to fix on the bunny! But I digress. I tried the battery from my Dad's first-gen Scion xB (1.6 liter motor) and it acted like it wasn't getting enough juice. Turning over real slowly, making a popping sound, and getting the battery cables so hot they started smoking at the solenoid on the inner fender. So I got a new solenoid (or starter relay or whatever the hell you call it), and put a charge on the Mustang's battery. I also double checked to make sure I'm not out of time. Sometimes you have to double check things when your friends are half-drunk hillbillies. Then I poured a little gas in the carb and tried again. The bigger battery had it turning over faster, but still a bit slowly. The cables also didn't get as hot. It kept "popping," too. Like it was trying to backfire through the carb, but with no fire or big bang like a real backfire. Then my starter stopped engaging the flywheel. It just spins and whirrs now. So I figure I'll get a new starter and try again next time I'm home. Given this information, does anyone have any ideas? Maybe I'm not getting a good ground? I have the ground cable at the motor mount.
2. Proper timing. When I said I checked the timing, I mean I confirmed that the number one piston was at TDC at the same time the distributor rotor was firing at the number one wire. I don't know about setting the actual TIMING timing, if you know what I mean. I usually just turn the distributor until is sounds good, or use a stroboscopic timing light, but both of those methods require a running engine. Any suggestions?
3. Carburetor size. The car had a 144 out of a 1960 Falcon when I got it. I found a real 200 from a '67 Mustang to rebuild. I have the carb from the bigger motor, but I already know the Falcon carb works, and I've cleaned it, and the car is set up for it. I want to switch carbs eventually, but with having limited time and just wanting to get the dang thing running, I threw the old Falcon carb on the new engine. My concern is that, with the old carb having a smaller venturi, and being jetted for a 144, I might be running too lean for the bigger engine, and end up damaging my motor. Any thoughts?
Thanks for everyone's consideration. Sorry if these are stupid noob questions.
1. It doesn't run yet! I hooked up the battery, and it was dead. I had just charged it, but then left it hooked up to my other new project, an '84 VW diesel, which drained the battery overnight. So there's a fun thing to fix on the bunny! But I digress. I tried the battery from my Dad's first-gen Scion xB (1.6 liter motor) and it acted like it wasn't getting enough juice. Turning over real slowly, making a popping sound, and getting the battery cables so hot they started smoking at the solenoid on the inner fender. So I got a new solenoid (or starter relay or whatever the hell you call it), and put a charge on the Mustang's battery. I also double checked to make sure I'm not out of time. Sometimes you have to double check things when your friends are half-drunk hillbillies. Then I poured a little gas in the carb and tried again. The bigger battery had it turning over faster, but still a bit slowly. The cables also didn't get as hot. It kept "popping," too. Like it was trying to backfire through the carb, but with no fire or big bang like a real backfire. Then my starter stopped engaging the flywheel. It just spins and whirrs now. So I figure I'll get a new starter and try again next time I'm home. Given this information, does anyone have any ideas? Maybe I'm not getting a good ground? I have the ground cable at the motor mount.
2. Proper timing. When I said I checked the timing, I mean I confirmed that the number one piston was at TDC at the same time the distributor rotor was firing at the number one wire. I don't know about setting the actual TIMING timing, if you know what I mean. I usually just turn the distributor until is sounds good, or use a stroboscopic timing light, but both of those methods require a running engine. Any suggestions?
3. Carburetor size. The car had a 144 out of a 1960 Falcon when I got it. I found a real 200 from a '67 Mustang to rebuild. I have the carb from the bigger motor, but I already know the Falcon carb works, and I've cleaned it, and the car is set up for it. I want to switch carbs eventually, but with having limited time and just wanting to get the dang thing running, I threw the old Falcon carb on the new engine. My concern is that, with the old carb having a smaller venturi, and being jetted for a 144, I might be running too lean for the bigger engine, and end up damaging my motor. Any thoughts?
Thanks for everyone's consideration. Sorry if these are stupid noob questions.