CZLN6":2lahndkh said:
Welcome to the Forum. I hope we can help, but 1st a couple of questions. Is your Mustang an original California car. If it is it will have two very different and noticeable features. It will have a 1.10" venturi rather than the 1.20" venturi of non-calif emissions engines. And it will not have a spark control valve to modify the vacuum signal to the distributor. 1st thing you need to do is to figure out what you're working with and how to make it work well.
It was built in San Jose, CA, from what the VIN tells me, but I'm not sure about the rest! Is there anything external on the carb that will identify which size venturi it has? What am I looking for on the distributor?
second thing is to devise a plan that includes a realistic budget. Do you want to do one day projects? or weekend projects? or major projects?
The Mustang is my only vehicle, so it needs to be things that can be done in a day or two - and I have no tools or expertise to perform the jobs myself.
If this is a Calif emissions car, you can make a significant increase in performance by upgrading to an 1100 with a 1.20" venturi- about a 35 cfrm increase.
And it is extremely unlikely that your Autolite 1100 carb is worn out. It is more likely that it needs a good rebuild and that's true for the distributor too.
OK, but how difficult is this to do? I have absolutely no experience with carbs and wouldn't want to be stranded without a working car!
Again, depending on what you have, you may want to rebuild and add a Petronix Ignitor. It is a conversion to an electronic system that eliminates the points. You '66 distributor will likely be a vacuum advance only type distributor, which means that there is no centrifugal or mechanical advance system built into it. A better choice is a distributor from a '68-'70 point type distributor which will have both centrifugal and vacuum advance, but still has points to deal with. A best choice is to convert to a '76 or later DuraSpark II electronic system. This package includes a high energy electronic distributor, heavier wires, hotter coil, and a module that mounts to the inner fender. It also includes both vacuum and centrifugal advance.
Yep, I'd come across the Duraspark II system on the web. Is it better/worse than the Pertronix, or do they do the same thing?
Investing in a good 2" performance exhaust system is a good foundation for whatever else you might want to do in the future. A good Walker Dyno Max turbo muffler and 2" pipes installed may set you back as much as $200, depending on your connections and dicker skills. "Sandy Ego" should offer you plenty of choices.
I'll look into exhaust stuff, probably once I've decided about whether I want to get Clifford headers, and have decided about 1 or 2 pipes.
Tell us a little more about your car, your plan and your budget and we can be more specific in giving you ideas.
Thanks for all the useful advice so far David.
My plan is mostly to have a bit more poke and a bit more economy (I know the two don't really go together!), but also to not have to worry about adjusting/fiddling with the car on a regular basis. It is my daily driver, so I need it to be reliable.
At the moment the (presumably) carb problems mean that occasionally the engine will die when I come to a halt, and won't idle properly. Recently (this week) it's also been having a different problem: on very low throttle and somewhere near full throttle it's been OK, but in between, at normal sort of accelleration levels for everyday driving, it's jerking and pulsing as if it's not getting enough fuel intermittently. Perhaps the most annoying thing about all of it is that these problems are only occasional - for a few days it'll be fine, then suddenly it will die. And you can guarantee that if I took it to a mechanic, that would be the day that everything was working fine!
Thanks again for any advice.
Toby
As long as b'mo doesn't take it personally...
