Slow as a dog, accelerates like a dead fish.

[TucsonHooligan]

My 64 Falcon 2 door has the standard 170 motor mated up to a 1970 (circa) C4 tranny, and the thing seems to top out around 55 to 60 miles per hour on the freeway. Acceleration is slow as well. Is this normal for a standard 170 motor with no mods? What can I do to get a little more oomph out of it? I have the Pertronix ignition set up which helps, but this thing just doesn't seem to want to get going. Am I expecting too much from too little? Any tips are welcome.

 

[page62]

No. The 170 is good for 80+ mph (don't ask me how I know). I'd start with a compression test.

 

[TucsonHooligan]

What should I expect for compression? How many PSI?

 

[Bort62]

It should be above 100 and pretty equal across all cylinders.

It's not so much the number that you are looking for as the spread.

There are plenty of minor tuning issues that, if not correct, will make any motor run like complete crap.

What is your ignition advance, and is your vacuum advance working ?

Do you have a load-O-Matic ? If so, do you have a functioning SCV valve on your carb?

 

[TucsonHooligan]

Vacuum advance is working, not sure what timing advance is set at. How do you tell if its a load-o-matic? Obviously my ignorance on the subject shines thru, but I haven't been into this who scene for very long. I'll check the compression this afternoon and see where it stands. Was the load-o-matic standard on the 64? If so, that probably what I have then, as the motor is all stock except for the pertronix.

 

[Bort62]

If you have a load-o-matic and you havent' been scrupulously maintaining it, there is a reasonable chance that it's not working properly.

 

[TucsonHooligan]

How do I tell if its a load-o-matic?

 

[Bort62]

How do I tell if its a load-o-matic?

Does it suck? If so then it probably is

Refer to the sticky at the top of this page re: load-o-matic.

 

[Bort62]

I just noticed there are no pictures in that thread. Im sure someone will jump in here w/ a good description. I don't really have one...

I belive the common description is "if you remove the cap and can see springs in the dist, it is a load-o-matic"

And yes, it would have been stock with your car.

 

[TucsonHooligan]

It must be, there are springs on the advance plate that the pickup sits on. Two of them that function as return tension springs for when the vacuum advance lets off. They presumably return the timing to standard at idle. Does that ramblimg make any sense? Jesus, sometimes I don't even make sense to myself.

 

[jamyers]

Main giveaway for the Load-O-Matic carb/distributor is a steel vacuum line running from high up on the carb (usually on the passenger side, up towards the top of the carb) to the distributor.
Also, look on the passenger side of the carb for a big funky-looking "button" thingy screwed into the carb body normally just below the choke level.

Hmm...(wanders off for a pic)...
Found one over at the Old Car Manual Project:

The Spark Control Valve is marked "H" and "H1" in this shot of an Autolite 1100 carb. The valve will look the same on all other model carbs, and the vacuum line screws into that hole just up and to the right of the valve.

As far as ID-ing a LoM dizzy, the only way I know of to tell is to look inside it (might have to remove the points breaker plate, I forget). A LoM dizzy has NO centrifugal advance weights because all advance is controlled by vacuum. So: No weights = LoM, weights = "regular" dizzy.

Hope that helps!

 

[TucsonHooligan]

Yup, thats what I got. How do I remedy that, if that is the problem? Whats it replaceable with?

 

[Bort62]

Yup, thats what I got. How do I remedy that, if that is the problem? Whats it replaceable with?

Duraspark II.

Except your 170 may not be able to accept it, so...

You might be stuck w/ the LOM and making sure it works properly.

I get confused w/ the 170 stuff...

 

[TucsonHooligan]

I'll look into it. Thanks for all the help. Any other suggestions on how to squeeze a little more juice out of what I have?

 

[LaGrasta]

I'm running a stock 170 with the original 2 speed Ford-O-Matic and I can do damn near 100mph. Something definately is wrong with your car. Make sure your tranny is shifting in all three gears and the timing, as mentioned, is set correctly. Outside of that, good plugs and wires and you should be freeway bound no problem. Keep us posted.

 

[TucsonHooligan]

It shifts thru all three gears for sure. I hooked up a Lokar kickdown on it. Took some creative engineering, since the car was originally a 3 speed auto, so none of the neccessary linkage was there. I'll get a compression checker from the auto parts place on my way home today and give it a try. I knew something had to be wrong, it's struggling just to keep up with traffic.

 

[TucsonHooligan]

What should the timing be set at for a stock 170 motor?

 

[Bort62]

Set it around 10* static. Stock is probably something like 6*

 

[TucsonHooligan]

Static meaning? At idle? Sorry if I sound like an idiot. Ask me about fixing a Vespa or American history and I seem much less retarded, I swear.

 

[rmoe88]

ok, who was the 7th president of the united states

Bort means that you should time your engine so that it has a initial advance of 10*. So without any help from anything else, your car will run at 10* before top dead center. Im not sure for the load-o-matic, but for a normal distributor you unplug the vacuum line (remember to plug up the line going to the engine or you will have a big air leak, use a golf tee or a bolt.) With your car at idle, use a timing light that is hooked up to your #1 spark plug, check to see what your static timing is.

I hope that helps.