I had lots of experience setting the points and timing on a '72 Chevelle, my first car that I got right out of college, and the only new car I've owned.?ÿ Something wasn't right about the way the block was bored, I think, and it ate a distributor every 30-50 k miles.?ÿ I'd adjust the points and timing frequently until the bearings got so loose it didn't matter where I set the timing, it wasn't right.
My old 79 Yota Corolla that I used in college had a bad key ignition assembly. I saw a mechanic removed the key guard and used a coin to connect some wires to start the car when he checked to see what was wrong with it. Did that until I had the money to replace the ignition assembly. Years later, I read an article that you could get the shock of your life doing the trick that I was doing to start the car. Not sure if the article was true or I was lucky or maybe I was just properly grounded.
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Many moons ago I was messing with the battery in a '53 Chevy and wearing a metal wristband on my wristwatch.?ÿ The battery post/wristband/car body connection about scarred by wrist.?ÿ It was a long time before you couldn't see the marks from each little piece of the band as it literally fried my wrist and fell off my arm.
Years ago I had a '49 Chev sedan.?ÿ I think I paid $60 for it and it ran like a champ.?ÿ To start it you had to turn the ignition key to "on" and press the starter button on the dash to the left of the steering wheel.?ÿ The ignition switch was worn out and the key eventually vibrated out and was lost.?ÿ Not to worry though, I could turn the switch with my thumbnail without a key.?ÿ All that was left to do was press the chrome starter button.
Fast forward almost sixty-something years.?ÿ I drive a 2021 Grand Cherokee.?ÿ After all the technological advances there is no need for an ignition key anymore.?ÿ I just push the starter button like I did back in the day...
The big difference is I paid a bit more that sixty bucks for the Cherokee.?ÿ 😉
What saved you was NOT being grounded. I'm not sure how much kick the solenoid would give, but can imagine quite a bit if you were still touching the solenoid wire and were grounded to the car frame, when you quit touching the coin to the other terminal.
One of my friends owned a 69 Chevelle that was all bondo and primer. He was lucky enough to acquire a Ford pinto for $50. After that he couldn't afford a battery for the pinto. When several of us were going somewhere, he would start the chevelle, take the battery out and put it in the pinto, start the pinto and start driving. When ready to come back, reverse the process. It worked for a bunch of guys with no money.
Cars these days don't even have dipsticks.?ÿ (other than perhaps behind the wheel)
Never could figure out the 383 with the two barrel. Why so many cubic inches and such a little carb?
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@dmyhill?ÿ
The 2 barrel on the old Chryslers probably wasn't really all that small.?ÿ I'm pretty sure it was north of 650 cfm.?ÿ A lot of the 4 barrel carbs back in the day ran on the front 2 barrels and only used the secondary at higher rpms.?ÿ Back then Chevy had a 265 hp 396 c.i. that came with a 2 barrel.?ÿ Most of them were stuffed into station wagons and trucks.
That's from the days when they made REAL cars.
Quit being such an old fart. Those ??REAL? cars leaked oil by the quart, battery was totally unpredictable, exhaust system and the rest of the metal catastrophe rusted worse than a ship, the tires were forever having blowouts and you had to carry hoses, belts, oil, brake fluid and $2000 worth of tools wherever you went. ?????ÿ
@paden-cash since it's gonna be a driver (and not a showpiece), putting a holley sniper EFI and front discs on it.?ÿ only part that sucks is i'll have to go to bigger wheels to accommodate discs, so will have to lose the original hubcaps.?ÿ but i'll hang on to the old carb and caps in case the mission changes on down the road somewhere.
Sounds like a good plan.?ÿ Most carbs can be relatively maintenance free, but they are antiques.?ÿ Go with the new stuff.
I had a big S&S carb on my last FLSTS.?ÿ It always gave me fits.?ÿ I always planned on swapping over to FI but got rid of the bike before I got around to it.?ÿ
Happy motoring!
@flga-2-2?ÿ
Not after your Dad got a job.
Those ??REAL? cars leaked oil by the quart, battery was totally unpredictable, exhaust system and the rest of the metal catastrophe rusted worse than a ship, the tires were forever having blowouts and you had to carry hoses, belts, oil, brake fluid and $2000 worth of tools wherever you went
Yer tempting me to comment on yer maturity..... But I'm afraid you are older than me. Dad drove one of those old chariots. It was not near that bad as you make it sound.
File the points, add a quart.
Good for 1500 miles....
????
N
@FL/GA
Yes sir!
Nate
@flga-2-2 my second car was a '73 ranchero with a 351 windsor.?ÿ in the year or so i drove it i always had a starter behind the seat and one at the shop.?ÿ that thing went through starters like they were breath mints.?ÿ for whatever reason couldn't keep water out of the distributor either.?ÿ a sudden rain invariably meant coasting down the road in an inert hunk of dearborn steel.
@nate-the-surveyor small world, I lived in Hammond for 9 years. Bounced around NWI/Chicago for 17 and had my share of working on cars in the cold. The only points I had to deal with were on an old '75 CB550 I restored though. That thing was slow... wound up trading it straight up for a '91 CBR600 and never regretted it. That bike could scoot.
@drew-r?ÿ
Spent from '75-'79 on around the Lake a bit in Berrien County, Michigan near Stevensville, MI.?ÿ Passed through on I-94 going to and from Chicago routinely.?ÿ Enjoyed watching the electric railroad passenger service.
@holy-cow I know Berrien Co. a bit. I did some road design in New Buffalo about 10 years ago. We used to weekend roadtrip in SW Michigan and drink, seems like that's all anyone did in that area.
