I just wanted to close the loop on this thread. As of August 2023, my car is running like a top, but ...
I got it all put back together in October 2022 as the season was changing. We got it all put back in and everything connected. Short story: it ran like garbage and I limped it home (about 5 miles from my buddy's place). I had massive brake problems, timing problems, I realized I needed a stainless gasket on the carb, I ended up needed a shop to do some engine work, and I'm home free!
Long story:
We couldn't get enough angle on the engine to remove it without removing the distributor. Same for installing it. The engine was received having been broken in, so we tried to carefully mark the distributor's orientation. However, when we got everything back in place, it ran like absolute garbage. Neither of us had a timing gun and my buddy and I aren't that schooled in tuning an engine. Taking one out of a car ... sure. Tuning one up with timing, carb settings, etc. ... no.
I also had almost no brakes. It was very difficult to start the car.
So, I got it home. It would drive ... it was just surging and hated to idle and just obviously not in the correct timing.
First step was to fix the brakes. No sense tuning up the engine if I can't stop. Similarly, I can't even drive it safely to a shop, due to brakes.
I tore apart the drums and refurbed them. I have done lots of disc brake jobs, which are pathetically easy. I'd never done a drum brake job. Fortunately, these designs were used on about a zillion cars for a million years, so tons of good videos on YouTube. I got pretty good at stretching springs and holding the brake assembiles in place while tensioned everything.
I replaced the shoes, springs, and the wheel cylinders. Drained the old brake fluid, put new fluid in, bled it all out, and had excellent pressure at all 4 corners. And ... no brakes. No improvement at all. Stand on the pedal and barely can stop.
That brought me into late Oct and cold weather was here. I put it all away.
In May, I yank off the master cylinder and replace that. Bled everything out again, and again had excellent pressure at all 4 corners. And ... no brakes. Moderate improvement.
So, based on feedback here, I pulled the drums and sanded/roughed up all of the surfaces really well. And ... no brakes. Moderate improvement, but still not a car I'd drive around.
Frustrated, I leave it alone until July when a different buddy came up with a timing light, vacuum gage, etc. Got the tuning better, but it still just wouldn't run right. And, the carb seemed to not respond at all to the air/fuel setting screws. The vaccum was way off, too -- only pulling 12 - 14 in lbs.
Then I learned that the carb needed the stainless steel gasket. When the engine shop returned the engine, the carb was in a box with a standard felt-ish gasket. I know that I had removed a gasket stack of felt-metal-felt. But, I figured that some idiot installed that back in the 1980s and just installed the carb with the gasket the shop gave me. Huge mistake. I contacted the garage inquiring about the carb no seeming to respond. Shop immediately informed me that I needed the metal gasket in there. Great. So, I restored the gasket sandwich. That made a huge, huge difference, but my timing was still all screwed up.
This got it more driveable, the vacuum was up in the high teens, and my brakes were working suddenly. But, it was still way off and it would clank pretty loud when I turned if over cold. Because of this, I was scared I would cause internal damage.
At this point, I had it towed to a nearby shop. They did a complete overhaul of the distributor, timing, and adjusted the carb. Done and done.
As of mid-August, my car is driving like a champ. End of saga ... I hope.
Now, on to
the next issue I'm facing, which is a constant stream of hot air, regardless of turning all HVAC controls off. Driving my car is basically like having the heater on the entire time with no way of stopping the air flow.
Thanks for all the help here on getting my car running again.
