Boy's I'm going in! Smog inspection that is.

Slant Six, 1974 Scamp, EGR all there .040 over pistons .060 off the head new crank 264 Isky cam, Holley 5200 (50mm idle jets, 165mm main jets, 185 air comp jets), stock air cleaner and heat riser, all somg stuff hooked up and working, idles about 700 or so. Can't seem to get much air/fuel setting on the mixture screw so I set it at 2 turns out.

New exaust system and no cat on this car. Arizona smog inspection BTW. I set the valve lash while hot today, .011 on the intake and .020 on the exhaust. Doing the lash setting while running is pretty cool.

The car runs smooth but won't burn rubber. I have an 8 1/4 3.23 (might be 3.21) posi rear so I'm a little disappointed in performance so far but it must be in the details. Also I replaced the vacuum advance because it wasn't holding a vacuum and I put in a new 8.5R advance and lubed the springs and weights in the distributer. Also set the gap on the module at .008.

This is a newly rebuilt slant with new cam, crank, oil pump, pistons, rings, rebuilt head, timing chain and gears. Engine runs good with a slightly rough idle due to the cam. I'm using 92 octane. Not much more to say.

I'm getting a 3 day temp registration and going to get it inspected as is. I have to get her registered and on the road ASAP. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

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Sweet Emotion

Here in California they check the timing and it has to be +/- 3 degrees from factory specs. (funny how that dampner has two marks on it and one of them is covered with grease )

If the idle fuel mixture screw don't do much then turn them all the way in, then just "crack" them off their seats, you want the idle mixture as lean as possible, with-out misfire.

You just have to run a test on the car to see where you are.
These days I sometimes pay for a check that is "off the books" because all the Calif. smog machines are now connected directly to the "big brother" DMV computer. I don't want them seeing my "baseline" test.
DD

Thanks Doc. I have the timing set at about 10 Degrees BTDC so I think I'll set it to about 6 or 7 because I'm not sure what they do here. I'm pretty sure they just do a visual under the hood and then put in on the dyno and do a rolling tailpipe test at about 35 MPH and then idle. I'll also set the A/F screw as you recommend. I think I might need to get to the bottom of the A/F situation. I did a lot of research on the right jets for the Holley 5200, but I think my idle jets may be wrong. Any suggestions on the jets as I have them? Thanks.

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Sweet Emotion

i heard you can install a screen mesh under the carb base.
to fool the sniff test

i heard you can install a screen mesh under the carb base.
to fool the sniff test

Fortunately here in Massachusetts an emission test isn't required on my '69. For my other cars though I always put 5 or 6 bottles of "dry gas" in a half tank of gas just before the test. They always pass emissions with flying colors. It will probably help if you're borderline.
Bob D

Well guys it aint pretty. Here's my readings

Initial Idle reading 1183 HC's Should be 400 I think. CO 8.44 SB 5.00

Precondition Reading ( I assume thats at 30 MPH or so) 412 HC's, SB 300.
CO 9.92 SB 3.00.

Final Reading 1429 HC's SB 400. CO 9.06 SB 5.00.

And to add insult to injury my gas cap failed. Arghhh!!. I bought a new one so that should be easy next time.

Now I pulled the plugs and there is black on the base of the white insulator but the tip and the electrode, or whatever it's called are tan. So they look like it was running rich and then maybe when I adjusted the A/F screw prior to traveling to the station it got lean. I also checked to make sure the vibration dampner is dead 0 when number one is TDC. It's good. I also checked the vacuum advance for total advance a 3000 RPM or so, just for kicks, and I get about 22 degrees total advance so that is apparently working.

I then wanted to see if I could get it running for performance so I bumped up the idle timing to 20 degrees BTDC and drove it. No pinging. Bumped it another 5 degrees and drove it and still no pinging. Shouldn't I get some pinging at that setting? Didn't go far but it was more powerful for sure. Also I'm still breaking in the engine so I don't want to stomp on it just yet.

Also I sprayed some carb cleaner to check for vacuum leak and there isn't any. Also it does idle rough but with the Isky Cam I would expect some roughness. Also not sure the carb is right. Now I did get s light drop in idle when I turned the A/F screw with the timing at 20 Deg BTDC. So I backed it off a half turn or so. Also maybe I should apply for a 45 day extension and drive it some more to break it in before taking it back. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

The problem areas seem to be the carb and the cam. Now the carb was NOS and sat for a long time so I suspect it. Also I have not adjusted the vac advance screw any on this new 8.5R advance so maybe that would help with an earlier advance pull in. Shouldn't effect readings though. I'm pretty stumped at this point.

One side note, the car does smell like hydrocarbons to me. And it just seems a little louder than it ought to IMO. Right around the carb and intake area almost like an exhaust leak. But I have very little experience prior to the rebuild and in fact have never heard a slant running close up. I felt around for a leak but found none. Also the inspectors never went under the hood. Just the dyno, tailpipe and gas cap tests.

Thanks.

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Sweet Emotion

hi,put a cat on it to get it to pass,even if your car doesn't have to have one . it will drop your readings to almost nothing. then take off cat till next emission test. it will save you time and money trying to fiddle screw around with it trying to get it to pass. especially with that 264 cam belching raw fuel downstream on the valve overlap. nothing jacks up emission readings faster than a hot cam. and you don't want to pull that cam just for a emissions sticker. those original 74 emission specs were for stock cam, carb,ignition, etc which you don't have. be glad they didn't open the hood. so,... put a cat on it,get your sticker, take cat off, and then spend the next 364 days terrorizing the streets of california. ron

Thanks,

I was thinking the same thing. But I'm wondering if it's not running right to begin with. With the hot cam and the Holley I would expect some pretty good power, although I'm not stomping on it until I get a few hundred miles on it. Not getting it as of yet. I'm also wondering if the emissions might be worse before the motor is broken in.

Also what about the timing? How far can you go? And what is a safe setting for the motor to run with my buildup. I supect I still have some carburetion problems.

I'll check on the cat cost today. BTW I'm in Az.

Thanks.

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Sweet Emotion

I called the business that installed my 2 1/4 exhaust and he said the catalytic converter wouldn't do any good with the cam I have.

Hmmm

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Sweet Emotion

How many miles do you have on the re-build? The rings probably aren't even fully seated or at the very least are not worn into their 'grooves' yet. If your oil was relatively fresh, I would bet after about 500-1000 miles your HC readings come down considerably (less blow-by).

A brand new cat will clean up almost any engine long enough for a sniffer test....I did it to my truck...twice.

The several bottles of Iso-Heet in a 1/2 to 1/4 tank of gas suggestion is a good trick too, just make sure to top off the tank after the test.

-S/6

When we used to had emission tests in Fla, we had no underhood inspections. A visual inspect of the cat converter and a sniff test was all.
I and many others had passed thru many times by unplugging a vacuum hose, usually the main feed for the HVAC diaphragms. The car ran like doo but the sniffer says pass. Of course, this trick will do no good on a badly smoking engine

Very thankfully, emissions tests were run out of Fla on a rail.

I only have about 60 miles on the rebuild. I'm going to apply for the 30 day registration and then drive it a few hundred miles before the next test.

I'm also wondering if maybe the idle jets are too small causing me to use the main circuit on the carb to make it idle. I do have the min butterfly open just a crack. Does anyone know if the 50 idle jets I have in there are too small for my setup? I read somewhere that a mistake with these carbs is to put in too small idle jets.

I think Chris from Proline said that. I'm going to talk to a few more folks before making any moves.

Thanks

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Sweet Emotion

Another 'trick' i used to see at an I/M station I worked at was the PCV was pulled from the valve cover so it would draw fresh air instead of crankcase fumes. Made the difference in many cases, though, i would never suggest disabling any emissions equipment...

-S/6

This does not "fool the sniff test". It also doesn't do anything else...except add restriction to the intake tract.