Finally on the road! Got the paperwork
almost Done - I have it insured and a temporary plate, pending smog and the vin verification. So this morning drove it up to the little market for a tank of gas. Yesterday I drained out the last few gallons to make way for fresh gasoline. Tahoe is in the mountain range behind the truck. Note the multi-color paint. I think the original color was that tahitian red, and russett interior (per line setting ticket), but I had to replace a previously damaged left front that had been badly repaired, and also the lower valence. The right rear quarter is also smashed in, and right door dented. Like someone was drunk and sideswiped something. That's why this is my long-term project. But otherwise everything is now fairly straight.
What is good: the thing is a rattletrap but has no padding, carpet, door panels, etc. And the mud tires howl @ 55 mph. Suspension works great (for a Scout II) with all new spring eye and frame bushings, and the t19n I rebuilt shifts very nicely, but the detent spring that keeps you out of the reverse gate when shifting from 2nd to 3rd is soft. Usual weird sounds like a ringing (rattle) that I think is linkage or some such, but anyway, driving it several times down the foresthill road the seven miles to driver's flat and back reminded my why I love driving a Scout instead of my '85 jimmy. It's the relative coziness of the interior where you feel closer "to being one with the machine".
What is bad: it runs like crap. In all the years I've driven a cars and trucks, most with carbs, I don't believe I've encountered what I
think Is a "lean surge" or roughness like this. Timing is set 5 btdc (instead of 0 per sticker) so that shouldn't be the problem. All the smog stuff is hooked up and working. Coming back up the grade from driver's flat (a sweeping curve about one mile or so long that goes from roughly 1200 feet to 2000 feet elevation, and the uphill grades subsequent to that, under moderate load the engine does pull, but misses like it's coughing - those brief, momentary losses of power. Does this with or without the egr. So….here's what I think, and welcome additional conjecture:
1) the carb is a 1940 but had been beaten up. I think I've got it back to where it should be working okay, but apparently not. Has the stock jet called for (#712) and since this was the last year of the smog motors, probably very lean, and without egr, too lean. Maybe I have a vacuum leak somewhere, but honestly, the only place I think left to leak is the intake manifold underneath - I don't find anything around the carb by using starting fluid. Or somewhere else! This is one thought.
2) the other is that I put in a brass float instead of the nitrophyl job, which sunk. Although they are interchangeable, could the brass float sit higher and has made my fuel level too low, giving a lean running condition? I'm going to pull the carb and add a bit more "level" to it. (thinking here from running tqs and the brass replacements had instructions to set them slightly different this way).
3) ignition is breaking down? It has the presolite w/internal module, but do those hard fail or can they go soft fail? There's a red mallory coil from the p.o. But I don't know if that's just chasing my tail to replace. Plug wires are new, running autolite 85s. How would I rule this out?
and a final reflection: I drove a '75 xlc w/345 up and down this road a thousand times. A 196 is
not A 345!
but I knew that going into this. So….when I get this all sorted out and smogged and my "plates", then I can set about improving the little engine's breathing. That was the whole point of this.
Update: carb mounting nuts seemed not very tight, replaced thick base gasket with thin one, bolted carb down tight. Thought if this was a vacuum leak, check this first. Checked plugs, seemed okay, put champion 12s back in. Went for test drive back down the hill - didn't get that far. Started running worse under any loading, occasional backfires it never had before. In fact, it wouldn't even get out of its own way. I think I have a prestolite ignition module failure going on that's now accelerating (an ironic way to put it). Why I think this is that after putting the camshaft back in and tried firing it up, it wouldn't, after a bunch of cranking. Doh!!! I had forgot to put the spark plug wires on. Cranking this style ignition without paths to ground isn't a good thing, and I'm leaning towards damage to the module. If that's the case I still need to get this thing smogged and don't want to spend any more than needed to rectify this, which probably means a pertronix.
but not too bad after you get the grille and radiator out. Hopefully will have an opportunity to take this shaft down to sac to the folks that ground it, to see what's going on (week after this coming week).
