Ron Dame

'63 R2. The left rear axle had stripped threads (how? I dunno) and the axle nut "secured" with red Locktite. Once around the block after I got it running, and the wheel nearly fell off. Thank goodness it was a literal block, because I was 1/2 way around when I knew something was way bad. I replaced the axle and then rebuilt the non-functional rear brakes... front brakes too. Oh, and it had about 3/4" of toe out.

As an aside, why did Avanti Motors switch from having a lock in the handle to a separate lock cylinder? It's ugly and you have the filler plate where the cylinders used to be.

1 and 2 are kind of humorous for us older folks, but also true. I friend told me that my 185 OHV6 Champ was pinging, but I could barely hear it once he pointed it out. Which begs the question: With modern engines having knock sensors, is there a way to add one to a Stude to have a warning light or something?

Not yet. I've got a good laundry list of repairs and upgrades, but building a house and garage has kept me from getting to them. I did temporarily "fix" it with some weatherstrip cement.

Wow, that's what I want. Did they have to remove the glass to do it?

Here's my follow-up and hopefully final post on this thread. The tank was actually nearly full instead of 1/2, thus fuel was dripping from the fuel line with the carb off. The carb looked great inside, though nasty outside. It had been remanufactured sometime in the past, with new throttle bushings and the well plugs epoxied. The float was set correctly, and I found no damage to the needle or seat. Choke was functioning and I reinstalled the thermostat at the same setting as it was. So far, (knock on wood) the flooded starting condition is gone, and the car runs as good as ever. All I can figure is that there was junk on the needle or seat allowing any residual pressure in the line to flood the engine at shut off, yet was not big enough to cause an issue when running, because the engine was using more fuel than was leaking past the seat. Or maybe the float was weak. I installed a new float too. Anyway, so far, so good. Thanks for the ideas and advice!

It seems that the amount of glass and the curves would make this difficult without seams and wrinkles, but it sure would be nice to reduce the heat gain through that thing! I'd need to remove the defroster (which has too many breaks to fix anyway) but can a tint shop do a decent job of it?

It looks like everyone has already mentioned what I was thinking, but if the ignition timing is retarded, it will run hotter. Same with a plugged exhaust. I don't think that either would heat so fast that you couldn't complete break-in though. Second, get an infrared temperature reader and see if it is really hot, or if it is a gauge issue. As an aside, my Champ had the wires to the gauge reversed, and within minutes of starting, the gauge would peg, but then soon drop. I never understood why it would act that way, but once the wires were in the correct place, it acted normally. My point being, don't rely on the gauge only. Third, I like the idea that the racing water pump may be designed for serpentine belts, thus runs backwards with conventional belts. Keep us informed!

Close Ron, but no cigar. My post wasn't as clear as I had intended. The carb is off being cleaned and reassembled, but the fuel line had dripped at lest a quart before I saw it. I did jack up the front of the car and that fixed that, so it's not really the problem with starting, it's just that the fuel level was higher than the inlet to the carb. The other question, (now separate from the dripping fuel line), is could the purge valve be causing my flooded starting conditions?

New info: I received my carb kit from Quadrajetpower.com, and began dismantling the carb. The good news is that the carb is clean inside, has already had the throttle shafts bushed and the well plugs epoxied, so it appears to be remanufactured, though not recently based on the outside grime. Remember the engine ran well, idled well, accelerated well, no issues other than being flooded at start, and blocking the choke open did not help. What is troubling, is that even with less than 1/2 a tank of gas, fuel keeps dripping out of the fuel line where it went into the carb. (I've not yet completed the carb, so the line is open, save a piece of towel to keep trash out). Best as I can measure, the carb is above the fuel level, though that can be tricky to figure. I loosened the fuel cap to see if pressure had built up, but no sound of air whooshing, and the fuel keeps dripping. I'm starting to wonder if either the vapor canister is flooded or the purge valve is bad, causing that, and indirectly flooding the engine after sitting overnight. What do you all think?

The carb number on my 1980 350 is 17080204. It's not computer controlled, thank goodness. It should be perfect for your '81

Thanks ronmanfredi and MFG. I hope to get the carb number and order the kit later this week, then I can deal with this. I really appreciate the insight!

Thanks, that makes sense. I also saw where the well plugs could be an issue, but the post discouraged JB Weld, or similar because heat deltas would cause the plugs to leak again. But no alternatives were given. Do you have an idea?

Thea has 68,000 miles, and generally runs well. Cold starting, however, is an issue, as it's always flooded, even after a week of not driving. Why do I know it's flooded? because if you don't hold the throttle at least 1/2 open, or god forbid, pump the gas, it'll be a while before she finally fires and belches black smoke. Even so, it takes a few moments for all cylinders to fire and there is still some black smoke. Once she's cleared her throat, she runs perfect. Plugs are clean, too. First, it's not the choke, as I've left it blocked open and on even chilly mornings, it did the same thing. While a kit is a reasonable start, what areas should I pay special attention to?

Ah HA! a clue!