Thread: Project Special K

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Thanks Ryan. I have everything back, from the temporary storage unit, and bedrooms, sunroom, side yard, in boxes that need to be sorted. I also have maximized my wall storage with various storage rack systems that take advantage of non standard size shelf racks to keep everything contained to a two foot wide perimeter to the inside of the garage. Stuff I never use like golf clubs will go into a rafter storage space.
My thoughts are that keeping every little thing because of a someday I might need it, had been borderline Hoarderish , so now giving away stuff that is really just clutter, recycling old chemicals, and making everything organized to where I don't spend half a day off tracking down a specialty tool, can of paint, or just scattered to the wind sockets etc!

Well I turned 59 on Wednesday, and no better gift than to clear the last of the boxes out of the garage and organize the tools ect. to a system on all the shelves. Feels like a lead weight off my shoulders. Sorted over 100 boxs of misc. stuff in one week. Went out side to fire up ford to drive it back in the garage, but ran out of day light so Saturdays task now. Not too bad considering the mess that was in here before the reflooring! Things like the seldom use golf clubs will go into the rafter shelfs that will get done after the roof area gets insulated. My dog Wednesday, was enjoying hanging out side with me for the last few pictures. She is doing well post surgery for breast cancer tumor removal.

Ya know.. too much organization can be a bad thing! I never let myself get that organized! LOL..

Say hello to Wednesday, from Mike & Tango... toss her an extra treat tonite too. Just because..
Tango said so!!

Your garage is looking very nice!

Thanks Ryan! I'm trying to get the 48 started and running to get it back in the garage. I've been either at work or away on days off since the 15th to where it needs a carb flush to clean out any 3.5 months of sitting under a car cover outside. It can be a pain in the butt, requiring pouring sea foam into the gas inlet on the carb and letting it sit for a few days to unclog any jets or other gum build up. Whatever they are putting in our gas for the last 10 years, carbs don't like it and letting it sit for more than a few weeks without running the engine can lead to many days of frustration. The gas flows to carb, but one truck fires up on primed gas poured directly into the carb, it runs until it burns the priming gas and then starves as the gas coming in can't get sucked in at a flow rate that will sustainthe 460 to idle. I've done this so many times over the last six years, when I replaced the old carb with the new automatic choke version. Not impressed with the idea of having to rebuild current carb, or find time to keep it functioning with work and other responsibilities. I'm at the point of getting the body all back together and selling it as is to the next guy! If it starts on friday my next day off it may get a reprieve from the time to go status. One thing that is for sure my next vehicle will get fuel injection which seems to be more tollerant of idle time without running!

That's interesting Steve... I leave the coupe sit all winter, I never start it as I pull the battery out and set it aside - it does get charged every few weeks. When I am ready I toss in the battery and check the fluids and crank it up. It usually takes a few tries to get fuel back to the carb. and then it lites off. Our fuel here has 10% ethanol, you cannot buy Aviation gas without owning a plane.... so I use Sta-Bil all the time. I use it in my lawn mowers and they start right up in the springtime as well. I can imagine the frustration of each winter / spring of trying to get the truck to run.. I wonder if the fuel injection stuff suffers from the issues you are experiencing? Don't give up! We can help search for ideas and solutions.. My friend Mark has that 53 F-100 and he adds Marvel Mystery oil to his gas, just a few ounces each fill up. and it seems to help keep the fuel system clean, it's also a fuel injected Mod motor so maybe there's an answer in there..?? LOL

think that the carb needs a rebuild, I too have used sta-bil, seafoam, and a new one I hadn't heard of that is ethanol defense. California has it's own 1.00 per gallon tax for its special additives that supposedly really screws up stuff sitting in carburated vehicles, that being said my friend has a old car collection that is maybe 300 vehicles, he says that even ones sitting for ten years will start up with the old gas, after the carb seals get gas on them and seal up just fine! I crawled under the truck to make sure my inline fuel shutoff by the gas tank was open. One thing I did notice is the fuel line had been zip tied by the muffler guy up higher than the gas tank to keeep it away from his muffler exhaust pipes that were rediculously arched high over the rear axle, I will have to deal with that two, but on my last attempt to start it I clearly was getting gas past the inline fuel filter to the inlet of the carb, so it could be low on gas which I will check out tomorrow on my day off. A lot of stuff was roughly plumbed and wired to just get the truck drivable. There are no leaks anywhere that I can see any evidence of. Once I get some time tomorrow Ill probably drain the gas tank, and put yet another fresh inline fuel filter on it and see if anything is changes. Chime in if I'm missing anything obvious. I also put new plugs, properly gapped, in last week, and changed the oil a few months back in January or February> It has a Mallory unilight distributer, that fires it up well when ever it is primed with gas, so I'm at a loss of any thing other than the carb restricting gas due to being gunked up!. The seafoam soaking has always worked in the past so we will see tomorrow! cross fingers

My only other thought is maybe the inlet valve ( needle & seat ) are stuck closed by gunk / varnish.. this would prevent any fuel flow into the carb. If you have an air compressor - maybe squirt some air in before you attempt a start? I have a friend who has a ritual when he parks his for the winter season. One of the things he does is add Stabil at double strength and drive the car for maybe 10 miles, then parks it in the garage and before the cover goes on he dumps in 1 gallon of Acetone. He says it offsets the ethanol. Acetone is already a component of gas, always has been.. and he's been doing it for decades! So far I've had good luck with Stabil at the recommended dose so no complaints. But we all know California is a .... um.. "special place"! So to prevent the deterioration of your fuel system.. you need to actually DRIVE IT! Not store it!! LOL.. (sorry, couldn't help myself) LOL.. Wish I was closer, I'd help you with it - Love F-1 Fords! HTH.

Thanks actually the last attempt I did shoot some air into the inlet after pouring some seafoam in and soaking it for 12 hours. Came very close to running, but would die after 20-40 seconds, which would lead me to believe the card is doing exactly what you said I was a bit worried about how much PSI to shoot in of air, so I set the compressor output to 60. , But can go up to whatever. Getting ready to give it a try after letting A 14" tube with funnel on top filled with sea foam sit there since last weekend.

I think I'd like to try 2 things,
1- Remove the fuel line and the feed inlet to the carb = add a coffee can or other container to catch any fuel that may come out.
then crank the motor over for a short time to verify the pump is working. You may have already done this but I didn't see it.
2- Pull the carb and physically verify the needle valve opens / closes... check the float moves, and look for junk/gunk/varnish...

I know you don't want to hear it / do it.. but sometimes the long way ends up as the short way.

I'm right there with you. Just got some neighbors to help push it into the garage. When I crawled under it today to checked the hose from tank. it had a crack that leaked gas when I lifted the fuel line. Fixed that with new tubing, went to fire up to see if that is what the problem was, with no leaks anywhere now. The usual result of brief run then starved of fuel dying as always. pulled hose and the gas to the inlet was under so much pressure it squirted across the engine to other side. So at this point enlisted great neighbors for help and got the the F1 back inside garage for first time in 4 months. with it safely inside I pulled the carb and am just checking my posts/emails I have a rebuild kit but will check the needle valve opening and the float/ gunk Good thing I didn't recycle my 1 gallon can of Carb cleaner from B12!Thanks for advice more updates as I get farther along on the way. Worst case just rebuid this carb now that its protected by the garage!
Also if it hadn't been such a pain in the butt, I'd have missed the crack in the fuel line right where it came out of gas tank, so glad the problem helped me avoid a imminent truck fire that would of occurred it it was running! Got to remember to go over everything since it's been so long since I've had a functional garage to move around in!

Well upon taking carb top cover off, it was blatantly obvious no sea foam or any other product was going to do the trip. The needle valves were frozen in place by a nice patina green gunk /varnish from copper floats so they are floating in b12 right now for a 30 minute soak, also the bowl floats. My old B12 can has some nasty color to fluid but it is cleaning stuff. Last carb that I took apart and rebuilt was about 10 years ago or more from a early 70's 3 cylinder Yamaha 3 cylinder, tri carb 650. That was a major pain, but inspired my architect for my addition to make some paintings which took off his art career so something good of that came forth. Now that I think of it that was 2005. so really old cleaner! I'm just trying this to see if when I re-assemble the carb without rebuild kit, if it starts and runs. If not will take the long road and get new cleaner to soak parts in, but for today I have a fresh can of spray b12 to rinse and clean after the brown, but clear 17 year old soak bath fluid does it's job. I need to get the non electric choke version of this carb back from my friend Randy this is an Edelbrock 4111, the the manual choke one he has is a 4107. I have two rebuild kits so I can rebuild both and avoid this one carb , car won't start problem. After looking at what's going on with carbs, I think a good gas tank draining and maybe sore sort of tank cleaner needs to happen before connecting anything rebuilt!

I'm so glad you found the problem. And a fuel leak to boot. I'd agree with you on the gas tank needing to be drained / cleaned. If that crap was in the carb.. then it must be in the tank too. Next seasons end, maybe run the whole system dry? Or keep such a small amount of gas in the system you'll have to refresh the fuel to run it? I'm just thinking of different things that I'd try to avoid this issue. I'll admit 1 thing.. I am OH SO GLAD that I don't have to deal with California gasoline! Keep the faith, you're on your way back to progress on your hot rod 8-)

Thanks
Ordered to cheap 5 gallon containers that are gas safe hdpe plastic to drain the tankd tomorrow, should be here today from Amazon. Been working overtime at work, nurse shortage and tons of sick babies. Got home at 1:30 a.m. back to work around 10:30 to midnight or later!

Shame about the workload. Over this side, the hospitals decided that their staff HAD TO get the shot, if you refused you were terminated! So our local hospital lost 200 plus nurses and attendants.. but no doctors!?!?! SMH. Yesterday I finally got the coupe out for a ride. It was a hot/humid kind of day, I had a half tank of gas and topped off and headed out. While riding around there was a stretch where is didn't want to idle.. and I stopped to see a friend when I wanted to leave it didn't want to start.. but on the way home it all cleared up and was acting normal.. so between that and your "issues" I may want to do something different too.