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[vitamin_c95]

So I am finally getting the ball rolling to my restore/make road worthy truck. I've found some things I want to take care of, but fuzzy on my old school basics. Truck shakes a little on a cold start (unsure of acceptable limits as this is my first carbureated). It will run "fine" after maybe 30 seconds of feathering the gas. Exhaust smells like it's running rich. However, both my mufflers have holes so it's very loud and tough to tell how efficient it's running. Should I fix the mufflers first before checking timing/adjust mixture screws? I did see a broken exhaust stud 2 days ago when I pulled the driver fender liner as I was going to pressure wash the gearbox area to have a clean work area,.
So will this exhaust leaks skew my diagnosis of carb needing adjustment? Tank is low on gas (about an inch visually looking thru tank cap) and almost went to add some but was unsure of the tank level as I noticed gas gauge is not working. I will add a can first then drive to station after I drive the neighborhood so gain my trust of driving it far.
As I've also found my gauge is stuck on 3 clock. I'm more concerned with runability for now, and will tackle gas gauge later ( I've seen plenty of posts on here and still thumbing thru)

[clay68c10]

You can do timing and idle mix first. The exhaust leaks won't matter. Get some good fuel in there before you do any adjustments.
Compared to new cars, it is going to be stinky no matter how it's running. After you mess with it for a while you will be able to tell what is good stinky VS bad stinky.

[Steeveedee]

It's easy to verify proper choke operation. Take the air cleaner off and start the truck cold. The choke plate should be all the way closed at the start and should pull open some amount once the truck starts and vacuum builds. If the choke doesn't close all the way when cold, that's what may be causing you to have to feather the throttle in the beginning.

[vitamin_c95]

Thanks for the replies. Think I remember reading to adjust the choke twice a year minimum to the width of a credit card. Does that sound right? It's an edelbrock 1406

[68 P.O.S.]

What carb are you running?

[68Gold/white]

Originally Posted by 68 P.O.S.

What carb are you running?

X2 my thoughts also, and whatever it is, the condition??? Has it been worked on...lately??? Does it look like it last ran in the 70's???

[vitamin_c95]

Edelbrock 1406

[vitamin_c95]

It's a brand new edelbrock intake and carb, was installed last year, and tanks fuel purged. It's been sitting as the previous owner started having health issues and recently passed. I've added at least 8 gallons of fresh fuel over the past month while I started working on it as I am now about to drive it for the first time in coming days.

[68 P.O.S.]

Edelbrocks are a good carb, they just have to be setup right, or else they flood and percolate fuel. First thing is to open it up and clean it out and check the gaskets and see if you need a rebuild kit. Then set the float travel and install a fuel pressure regulator set to 5.5 psi to stop it from flooding. Then, install Edelbrocks 9266 insulating gasket to stop fuel percolation. After that you should be running and the rest will be fine tuning with jets and step-up springs.

[Steeveedee]

Originally Posted by vitamin_c95

Thanks for the replies. Think I remember reading to adjust the choke twice a year minimum to the width of a credit card. Does that sound right? It's an edelbrock 1406

I would try moving the choke thermostat about two increments to rich, for starters. That's towards cold weather, which it isn't, right now. But if it won't stay running at cold idle now, it's a first step to try.

[vitamin_c95]

Thank you for the replies. I just got back from my drive to TX, so hopefully I can mess with it today or tomorrow