A 68 and a Noob

[gbx78]

Been off work for a few days with a bad back.
Bored shitless at home with only the internet and tv to amuse me.
Thought Id update the thread.
Been driving her heaps, the wet weather here preventing me driving her more.

Starting to find some problems.
Starting to fix some of them.

Feel like Ive gone to a stage 2 of this resto now.
It doesnt end with rego
Had the front wheels aligned to the specs in the Tech section and cant believe the difference it made.
Really smooth and easy now. No wandering.
Not hearing any squeaks,creaks,noises from the front end so pretty happy with the way it all came up.
Had the diff rebuilt. It still has a small whine due to some wear on the pinion and ring I think.
Hardly noticeable and certainly better than the loud grinding noise I had before.
Can live with it.
She`s a bit hard to start when cold. Takes a few minutes sometimes.
As mentioned earlier in the thread, the auto choke is disconnected because it is seized.
Im unsure whether I should go for the 600-650 holley that a couple of locals suggested or try fixing up the choke.
Just driving her for the moment. Not in a rush to start removing things.
Is there much involved in the choke for a novice ?
Also got a c4 trans that slips a bit going 2-3 when fully warmed up.
Had it serviced but problem still exist, so looking at a rebuild at some stage I guess.
My 4month back order arrived.
68 coupe NOW with spinners !


Minor issues, just work through them one at a time. Love those spinners Michael. had a set on my 67 Falcoon. PITA getting the wheel nuts on and off though.

They look good!! yes i realised that too , but i guess how often will you be taking the wheels off and think of it as a deterent for the uneducated.

[Ausjacko]

Car has come up really well- great work.

[ChilliChadd]

Car looks awesome, congrats on a great outcome

[chopmgw]

Well still tinkering, polishing and tidying up this baby.
Have put a new aftermarket stereo in.
Seems a bit more homely with a few tunes going now and looks better than the previous gaping hole.
Drilling and cutting out the radio plate was a pain. Took me awhile to get the perfect fit but didnt want to stuff the faceplate up.


Also installed a couple of decent 6x9 speakers in the rear deck.


The std autolite 2100 carby on my car looks like it has had a bit of a flogging in its day. rather than overhauling it I decided to just buy another carb. Not chasing HP but wanted a bit more oomph and a choke that works so I researched one of shaunp`s recommendations.

570 street avenger is a good carb.

It arrived yesterday and looks the goods.



Now looking for a 4v manifold and leaning towards an edelbrock performer but happy to research any other recommendations.

My latest attempt at arty pics.

[Shaunp]

Wieand Action + manifold, with 1/2 or 1" plastic spacer.

[chopmgw]

Wieand Action + manifold, with 1/2 or 1" plastic spacer.

Forgot to ask, what does the spacer do ?
Im not very clued up on engine workings so keep it simple

[Shaunp]

Keeps the carb cooler and adds a bit of manifold volume, you can normally measure the differeance in HP, some engines will get an extra 8-9 hp.

[chopmgw]

Keeps the carb cooler and adds a bit of manifold volume, you can normally measure the differeance in HP, some engines will get an extra 8-9 hp.

Well I went with the action plus weiand manifold and the 570 street avenger carb (didnt do the 1" spacer) and I cant believe the diiference in power and take off now.
Massive contrast to the old autolite 2100.
Treated the air cleaner to a coat of paint and a new sticker, all the small shit that I was in too much of a hurry to do before rego.




Had a few headfucks with the automatic electric choke though.
So much, that it is now disconnected.
Engages when first starting the car but then re-engages when accelerating causing the carby to stay on fast idle which is a bit nerve racking when trying to stop on non power assisted drums !
Tried all the adjustments and even my mechanic mate is scratching his head.
Will revisit it at a later date.
Tied up the red lever in this shot with a cable tie and it stops the choke engaging. The lever seems to stick and not drop off when not tied up.




Also lashed out on one of these cruiser consoles.
Cant believe how much more cozy and comfortable it seem with something to rest ur arm on when driving.
And I like the cup holders, great for holding phones etc.
Got sick of things flying off the seat when turning corners .





Slowly working my way through the mechanical probs.
Had the transmission rebuilt last week , so it is much more enjoyable being able to drive the car without having to manipulate the rpm`s to get it to change gear.


Even the missus is enjoying coming out for a bit of a cruise nowdays.

[gbx78]

nice mate! .. looks good! i think i have a "sticking "problem with my carby too .. i have my electric choke disabled purely due to a wiring issue which i will sort out when i rewire the car .. but currently when i start the car it idles high.. but if i tap the accelerator a bit and then drops .. i dont know if this is a "normal" function or something sticking .. the electric choke does work though when wired up ..

[Shaunp]

convert it to manual choke, I don't bother with the auto chokes.

[chopmgw]

convert it to manual choke, I don't bother with the auto chokes.

Thats exactly what I was thinking of doing.
I`ve added it to my list of future jobs.
Started looking at some holley choke kits.

[Sally]

Great to see you the other day, your car is looking fantastic now Michael glad to see Cheryl is enjoying it too
I think there will always be little bits to do or change on it and its not until you get to drive it around that you start to notice things arent quite as you would like.
Will definatley add a cruiser console to our wish list
Well not long now til the cruising season starts, hopefully we will be able to join you instead of just watching from the sidelines
cheers Chris & Sally

[Nuts]

Nice work Michael. Jaffa's looking great. Might be able to use the auto choke setup if you replace it down the track

[cage]

Nice carb/manifold combo. Have the exact same combo myself when I finally go down the engine track. Looking great mate. Well done.

[nassi]

nice mate! .. looks good! i think i have a "sticking "problem with my carby too .. i have my electric choke disabled purely due to a wiring issue which i will sort out when i rewire the car .. but currently when i start the car it idles high.. but if i tap the accelerator a bit and then drops .. i dont know if this is a "normal" function or something sticking .. the electric choke does work though when wired up ..

Thats how the auto choke works.