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SCompRacer · 08-31-2004, 02:10 AM

LOL bob shows his age......or is a history buff.

They even had mechanical fuel pumps back in them old days. Most of the cars came equipped with steel wheels and hub cabs. And bias-ply tires. 8 track tape players. You could pull a plug wire off to check for a miss and could endure a jolt from the wire.

Carbs were a mystery to some. Choke tension and choke vacumn breaks on carbs had factory specified settings, but sometimes required a custom adjustment to keep an engine running after it was started cold. Some carbs had multiple choke vacumn breaks. Common problems with carbs were floats absorbing fuel thus raising float bowl levels and lead that plugged drillings in the bottom of the carb body loosening up, dripping fuel into the intake manifold.

Guys that put aftermarket, higher lift/duration cams in could create problems for themselves. They would just crank the idle screw up on the carb to keep it running which had a negative effect on the relationship of the idle transfer slot in the throttle body. Depending on the size of the cam, a large vacumn drop would require work to the carb's power valve enrichment circuit too. The engine would then run plug-fouling, eye-burning rich at idle and have an off idle flat spot on acceleration. The engine didn't respond to idle mixture adjustments. One had to know where and what size to drill holes in the carb to solve the idle problem. Lighter spring tension power valves were required to keep them closed at idle. Functioning power valves allow you to use a smaller main jet yet provide full throttle enrichment. After all that, you neeed to custom curve the distributor timing since the vacumn advance didn't work.

Now we have distributorless and wireless ignitions, EFI, and 'puties. Lower emissions. Better mileage coupled with performance. All it took was more complexity. Heck, even diesels are 'putie controlled now.

08-31-2004, 02:10 AM	#14
SCompRacer Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Illinois Posts: 94	LOL bob shows his age......or is a history buff. They even had mechanical fuel pumps back in them old days. Most of the cars came equipped with steel wheels and hub cabs. And bias-ply tires. 8 track tape players. You could pull a plug wire off to check for a miss and could endure a jolt from the wire. Carbs were a mystery to some. Choke tension and choke vacumn breaks on carbs had factory specified settings, but sometimes required a custom adjustment to keep an engine running after it was started cold. Some carbs had multiple choke vacumn breaks. Common problems with carbs were floats absorbing fuel thus raising float bowl levels and lead that plugged drillings in the bottom of the carb body loosening up, dripping fuel into the intake manifold. Guys that put aftermarket, higher lift/duration cams in could create problems for themselves. They would just crank the idle screw up on the carb to keep it running which had a negative effect on the relationship of the idle transfer slot in the throttle body. Depending on the size of the cam, a large vacumn drop would require work to the carb's power valve enrichment circuit too. The engine would then run plug-fouling, eye-burning rich at idle and have an off idle flat spot on acceleration. The engine didn't respond to idle mixture adjustments. One had to know where and what size to drill holes in the carb to solve the idle problem. Lighter spring tension power valves were required to keep them closed at idle. Functioning power valves allow you to use a smaller main jet yet provide full throttle enrichment. After all that, you neeed to custom curve the distributor timing since the vacumn advance didn't work. Now we have distributorless and wireless ignitions, EFI, and 'puties. Lower emissions. Better mileage coupled with performance. All it took was more complexity. Heck, even diesels are 'putie controlled now.