The Ford Barn

Rick Finsta · 10-17-2012, 09:01 AM

Gentlemen-

I've just started taking care of a 1930 A coupe, which is mostly stock. The engine loves first and second gears, and then lugs down a lot from about 25mph (after 2-3 shift, obviously) until about 35mph, where is smooths out and pulls strongly to about 45mph, where is lugs down again and doesn't like to pull much past 50mph. Vacuum guage shows it bouncing around from about 15-18" at idle, and it responds as it should when throttle is applied and removed (I have not run the car down the road to monitor the gauge yet - haven't figured out how to hook it to my bluetooth and datalogging system...

). Timing is dead nuts, plugs are good, and fuel system seems to check out (GAV is 1/4 turn open for best driving). I advance the spark about 5* per 5mph (so at 45-55mph I'm almost all the way down), and I've played with the spark and fuel while driving to try and find a sweet spot in these low-power areas.

Should I continue looking through the ignition system (condenser, coil, etc.), or should I start going through the carb? I'm used to Holley 4150s and EFI, with HEIs or DIS/COP, so this is a bit of a departure for me...

Thanks in advance for the help, and for this great resource!

10-17-2012, 09:01 AM	#1
Rick Finsta Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 9	Tuning; where to go next? Gentlemen- I've just started taking care of a 1930 A coupe, which is mostly stock. The engine loves first and second gears, and then lugs down a lot from about 25mph (after 2-3 shift, obviously) until about 35mph, where is smooths out and pulls strongly to about 45mph, where is lugs down again and doesn't like to pull much past 50mph. Vacuum guage shows it bouncing around from about 15-18" at idle, and it responds as it should when throttle is applied and removed (I have not run the car down the road to monitor the gauge yet - haven't figured out how to hook it to my bluetooth and datalogging system... ). Timing is dead nuts, plugs are good, and fuel system seems to check out (GAV is 1/4 turn open for best driving). I advance the spark about 5* per 5mph (so at 45-55mph I'm almost all the way down), and I've played with the spark and fuel while driving to try and find a sweet spot in these low-power areas. Should I continue looking through the ignition system (condenser, coil, etc.), or should I start going through the carb? I'm used to Holley 4150s and EFI, with HEIs or DIS/COP, so this is a bit of a departure for me... Thanks in advance for the help, and for this great resource!