49 8BA has no power
 

Hi guys. Working on a ‘49 F-1 that was parked in the late 60’s. The truck starts on the first crank and idles very nicely. Upon driving it has hardly any power. It does not sputter or backfire, just no power. If the road starts to climb it is almost impossible to get up it. Truck has new gas tank, new lines, in-line filter before pump. Compression on cylinders is 100,90,90,90,100,100,90,85. I have tried two different carbs. It has a Petronix ignition in the stock disrtibutor. Owner did not want to deal with points any more. I feel like the distributor is not advancing or possibly timing is off? I would think timing off would give me some backfires or rough idle but it does not. Lack of fuel? Any suggestions appreciated.

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

IIRC Pertronix systems are particular as to what coil and spark plugs wires are installed. Might be part of the problem or not. If it was me I'd replace the current distributor set up with a know good one and see if there is any improvement. JMO

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

muffler plugged up?

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

The owner had some Fenton headers installed and new exhaust. Distributor is original and the fuel pump was the pump that was on it. I am thinking it is distributor not advancing or fuel. The distributor was not moved as it fired right up the first time we worked on it and you can tell it has not been messed with, what I mean by that is you can tell this distributor is in the exact spot it was in when new.

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

There seems to be a conflicting information here. Petronix is what you said it has, but then you say it has original ignition. Can't be both.

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

IME, retarded timing will often start and idle very well, will not backfire and lack power as RPM increases.

coincidentally, i just replaced my old distributor. i had concluded that it was failing to advance the timing properly, possibly due to binding weights.

power was lacking as the RPM increased due to misfires. the differing symptoms, yours simply lacking power, and mine misfiring, could be attributed to the richness of the mixtures between my carb and yours.....possibly. :)

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

I apologize, original distributor that has Petronix ignition installed.

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

The owner sent a carb to Charlie NY to rebuild and I was ready to install it when I noticed the carb he sent Charlie was an early carb, model 91-99, that doesn’t have the vacuum port and has the wrong air cleaner base so I couldn’t rule out it being a carb issue.

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

That makes sense now. An 8BA needs that vaccuum port from the carburetor. Your ignition would then be advanceing correctly with the correct vacuum port.

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

You might want to talk to Charlie again. I wouldn't be surprised if he wouldn't want to fix you up with a proper 8RT carb in exchange for the 91-99 for a reasonable charge. I think the "91-99"s are a little scarcer than the 8RT's.

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

Could you pass along Charlie’s email to me? I would be more than happy to swap out the 91-99 for the correct carb. Pm me if you can. Thanks.

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

[email protected]
https://www.earlyfordv8.org/forum/fi...ts/Charlie.jpg

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

Yup, good advice.

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

With the wrong carburetor, he has no advance at all. Let's see what installing the proper carburetor does before offering more advice.

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

Denny, I'm not sure of the wording but in post #8 it seems like he's saying it has a correct 8ba carb (with port) on it currently, but the PO had mistakenly sent an early style carb for rebuilding. So the current owner now has that Charlie NY early carb sitting on the bench and can't use it as a tester as it doesn't have the vacuum port.

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

I have seen earlier carburetors installed on 8BAs with the vacuum advance tied into manifold vacuum. That results in the opposite of the advance curve you want.
Make sure your vacuum advance is good. Then use the correct carburetor with the advance connected to the port in the carburetor center section.

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

I don't read it that way, but it really doesn't matter because my point is you can't properly troubleshoot a problem on an engine that has known problem areas. Fix them first. It looks like he's gonna get the correct carb from Charlie, which should help a lot.

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

Yes the engine has the correct carb on it, the owner sent Charlie an earlier version as he was not aware that the 94 changed at all. I also suspect that the mechanical advance might be seized. I am checking that on Monday.

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

The stock 8BA distributor has no mech advance. Only vac, so if it's not working you have no advance.

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

that's my understanding too.

..and Google's AI confirmed it if that's of any significance. here is how i phrased my question to Google AI: "did the original 1949 ford 8ba distributor have a mechanical advance"

here's the response: "No, the original 1949 Ford 8BA distributor did not have a mechanical advance. It was a Load-O-Matic distributor that relied solely on vacuum advance for ignition timing adjustments. This type of distributor was designed to work with the original carburetor and wouldn't perform optimally with aftermarket modifications like performance camshafts or multiple carburetors."

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

Interesting. I thought it had both. We’ll see tomorrow if the advance works when I throw my timing light on it.

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

Update. This morning I checked that the carb was pulling vacuum which it was. Put the timing light on it and I couldn’t believe how far off it was. Can’t believe this thing would start so easily and idle so nice with it that far off. Adjusted the timing and it now has lots of power, pulls large hills in 3rd gear. Thanks for all those that replied to this thread.

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

i'm assuming the timing was retarded, but it would be nice to know which direction. anyway...glad it's running well. :)

here's something interesting...when Google was asked this: "did vintage cars have the ability to retard timing so as to make starting easier"

the answer: "Yes, some vintage cars did have the ability to retard (delay) ignition timing to make starting easier, particularly those with manual spark advance controls. This was especially crucial when crank-starting an engine, as it helped prevent the engine from kicking back (suddenly rotating backward), which could cause injuries to the person cranking the engine.
Here's how it worked:
Manual Spark Control: In very early cars like the Ford Model T, the driver would manually adjust the spark timing using a lever, typically located on the steering column.
Retarding for Starting: To start the car, the lever would be moved to the fully retarded position, meaning the spark plugs would fire later in the piston's stroke. This allowed the hand-cranked starter to more easily turn the engine over.
Advancing Once Running: Once the engine started, the driver would gradually advance the spark (make the plugs fire earlier) to optimize the timing for smooth running and better power delivery.
Later on, mechanical and vacuum advance systems were introduced to automatically adjust the timing based on engine speed and load, according to the Antique Automobile Club of America - Discussion Forums. These advancements gradually phased out the need for manual spark control, but the principle of retarding the timing for easier starting was still relevant. Modern vehicles with computer-controlled ignition systems handle all ignition timing adjustments automatically."

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

It was a true farm truck barn find. Came off a farm in Alabama. Perhaps the farmer retarded it for some reason/application? Who knows. The owner came by today and took it for a test spin. He was elated to say the least.

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...8&d=1753114627

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...9&d=1753114627

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

The Holley 94 carburetor is part of the load-a-matic advance system. There is no mechanical advance system (centrifugal advance); only a vacuum advance system in which engine vacuum is used to advance ignition timing. It is possible that the vacuum-controlled advance plate in the distributor is stuck, but you can easily check that. Another possibility is that the vacuum diaphragm on the distributor has failed. If you have an adjustable timing light, you might measure ignition timing at idle and with the engine at about 2000 RPM. With the load-a-matic system functioning properly, you should see the ignition timing advanced about 20 degrees at 2000 RPM. Good luck.

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

Everything is good. I tested the vacuum at the carb and at the distributor. It was just very badly out of timing. Owner picked it up and said he can go 60 mph now! lol.

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

Remember when the vac advance and the windshield wipers would both fade away on a rainy day in hilly Seattle? Had a 6 cyl 50 coupe, then got a 53 ohd six engine from Southend auto wrecking for $25. Took the flathead 8bas at the light, better torque curve.. now working on a 49 convert but a -brain bleed stroke makes it hard work.

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

It was stated the distributor doesn't look like it's been moved since the dawn of time. But now has a petronics kit in it. While this swap can be easily done without distributor removal, I've always found that the ignition will need retiming after fitting, even if it was spot on with the points fitted.
Martin.

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

This is true. It can also change quite a bit. I put one into an SBC in a boat years ago without removing the distributor. When I tried to start it, it turned, backfired, and immediately "hydrolocked" the engine. A new roller rocker and a bunch of retard later, I got it scoped in.

Re: 49 8BA has no power
 

Good thought for sure. I did not re-time it after installing the Petronix.