Hello

I have a 1965 coupe 327/300 hp numbers matching motor. The car is very stock and original. I’ve owned the car for about 12 years and have put about 7k miles on it. The previous owner notes in the glove box manual that the engine was overhauled in January 1987 at 105000 miles. The car now has 144400 miles on it. I am pulling the motor out next month to detail the engine compartment and re seal the motor. It seems to run pretty good but have a few issues. It’s hard to start after driving it and the motor gets hot. When I stop to fill up with fuel and then start the car back up, I have to crank it several seconds and pump the gas pedal to get it to fire. Also after the car has been sitting for a few days in the garage and I go to start it, I have to really crank on it to fire. Typically I will have soot coming out of the tail pipes and white smoke. This clears up after driving it a few miles. The plugs are sooted and sometimes wet. When I put new plugs in, it fires instantly but then the plugs become sooted and wet. I know it’s running rich and hope to fix this once the carburetor is rebuilt.

my question is- should I have the motor rebuilt while I have it out of the car? It has about 39k miles on it since the last overhaul, but this was last rebuilt back in 1987.

or should I just have the compression checked and re seal the motor and try to get another 50k miles out of it before the next rebuild? I think I can get the carb dialed in to help lean the motor out and run better?

any advice is much appreciated, thanks!

 

At 39K all the important internals should still be absolutely perfect. Your problems describe tune up issues. Carb, timing etc.

Good idea to do a compression and leak down to verify the mechanicals are good before making any decisions. Time will cause the valve stem seals to fail but they can be an easy replace while the engine is out. The other mechanicals should be perfect as long as your bad carb has not washed down the cylinder walls. Most would love to have an engine with ONLY 49,000 miles on it. If your goal is to make major changes and increase power, go for it but if you just want a good running engine you may fix yours with a tune up.

 

would you mind posting more pics of your engine, compartment, etc? I've spent a lot of time searching through old threads and havent found many good examples like yours.

 

Would be happy to, I’ll take some more pics tomorrow after work and post them, thanks

 

I'd wager the bottom end is just fine. Do you know what the previous rebuild entailed as far as valve guides? That may be about the only thing that I'd look at if new bronze guides weren't installed. New valve seals would likely be a good move too since they do deteriorate.

 

I’m not sure exactly what the previous rebuild covered. Just a hand written entry on the manual that says “engine overhaul” at 105044 miles. I just want to end up with a good running motor that is dependable and looks clean, not trying to get extra hp out of it or any types of modifications, thanks for the feedback!

 

Just me but BEFORE you pull the motor have someone (you?) do a compression test then...
Good compression? Rebuild the carb.
Still runs wonky? Do plugs/points/condenser/wires, check coil output, and check the timing and advance.
Runs good? Pull the motor for engine compartment detail.
Bad compression? Pull the motor and have a reputable engine builder go through it and detail the compartment.

 

I'm with Westlotorn & Ruxvette... Before you even think about opening up a 4*K motor - do a compression test, and if there is anything even remotely questionable then do a leakdown test.

I'd say that there is a 85%+ probability that the carb and /or Ignition system are the cause of your problems. Leaky valve seals would come in at around 10% (only because they should have been replaced during he rebuild, and they really aren't old enough to be deteriorating that badly).

If I were in your shoes - I would get a couple cans of spray carb cleaner, and a new carb base gasket. Take the carb off, take it outside, and "go to town" with the carb cleaner (wear nitrile gloves and safety glasses while doing so). Really try to spray out any little orifices that you can see on the carb. Re-install the carb, and see if your spraying out helps. While what you're doing is NOT even close to what a carb rebuild would really do - I've seen such efforts make significant differences in the way the car runs. ive it a shot - it'll cost maybe $10 for the carb cleaner, and a few more $$$ for the carb to intake gasket.

 

That makes sense to me!

 

So less than 40K miles since rebuild but that was 36 years ago. Valve stem seals will fail with age and 36 years is plenty long for that to happen. There have been several guys on this forum that had to replace Valve stem seals and were happy with the result after replacement. It is common.
Do all the checks first to verify the block is solid of course before wasting time on valve stem seals.

 

I agree with everything said here. What you do not want to do is try to "refresh" and open the block to find it is bored to 60 over already. Do everything you can before you open it up. You can steam clean it and paint it while it is out of the car to make it look good.