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My recently purchased 79 has never run right, it has always had a slight miss and just lacked the power that it's rebuilt 350 with Edelbrock intake, Holley carb and MSD ignition should be making. So I finally had the opportunity yesterday to do some engine tuning. Beginning with replacing the wires with AC Delco wires and new plugs. Apparently the previous owner thought that you install spark plugs the same way that you install oil filters, as almost every one of them was only finger tight and 3 of them weren't even tightened at all, easily backed out 1/3 of the way.
Needless to say, after replacing the plugs and wires and some timing adjustment, the car runs like a champ again! Loving the chirp from the rear tires as it up-shifts when I'm on the gas hard! Check out this pic of the old wires...
My new to me 79 also has a skip. It's been so long since I have had a V8 it snuck past me until I registered it and drove it last week. I identified the non-firing cylinder and replaced that plug and wire. No luck. Tomorrow it gets all new plugs and wires and a cap and rotor. There is spark coming from the cap post, and as far as I can tell, spark at the plug. I hope this is not an internal problem.
Hopefully that slight miss was detected during your pre-purchase test drive and was used to negotiate the final selling price downward. Sounds like a win-win situation for sure!
It is amazing what some people do. I had a 86 cougar xr7 a few years ago which I bought real cheap and the guy even brought it to me. Had a brand new motor yet smoked horribly. When his son told him it was smoking he had enough and sold it. The pcv hose had come off and after re installing it it never smoked again. Of course when doing some body work I found a platinum and diamond ring in the inner 1/4. The jewelry store I went to said it was about a 2200 ring so keep looking there might be more surprises in there.
The things you find....ugh!
