30 April 2017 - Engine miss

Set the spark plug gap to 0.045" after reading about the MSD 6 control box.  So I will monitor the engine running and see how it goes.

 

29 April 2017 - Engine

Trying to deal with the engine missing during runtime.  Seems like a couple of cylinders or more randomly fire.  Firing order is set correctly.  Plug wiress are 8mm and are about a year old.  Today I replaced the spark plugs and gapped them to 0.040".  Need to check the engine after changing the plugs.

28 April 2017 - dual horns

I tried to use the horns today but only one worked and it didnt sound correct.  So after checking ground and voltage which were good, I started looking at the horns.  The driver side horn worked but needed adjustment.  After adjusting the screw the horn worked like it should.  The passenger side horn would not work no matter what adjustments were made. So I need to look into getting a replacement.

28 April 2017 - front end alignment

Today I had the front end aligned.  The suspension/steering is very nice now and the steering wheel is even lined up right.  I drove the car for about a 20 minute drive in the city and out in the country and it handles and drives very well.

So now that the front suspension is set, I need to get to work on the rear suspension.

Also noticed on the way back from the alignment shop that the curb idle was very rough  and the car almost stalled a few times.  The car has been sitting for about a week, but it ran very well a week ago and now it is running rough.  I checked the idle mixture and idle speed and only adjusted the idle speed at this time.

Grille Work - April 27 2017

Since the car can't be driven until a front end alignment I have been cleaning up and painting the front grilles and rear grilles.

22 April 2017 - front end alignment

After driving the car for a few days, I noticed the passenger side front tire is showing heavy signs of wear.  It looks like it needs a front end alignment.  I thought I had that squared away.  The front end seemed ok, there was no pulling or wandering while at low or high speed.  I put the car on jack stands and took a look at the front end.  Nothing seems to have shifted or moved or seems out of place, but apparently it needs an alignment.

20 April 2017 - The Merc

I have driven the car four days out of five this week.  Today I was in town in a lot of stop and go traffic and the temp gauge got up to 190 degrees!!!  The radiator does have a fan shroud but it still got up to and stayed at 190 at several lights.  But after driving getting up to speed between lights the temp drops down to 180-185.  On the highway the temp is right at 180 at about 60 mph.

18 April 2017 - carb tuning...

I now have a variety of pump nozziles and main jets to be able to adjust the carb for best performance.

I currently have a .031"  pump nozzle installed and 68 main jets.  The vacuume readings look good and the car/engine runs good.  After a few more days of driving I will check the plugs.  If I need to increase main jets I now have 69s and 70s.

16 April 2017 - carb tuning...

With the carb changes made up to this point, the car is running good.  There is no off idle stumble.  Engine idle is good and doesnt seem to have changed even after changing main jets(and it should not).  Acceleration from standstill to cruise is good, acceleration from cruise to higher cruise is good.

Need to install a temp vacuume gauge to see more of what is going on with these changes...

Need to monitor the plugs from week to week now to make sure lean conditions are not happening...

16 April 2017 - ToDo

ToDo List:

• check the header bolts
• check the starter cable
• checker the output shaft of the transmission...
• look into tightening the alternator/water pump belt...
• put more gas in The Merc! 

========================================================================

I removed the carb to replace the main jets.  Seems easier although very time consuming.

1850-6 carb info

nozzle size:
0.031"

main jets:
68


noticed that the primary idle transfer slot is not showing at all and that the secondary butterflies are open just a bit.  Looks like I will need to configure the secondaries and primaries to defaults and begin the tuning process again.

15 April 2017 - ToDo

After the engine cooled off, took a closer look in the engine bay.

The adapter that the electrical and mechanical oil sending units are fastened to, is leaking at the mechanical sender connection.  Tightened connections, will check tomorrow.

• check the header bolts
• check the starter cable
• checker the output shaft of the transmission...
• look into tightening the alternator/water pump belt...
• put more gas in The Merc!

 

15 April 2017 - parts and stuff

I cleaned up the passenger side front grille and painted it today.  I painted two coats and the parts are now drying.

I am looking into removing from the car,  one of the rear light grilles to clean up and paint.

15 April 2017 - Carb tuning...

I went for a drive after installing 0.028" pump nozzle and the off idle stumble was not as noticeable.  I then removed that nozzle and installed a 0.031" and the off idle stumble is completely gone.

Next step is to replace the main jets and go up one size or two...

I have a 68 set of jets on hand, so I will install those and go for a test drive.
 

14 April 2017 - carb tuning...

I received the holley carb pieces/parts today.  I installed a 0.028" pump nozzle and went for a drive.  Now the off idle stumble is gone.  Acceleration from a standstill to cruise speed is much better.  Engine doesnt seem to have alot of power while accelerating.  Need to check the plugs tomorrow before any other changes are made.

13 April 2017 - Spare Parts

Over the years I have acquired various pieces/parts for The Merc.  I have a spare  passenger side grill that is mechanically in better shape than the piece installed on the car.  I am in the process of cleaning the part to prep for painting.  I will install once that is done.  I also have a spare rear brake/stop light grille but it has a broken/damaged piece, which I didnt know about until cleaning it this evening.  So I need to look into repairing that some how and then paint it and put it back on the parts shelf.

12 April 2017 - Holley tuning/baselining

I looked at the air horn on the carb and found this number; 1850-6.

I looked up the carb on the Holley website and below is a list of specs for the carb

I ordered a set of jets and an accelerator pump nozzle a few days ago and today it arrived.  I ordered the parts based on notes I had made about the carb.  Well I had several different notes on the carb and ordered parts based on the earlier notes.

I removed the accelerator pump nozzle and found that the size is 25 = 0.025".

The pump nozzle I ordered is 0.033". That is a significant change.  So I need to order several sizes.  I will order these two sizes, 0.028" and 0.031", and see how the engine runs and if that takes care of the off idle stumble.

Also I in the same purchase order above, I ordered a pair of 66 jets.  Turns out that 66 jets are installed.  So I will  be ordering a pair of 64 jets and 68 jets.


===========================================================================
Carb Specs
======================================================================

Primary Jets
Stock = 66
Installed = 66 

Secondary Metering Plate
Stock = 39 PLATE*
Installed = 39 PLATE*

Pump Discharge Nozzle
Stock = 0.031
Installed = .025

Power Valve
Stock = 65
Installed = 65
 
Secondary Diaghram Spring
Stock = plain
Installed = plain

10 April 2017 - General Images

9 April 2017 - Holley 0-1850S

There is an off idle stumble that I need to deal with now that I have noticed because of more driving time with The Merc.  The 0-1850S that is installed is about 15 years old.  Three years ago I did replace the base plate.  This carb has had many, many rebuilds and still seems to run good.


Here are some baseline specs for the 0-1850S Holley that is installed;

Primary Jets
Stock = 66
Installed = 66 

Secondary Metering Plate
Stock = 39 PLATE*
Installed = 39 PLATE*

Pump Discharge Nozzle
Stock = 0.031
Installed = .025

Power Valve
Stock = 65
Installed = 65
 
Secondary Diaghram Spring
Stock = Black
Installed = plain

As soon I as purchase some jets, discharge nozzles, I will begin proper tuning of the carb.

6 April 2017 - coolant recovery container

The washer fluid container is not being used because its part of the foot operated washer system.  Seems like a good idea to re-purpose the container as a coolant recovery container.

I went ahead and cleaned up the washer reservior and installed it to be used as a coolant recovery tank.  I connected a vent hose from the radiator to the washer reservior and then filled the reservior about 1/3 with distilled water.  I made a mark where the fluid level is to see what the changes will be once I start driving the car.

4 April 2017 - The Merc

Decided to take the car for the daily drive to work, which is about 7 miles away.  I kept an eye on the mechanical temp gages and they stayed just at 183 degrees the entire trip.  That route has 40 mph zones, 30 mph zones and 50 mph zones and no signs of over heating.

The tach stayed steady.  I varied speeds as needed based on traffic and speed zones.

After parking the car for about an hour and a half I attempted to restart the car.  It behaved as if there was no fuel, but then started up and idled fine.   I checked the fuel cap after that there was a tremendous amount of pressure pushing out of the fuel filler hole.  I checkd the gas cap and the vent does work, but dont know if its not working at the correct pressures( it is 15 years old).

Later after driving home I bought a replacment cap and installed it.  It too released what seemed to be alot of pressure.  So I drilled two small holes in the rubber seal and it now vents and there is no pressure build up( I will keep an eye on this and make sure no fuel spills happen because of this mod).

2 April 2017 - passenger side door window

While rolling down the window the other day, the window becaming increasingly difficult to roll down, then back up.  Today I spent the day working on getting the window to operate correctly.

After removing the door panel, the vapor barrier was removed.  The sealant used on the vapor barrier was put, it seems everywhere on the vapor barrier.  It took just over two hours to completely clean/remove the sealant from the door.

Once the window lift mechanisms were accessible I greased all areas.  The window assembly now moves up/down better than the driver side.

I put the door back together and also replaced the door courtesy light with an LED.

1 April 2017 - The Merc

I drove the car today for about 20 minutes.  And the temps on both gauges read 185 degrees.

I let the car cool this evening, but did not get a chance to take a look at the driveshaft and suspension.  So I will do those checks and others tomorrow.

I also need to make adjustments to the HEAT control of the interior heating/cooling controls.  The wire cable connections at the air plenum door does not line up like it should and so the door does not operate correctly.