Hi guys, im new to this and i hope i'm posting this in the right place. about a week ago i got my 1957 f600 with a 272 back from my friend who did the rust repair for me. well this truck ran great since i bought it, and the previous owner had the engine rebuilt. and when i brought it back home it sat for about 3 days when i fired it up it ran long enough to go from the shop to the house (about 500 ft) and then just started, id call it chugging its like its running just fast enough to turn over. it smooths out for about 10 seconds with the choke on about 90% then starts "chugging" again and when you move the throttle it will just die no matter how slow you go to try to get it to climb. turning the distributor does not make it smooth out either. it still has the factory holley 2bbl i think its a 500 cfm. it has a new fuel pump if i can remember it was around 6 pounds i cant remember for sure. since this happened i've replaced condenser, points gapped to the spec in my shop manual, new coil, new wires/plugs, cleaned the carb with a fresh rebuild kit, tried a couple different metering blocks i have around that i know are good. the float level was set to just under the sight screw. new fuel lines and filter fresh gas. double checked the valve lash. also replaced the carb base gasket and intake manifold gasket as well. replaced the wiring from switch to coil and resistor with new. its the mechanical distributor. the only vacuum line is the brake booster and i closed it off because i already know it leaks vacuum. im stumped i have absolutely no idea what to do now. i figured something wouldve changed when i did all this and nothing changed i don't know where to go from here i'm hoping someone can help? i can include a video of it running if that helps. because no matter what i exchange on carb the symptom is the same, turning the idle mixture screws doesn't change anything either. im at a loss im so frustrated with this thing its never given me any problems in the past 3 years and it just happened all of a sudden i have no idea what to do. im 19 and still learning so im stopping before i screw up something even worse. any help is appreciated, thanks!!

Usually the first place to check is spark. Pull the coil wire from the distributor cap and hold the terminal about a 1/4" or so from the cylinder head. With the key on, crank the engine over and look for a strong fat bluish spark that snaps in the air. Reddish or orange is no good. Make sure grounds and cable connections are clean and tight at both ends. If cables are original or just old replace them all. Solid grounds solve lots of issues.

Drag a crisp new dollar bill soaked in lighter fluid through the points to clean off any skunge. They need to be clean. New condensers are always suspect these days. Find an old Motorcraft or Echlin from your junkbox and try one of those.

How long did your friend have it while fixing the rust? The "NEW" unleaded gas formulas have a very short shelf life........

 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona

Check to make sure the vacuum advance unit is working.


54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ

It was stated you "brought" the truck home from your  friend who did the body work. Was the truck driven, or delivered on a flat bed or towed? IF life was good until the end of that 500 ft. journey from the shop to the house, then something must have happened at that instant. Perhaps the timing chain jumped a cog? Can you keep it running well/long enough to put a timing light on it and attempt to see how close the ignition timing is to spec.? Very large vacuum leak? Intake valve stuck open? I know you stated the valve lash was addressed. Hope this will help, JEFF..................


64F100 57FAIRLANE500

If they idle mixture screws don't change anything as you say then it is usually a good indication of a power valve problem..

I didn't see where you checked for fuel delivery. Take the fuel line off the carburetor and put it in a can, jar, etc, and turn the engine over. You should see the gas in a strong stream in spurts as the pump operates. If not, it can be a bad pump, restricted lines, sucking air along the route, or a clogged tank. 

A simple $15 Vacuum and Fuel Pressure Gauge will help immensely.

Shoot some fuel into a clear glass jar (empty of corn liquor first), let it sit for awhile and see what is in the fuel line/tank.

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