So begins the stripping down.

Tagged: 1967 Pontiac Firebird
4 Apr 2008
Front right fender taken off with difficulty, unsure of how it all fitted together and to help a few of the bolts were rusted to the nut or the body, so there was a lot of cutting to the sheet metal. This sides lower fender panel was also taken off. Found a fair amount of rust about the place, the fender and lower panel will need to be replaced. The…
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Intake manifold test.

Tagged: 1967 Pontiac Firebird
3 Apr 2008
Engine started nicely again. Performed intake manifold vacuum test (just stick this gauge into one the vacuum hoses, then start the car and note the vacuum reading). Results are good, maybe a little high though. Results below (in inches of Mercury): Fully depress throttle, needle jumps between the two throttle blip indicators. At idle the needle flickers with a range of ~0.7 sits at about 22.5. As throttle is gradually…
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Compression test again.

Tagged: Engine, Ignition
2 Apr 2008
Car started straight away today. Thought I’d do the cylinder compression test again before moving on to test the intake and fuel fump vacuum pressures. But, battery run out after the compression test, so intake vacuum will have to be tomorrow. The difference in results from yesterday, although minor, are probably due to the engine being hotter as the test was conducted quicker this time round. Curious why number 4…
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Compression test.

Tagged: Engine, Ignition
1 Apr 2008
Car would not start today. Ha. Gravity fed petrol into pump then reattached fuel lines and car runs. Unsure of problem. Performed compression tests on the cylinders of the engine – remove all spark plugs, then screw the gauge into each spark plug hole whilst turning the engine over.   An engine overhaul is intended (new gaskets, piston rings etc.) but this test should flag up any serious problems. Diagnosed…
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And it fired up.

Tagged: Engine
31 Mar 2008
Gravity fed petrol into pump via hose and funnel, with pump to carb line fully attached. Turned engine over, everything fired.   Pretty f*cking loud. (Probably due to the sawn-off, half length, rusty exhaust pipes)   Turned it off. And on again, sounds good, no obvious misfires or horrendous noises. Topped up water and oil levels, reattached fuel tank to fuel pump. Turned key and engine fires, idles indefinitely –…
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Fuel pump again.

Tagged: Engine
30 Mar 2008
Took fuel pump out again, manually pumped it to get a better feel for how much force is needed on the lever. Then tested it by holding the pump in the opening for the lever whilst the engine is turning. Cam movement is definately sufficient to move lever. Bolted back on.   Attached hose to fuel inlet on the pump and the other end of the hose in a fuel…
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Tested fuel lines.

Tagged: Engine
29 Mar 2008
Loosened fuel line from fuel pump to carburetter, turned engine over and no fuel leaking out at the pump – indicates no fuel would get into the carb.   Noticed one of the corners of the metal fuel line from pump to carb very slightly flattened, but nothing to cause any real restriction. Undid line from tank to pump – bone dry. Attached hose to the fuel line from tank…
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Cleaned ignition coil contacts.

Tagged: Engine, Ignition
27 Mar 2008
Tried spraying WD40 down carburetter barrels, nothing happens, could indicate faulty ignition electrics, could not. Pulled out ignition coil and tested resistances on primary and secondary windings, appears to be good, gives a large ratio of the in/out voltages. Cleaned case and contacts while it was out. Put back in, no difference to start up. Tested spark plugs, there are sparks at each plug.…
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Recharged battery back in.

Tagged: Engine, Ignition
26 Mar 2008
Recharged battery back in. Replaced the sheared and rusty battery clip bolts. Engine turns over at a greater rate and sounds somewhat healthy but doesn’t fire. Battery was part of the problem, must have lost it’s charge in transit. 10L of petrol put in, no change.   Problem must lie with either igniton electrics or fuel system. Quickly tested, there are sparks at all spark plug leads.…
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Starter motor back on car. Battery off to charge.

Tagged: 1967 Pontiac Firebird
25 Mar 2008
Starter motor back on car. Still doesn’t turn over, just a faint whir. Battery unhooked and left to charge – a big ‘duh’ if this solves it – don’t think it will however, just exhausting possibilities. …
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Cleaning and testing of starter motor.

Tagged: 1967 Pontiac Firebird
24 Mar 2008
Finished cleaning innards with wet and dry and petrol. Brushes and commutator were all in good condition, but now at least cleaner. Drive pinion turns smoothly. Shafts regreased and whole thing reassembled. Tested by hooking directly to known good battery – works fine.   Seems to have been a pointless excercise, other than making it shiny.   Tomorrow: put starter motor back in and test.   Picture would have been…
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