Tom's new toy

[slow-poke]

Good read on 600 vs. 750 CFM on a big block in a motor home.

https://www.460ford.com/threads/carb-size-report-for-motorhome-or-towing-application.233570/

Bigger carburetor on low performance, highway geared, heavy vehicle = poor fuel economy, lower performance and terrible throttle response.

 

[KeeponDragon]

The rear suspension looks kinda sagged out in the photo's...could be camera angle too
I agree with the above statements on oversized carbs...
Your probable best bang for the buck would be an Edelbrock AVS carb. They seem to work right out of the box with just idle mixture and curb idle adjustments.
Resist the urge to open the throttle blade screw up to keep it running. The little air slots at the blades on closed throttle should just be exposed. Set the timing, then mess with the carb. I admit I do watch a fair bit of DIY on youtube, and was able to apply this advice to a buddy's kids oldsmobile engine donor, to make sure it ran half way decent before stuffing it into his 6.2 Diesel truck...

 

[Tom O]

I had a 71 VW Westphalia that suffered from poor running at speed. It would idle fine but anytime I tried to drive it for any distance it would sputter and die. Endlessly frustrating.
I eventually pulled the motor so I could get to the tank. Drained it, and there was about a quart and a half of sand and silt in the tank.

I’ve had that before also in the 70’s I came across a 57 chev abandoned in a sandblast place I picked it up and after making it roadworthy found I could run it for 2 Months per filter.

 

[Bandit]

The droopy backend could be from the 700 gal. water bed.
In hand with the P.O. being a skate boarder.
Bigger carbs and smaller displacement generally means lots of revs to get some power, usually not a torque monster in the low end, and some torque is what a RV needs in hand with fuel mileage.
Head winds are killer.

 

[David]

Head winds are killer.

When I moved from Edmonton to Victoria, I drove my 98 Chev K1500, 5.0L, single cab long box, 3.72 rear end, canopy on the box and a 1969 VW Karmann Ghia on a U-Haul car hauler.
Was windy as heck the morning we left. Likely 30-40 KmH wind out of the west, dead on the nose. Truck was full of gas when we pulled out. I burned 100 litres of gas from Edmonton to Hinton. I could not do more than 95-100 KmH, foot to the floor. Fueled up in Hinton and thought, at this mileage, it's going to cost $600 in gas to get to Vancouver.
Amazingly, I only remember fueling up another two times on that trip.
On flat ground, no head wind, unloaded I could drive 1000kms on a 120 litres of fuel.

 

[Tom O]

Well I’m taking the easy way out on this as it fills multiple reasons.
1) It’s parked across from me and I’m sure they don’t want me eating away their asphalt with gas. Although I have a pile of rocks just in case the good neighbour policy fails.
2) I’m 71 with Copd so don’t really want to drop the tank.
3) to register it I’ll have to have a out of province inspection to get a plate because their records only go back 10 years. ( Proof of government efficiency )
4) I don’t want to pay another $24.00 for a transit sticker.

 

[slow-poke]

Easy way out?

 

[phaxtris]

I would agree a Q-jet would be much more suited to that thing, the 750 holley will be an easy sell

 

[KeeponDragon]

Tom, if you are shopping for a Q-jet, find one from a recent runner...those carbs are great...but they can be really finicky to set up...
Watching youtubers struggle with them makes me laugh...but only cuz I've been there too...
2ndly...does that small block have a square bore or spread bore manifold on it?
Most adapters made these days are garbage...so you may end up fighting vacuum leaks

 

[Chicken lights]

When I moved from Edmonton to Victoria, I drove my 98 Chev K1500, 5.0L, single cab long box, 3.72 rear end, canopy on the box and a 1969 VW Karmann Ghia on a U-Haul car hauler.
Was windy as heck the morning we left. Likely 30-40 KmH wind out of the west, dead on the nose. Truck was full of gas when we pulled out. I burned 100 litres of gas from Edmonton to Hinton. I could not do more than 95-100 KmH, foot to the floor. Fueled up in Hinton and thought, at this mileage, it's going to cost $600 in gas to get to Vancouver.
Amazingly, I only remember fueling up another two times on that trip.
On flat ground, no head wind, unloaded I could drive 1000kms on a 120 litres of fuel.

I think I've said this before - it's all uphill from Manitoba to Alberta. It's gradual but it's there. Enough so fuel mileage suffers

 

[phaxtris]

I think I've said this before - it's all uphill from Manitoba to Alberta. It's gradual but it's there. Enough so fuel mileage suffers

100% I always get better mileage driving to Winnipeg than I do driving from Winnipeg (to Calgary), slight, but it is there

 

[jcdammeyer]

Way way back when we towed a Boler Trailer behind our SAAB 99 we found we suddenly had problems at higher altitudes and high temperature regions in the rockies. At cooler temperatures no problem but once it got really hot around Litton area the vehicle stalled. We had to stop with the hood open and let it cool.

Turns out it was the fuel filter.

 

[Tom O]

Tom, if you are shopping for a Q-jet, find one from a recent runner...those carbs are great...but they can be really finicky to set up...
Watching youtubers struggle with them makes me laugh...but only cuz I've been there too...
2ndly...does that small block have a square bore or spread bore manifold on it?
Most adapters made these days are garbage...so you may end up fighting vacuum leaks

I’m not sure on the carb’s bore size I’ll put the cam down it to see. I’ve had the Holley 650 spreadbore before and like them for all the things you can adjust I never noticed the power valve doing much but the jets and cams for the accelerator pump makes a good difference and the float adjustment is just wonderful.

 

[trevj]

Ive always thought I'd enjoy doing a school bus conversion, there is a good platform and so much potential.

You gotta be really careful with the busses, depending where you are, and what the inspection criteria become when you try to put it back on the road. Knew a couple guys that got burned pretty bad, when they found out that they were going to have to have inspections, pretty much on par with Commercial vehicle inspections (priced accordingly) every year to keep it on the road...

Both guys eventually scrapped out the good parts (eng, trans) and sold the rolling containers to guys that were using them as trapline cabins, and were not so concerned about a one-time tow truck fee. Do some research! Just saying.

 

[trevj]

Way way back when we towed a Boler Trailer behind our SAAB 99 we found we suddenly had problems at higher altitudes and high temperature regions in the rockies. At cooler temperatures no problem but once it got really hot around Litton area the vehicle stalled. We had to stop with the hood open and let it cool.

Turns out it was the fuel filter.

I pulled my carb apart on the side of the highway, using the Philips screwdriver on my Swiss Army Knife, when I was getting really weird limits (I could only get up to about 60 kmh, before it simply would not go faster...) on my beater lil white B2000 truck, some years ago. Turned out the fuel filter essentially dissolved (discovere it missing, in the transparent bulb it lived in) and flowed down the lines (water, I thought), and got to plugging up the last-chance filter in the carb. I fulled out a chunk of felted up paper filter fiber that looked about double the size of the filter element on a cigarette, out of the (IIRC, third level/plate down) in that carb.

Not as much fun as changing the clutch plate out on the roadside, using the depth of the ditch to make room for climbing under...

Lytton gets hot. We (me and the mouse in my pocket! 😛 ) get hotter! Add in the regularly traveled route to the Coast (Duffy Lake Road, between Lillooet and parts south) having almost 4000 feet of elevation change, well...

 

[DPittman]

Yes I've heard insuring and registration of such can be difficult

You gotta be really careful with the busses, depending where you are, and what the inspection criteria become when you try to put it back on the road. Knew a couple guys that got burned pretty bad, when they found out that they were going to have to have inspections, pretty much on par with Commercial vehicle inspections (priced accordingly) every year to keep it on the road...

Both guys eventually scrapped out the good parts (eng, trans) and sold the rolling containers to guys that were using them as trapline cabins, and were not so concerned about a one-time tow truck fee. Do some research! Just saying.

 

[KeeponDragon]

I’m not sure on the carb’s bore size I’ll put the cam down it to see. I’ve had the Holley 650 spreadbore before and like them for all the things you can adjust I never noticed the power valve doing much but the jets and cams for the accelerator pump makes a good difference and the float adjustment is just wonderful.

I had a look back at the photo of the engine, I can't make out what its got for a fuel-makin-happener...definitely an aluminum intake though...which made me suggest the Edelbrock AVS...I assumed it would be a square bore, as they're usually more cost prohibitive...

 

[Bandit]

In the days before a filter in the tank, I have had a piece of sediment, paper? get sucked up against the fuel pickup tube and stop fuel flow. Stop try to figure out what’s wrong, problem goes away. Good for a bit, stops again, finely figure out the piece would move away enough when not running to allow starting and a few miles of driving, then plug off again. North of Blue River on the Yellow Head, nothing for miles, nearly no other traffic. An old pickup with the tank behind the seat, fuel level sender in the top of the tank. Took the sender out, flash light to look down the hole, could see the piece over the end of the tube. Finally cut a branch off a small bush to reach down to push it away and break it up good.
Got home, pulled the tank, cleaned out, changed filters, blew out fuel lines, good till the next adventure. These newer vehicles, good luck just getting to the fuel tank to remove it!

 

[slow-poke]

In my early days of drag racing, I was trying to use the stock gas tank. Half track the car would go lean and in some cases stall.

The sump on the stock gas tank is in the middle, so as soon as you create any serious g-force all the fuel is at the back half of the tank. Sort of worked with a really full tank except the fuel would spurt out the filler spout and not ideal to accelerate 100lbs of fuel (every 100lbs is 0.1s).

Solution replaced the tank with a fuel cell with sump at back. Works great even with just one gallon.

Now good to 1000' then lean again.

Which led to the next shortcoming, factory fuel line is too small.

 

[David]

In my early days of drag racing, I was trying to use the stock gas tank. Half track the car would go lean and in some cases stall.

The sump on the stock gas tank is in the middle, so as soon as you create any serious g-force all the fuel is at the back half of the tank. Sort of worked with a really full tank except the fuel would spurt out the filler spout and not ideal to accelerate 100lbs of fuel (every 100lbs is 0.1s).

Solution replaced the tank with a fuel cell with sump at back. Works great even with just one gallon.

Now good to 1000' then lean again.

Which led to the next shortcoming, factory fuel line is too small.

View attachment 68611

Good looking welds! Did you weld up the tank yourself?