First Chevy truck

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_rgk

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Hah, it's all good. Even better actually, because folks on some other forum were trying to convince me to get a $500 hot cam, screw-in studs, roller rockers, a zeroed deck, and upgraded springs.

This might sort itself out as I work on it, but sometimes the engine cranks but won't fire. I stop cranking, pause, and try again. Eventually it turns over. But also I notice that sometimes there is a 'key in the ignition' buzz, and sometimes there is no buzz. Might this be a fault with the ignition lock cylinder?
 

clgodwin79

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Hah, it's all good. Even better actually, because folks on some other forum were trying to convince me to get a $500 hot cam, screw-in studs, roller rockers, a zeroed deck, and upgraded springs.

This might sort itself out as I work on it, but sometimes the engine cranks but won't fire. I stop cranking, pause, and try again. Eventually it turns over. But also I notice that sometimes there is a 'key in the ignition' buzz, and sometimes there is no buzz. Might this be a fault with the ignition lock cylinder?
Door sag is a major problem on these because the door pin bushings go bad and/or the roller that lets the door open to the 1st and 2nd position can get bent and bind up. Do a search for door pins. It’s almost never the hinges.

And the starting issue sounds like it could be related to the distributor. If you have a decent code reader see if you can check the timing on it. It should be at 0 +/- 2 degrees while the engine is above 1000 RPMs.

I doubt that the key buzzer is affecting startups. Probably just worn inside so it doesn’t always register the moment you remove the key. If the engine turns over while in the crank position is probably not the key or ignition, at least at the switch.

Good thing you learned not to waste money on the dumb parts that I bought!
 

_rgk

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Door sag is a major problem on these because the door pin bushings go bad and/or the roller that lets the door open to the 1st and 2nd position can get bent and bind up. Do a search for door pins. It’s almost never the hinges.

And the starting issue sounds like it could be related to the distributor. If you have a decent code reader see if you can check the timing on it. It should be at 0 +/- 2 degrees while the engine is above 1000 RPMs.

I doubt that the key buzzer is affecting startups. Probably just worn inside so it doesn’t always register the moment you remove the key. If the engine turns over while in the crank position is probably not the key or ignition, at least at the switch.

Good thing you learned not to waste money on the dumb parts that I bought!

Thank you. It's great to have plenty of support for a car I'm working on.
 

clgodwin79

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Thanks for taking it in fun, it just shocked me that you wouldn't be closer to 400 hp with $2500.
COVID is what happened. I bought most of my stuff at the beginning of it. When everything was inflated. Plus I’m sure that the machine work alone cost me a lot more than it should have just based on where I live. And honestly, I have absolutely no idea what kind of HP this thing will have. I’m just being moderate and reserved when a say 300. Unlike the guys who have 300 and claim 400. But honestly I’ll never know. It’s not like I’m going to get it dyno’d.

It’s funny because you hear and see a lot of people throwing hp #’s when in truth it’s all just a guess.
 

_rgk

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Ok, so I finally got the truck in the garage.

I notice the ac compressor is on the driver's side, but the lines are going over the manifold to the passenger side.

Do you all discharge the system before pulling the engine, or can it be moved out of the way and hung?
 

Eveready

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On mine the compressor is on the passenger side. Sounds like someone has been in there. OTOH mine is a '93 so that may have changed. Someone will know. As others have mentioned the wiper issue can likely be fixed by just heating up the solder joints on the board.

If you do have to go through a full rebuild I can see why you might want to "heat it up" a little while you are in there. My usual advice is to to get the basic truck functional and then add the fun stuff, but you seem to have the experience to avoid the usual pitfalls of putting speed gear on an unsound motor. Good luck with your project, it looks like a nice truck.
 
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