Re: 1st time startup

Posted by Jim L. in OR On 2010/12/1 12:18:51

Fred,
Good point about the neighborhood "house warming"!
Much earlier in my "mechanical life" I rebuilt the engine on a '65 Cadillac in a friend's garage. It ran pretty well after the rebuild but not quite right so I tackled the timing and the carb at the same time. If I remember right, I got the carb kit from Kanter's and everything fit beautifully! The timing issue is another story.
I dumped a load of gasoline down the carb's throat and without replacing the air cleaner; hit the switch. The result was a "Cheery Blaze" like you described that was enjoyed by (almost)one and all. The good news was I had a fire extinguisher. The bad news is that is was the wrong kind and made the top of the engine look like I'd hit it with whipped cream.
After I bought a new carb, I did as you rightly suggested and after a little timing adjustment had a great running engine.
The old adage of "Haste Makes Waste" is never truer than when working on cars.

Jim