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Kev - the timing light is doing the same thing you were experiencing. It flashes incredibly fast, even when not connected to the spark wire. I don't have it connected directly to the battery (cables not long enough), but I'm not sure how that would make a difference.

TxGoat - It seems like when the engine is cold, the idle set screw rests on the fast idle cam. Once it warms up and the choke fully opens the fast idle cam spins and the set screw does not touch it at all. I have no idea if this is how it is supposed to be set up. Apparently the Stromberg EE-2 is a one year only carb (yay) and I'm having a really hard time finding any reference on how it's supposed to be set up.


I didn't get a chance to get the car on another test drive tonight, as it's still running rough. I swapped out the cap with a new one from the parts box, no difference. While I was in the distributor I checked the points and they are pretty burned. That may be part of my problem. I will go ahead and replace the points and condenser to be safe, if I can find replacements.

I messed with the throttle linkage and choke, and was able to get the idle down to about 500, but it's still very rough and wants to die at that RPM. I'm hopeful that replacing ignition parts will help.

Since I didn't think the car would drive well with it running poorly, I went ahead and finished getting the lights hooked back up. They work fine and they even have secondary bulbs placed in the housings to act as turn signals. I also finished getting all the trim pieces put back on.

I also gave the car it's first wash in over 8 years. There was a lot of dust and junk all over it. It looks much better now. A good cleaner wax will really help to finish it up.

-Kevin

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Yep, those points are VERY burnt, and there is your problem. Replace the points, condenser rotor and cap and the wiring from the coil/ignition. The condenser acts as a sponge and allows the excess energy to be soaked up as the points open. Like charging a battery. Once the points burn the condenser goes too and the whole make/break function of the ignition breaks down and the coil cannot energize properly and you have a total breakdown of spark. No power. It may start and idle but as soon as there is work to do moving the car you are toast.
I am surprised it starts at all as the bare wire going to the points is likely shorting out against the distributor body before it ever feeds anything to the points anyway.
Probably explains the wacky timing light too, the system is firing limply all over the place to little affect.
Bob J.

lemme know if you have any problem finding points and a high tension lead, I probably have them. haven't looked, but probably. no charge

DAF

Thanks Bob and David. I was surprised to see the condition on the inside of the distributor. I had given it only a passing glance before, with my mind focused on getting bigger issues taken care of (fan, fuel pump, etc). I just checked with my local NAPA and they have points, condenser, and rotor coming today, so I should be able to install them tonight....assuming they are the right ones.

If I remember correctly, the high tension lead is a special wire, correct? I can't just replace with a modern wire?

-Kevin

That wire in the distributor needs to be flexible, better to use purpose-made ones vs having a roadside failure later on.

Looking at everything I think the distro is the root of all your issues.

Given the nearly constant motion which induces flexing of the wire, simple copper wire will work-harden and ultimately fracture. Thus the OEM wires were beryllium/copper alloy which resists work-hardening. Beryllium alloys have toxicity issues and may no longer be available but NAPA has a good range of wire leads specifically for that end use.

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About your carb. Disconnect the firewall linkage from the carb. Bend the pull rod that activates that fast idle cam until the idle adjusting screw rests on the first step when the choke is fully open. It has to rest on something and not rely on the rest of the throttle linkage to maintain an idle speed. Then adjust your idle speed to what suits. Don't worry about the number--it is just supposed to idle slowly. Once you have a nice slow idle then you can worry about setting timing.

About your dizzy. When converting to 12 volts did anyone think to include an ignition resistor in the circuit feeding the coil? Otherwise your points will have to deal with way too much current.

Regarding the wires inside the distributor: The wires have to be of the correct type to avoid eventual breakage due to the breaker plate movement, and they must be highly flexible to avoid interfering with the movement of the breaker plate. The breaker plate moves almost constantly when the car is driven in traffic. Stiffer wires will prevent the plate from moving as it should, which can cause automatic advance timing issues and may cause issues starting the car if the stiffer wire prevents the breaker plate from reaching the full retard position.

OD - Thanks, I'll check with NAPA to see what they have. Hopefully they have something that will work.

Ross - That's the missing information I was looking for. I wasn't sure how things were supposed to be set up. By "first step", do you mean the smallest step? Just need to be sure I've got it right.

I doubt that there is an ignition resistor in the circuit. When my dad got it, it had the original ignition switch and armored cable going to the coil. I replaced the armored cable with a wire due to the original shorting out on the armor. There was not resistor that I could see and I did not put one in. What type of resistor do I need to use and where do I put it?



With any luck I hope to have the ignition issues sorted out tonight. That will give me enough time to do one or two test drives before the show on Saturday.

-Kevin

When I wired my '54 to 12v, I looked up what a '55 with Delco used for a ballast resistor, coil, and condenser, and that is what I used since those were 12v.