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It's hard to keep straight what I have answered, done and will do!!!! LOL Thanks for the suggestions - know I value and consider every single one.
Re the gas pedal business - one of the many things I have purchased for the car (and I mean MANY!) is a NOS gas pedal, as the one in the car looked like it could have been original and was really worn. It would pop off the metal ball stubs if I pumped it too hard. It cost me $100, but it is an original Packard pedal, not a repro and I had to use soap and considerable 'coaxing' to get it on over the metal balls. Now that I have the accelerator linkage properly hooked up and ALL lubricated - the gas pedal is like factory - perfectly smooth and it returns very snappily. The linkage also bottoms out the carb now, which it did not do properly before and I had to have a big auxiliary spring on it. One more thing fixed!!!
And yes David - a bypass of the ignition switch is 'on my list' - thanks!

I had mentioned that we had 'discovered' something and I wanted to check it out before reporting on it as I felt kind of stupid about it. In pulling off the distributor cap my mechanic friend noticed there was no spring and carbon brush in the coil receptacle center contact. Thinking this could/should make a significant difference in the way the car ran and MAYBE, just maybe, it could have been the whole problem, I wanted to switch distributor caps and drive the car before 'owning up' to this rather 'amateur oversight'. Unfortunately it made zero difference at all. The car started and ran the same as before, and, unfortunately, stalled the same as before. Also David, I did alligator clip the coil and hot battery wire together and still no difference.
My mechanic friend and I are stumped and have decided to take a break and do some serious thinking on the whole scenario. I have said from the get-go that I think there is something wrong with the engine internally, like a cracked head or worn keyway in the timing gear shaft or something weird like that, but 'David' says 'no', as the engine starts and runs too good for it to be an engine problem, so we're now left with something electrical. For anyone wondering, I HAVE changed the coil, have now bypassed the ignition switch, even put a NOS voltage regulator in, NOS distributor, plugs, wires, points, condenser, and have tried a couple of rebuilt carbs - all to no avail, effecting zero difference in the way the stalling problem presents. I'll say goodbye for now with thanks for all the input and ideas that the many kind folks on this site have afforded me - its a truly great resource and a great bunch of people! Best regards, Chris Goodfellow.

Chris, I had a 1949 that acted as you describe your 39 is doing. A previous owner had the tank sealed, installed a electric fuel pump and rebuilt the carb and mechanical fuel pump. I thought there must be a electrical problem but after replacing the ignition system the problem still existed. I found the problem was in the gas tank. I found several gobs of sealer floating around in the tank. when driving one would get sucked up and block the pick-up tube. After I sat stalled for several minutes the pressure would release and the debris would fall back into the tank only to repeat the problem. Packardtaximan

Taximan, I had experienced exactly the same problem years back with some silicone gasket snot that had gotten it's way into the tank and periodically plugged the outlet, only to float away when the engine stalled - and I've thought right along that the poster's problem is one of fuel starvation. Way back in another thread on this same problem I had suggested a simple test to prove whether or not it was a fuel delivery problem by simply rigging a small gravity feel gas tank directly to the carburetor inlet. If you still have the problem you have eliminated from consideration the gas tank, electric and mechanical pumps, filters, and all the associated lines. Unfortunately I don't think the suggestion was acted on, or if it was I don't recall any discussion of it and the results.

My intent here was to 'sign off' for a while, as I am so frustrated and sick and tired of trying to suss this stupid problem, but out of courtesy, wanted to speak to the last couple of posts.

I have 'caught heck' on this site more than once for throwing parts at this car without proper diagnostic elimination and to a degree, yes, I am guilty of this. However, I HAVE tried to think through all the different possibilities and scenarios that this issue MIGHT be and at least have a possible fix, pass the 'smell test' before proceeding. Nonetheless, I have spent thousands of dollars attempting to track down the root cause, yet have to admit that I have come up completely empty.

In my defense, I HAVE had a compression test done on the engine (100-105#'s on all cyl's) and have checked timing and vacuum and numerous other 'engine health' criteria that have not yielded any suspicious results. I live in a small town with 3 garages, none of which want anything to do with old cars. I have tried to track down local mechanics who WILL work on the car and, until I got David to help me, I can only claim 'qualified results'.

I will say that I HAVE listened to, and taken seriously EVERY suggestion that has been kindly put forth on this site and, as previously stated, am very thankful for them all. Re the last couple of posts on things getting stuck in the fuel pickup tube - I have considered this. I have had the tank out 3 times, have had a camera inside it and can assure you that it is perfectly clean, shining, stainless steel. I have clear fuel filters, one before the fuel line goes into the pressure regulator and one downstream, just before the carb. When the engine stalls, we have checked within seconds of it stalling and the filters are full. While this is a legitimate suggestion, it is not the problem here.

The stalling is predicated by the engine being put under load. I can drive it out of the yard, down the hill and along a flat to a cattle guard and it doesn't stall; I turn around and go back the other way, go UP the hill, and put the clutch in once on top of the incline and the engine coasts to a halt, EVERY freaking time!!!!

I am now at a point of thinking there is something wrong internally with the engine. I had a taxicab many years ago that had a similar problem and it turned out to be the timing chain. I had mechanics replace it and the difference was phenomenal; way more power, and extreme in responsiveness improvement. I am thinking if the gears are badly worn, the chain stretched, or there is any play in the shaft to gear joint - it could present like this. There are two other possibilities - one is valve clearance (this I have not checked) and if the valves were set cold with the clearances they should have when hot, they could be very tight when the engine heats up and not seating 100%. And lastly - maybe the cam is shot. Checking this stuff is beyond my scope of mechanical ability, maybe David can help, but frankly, as a friend, 'giving me a hand', I feel like I am at the edge of 'wearing out my welcome' with him and don't feel it is reasonable to even ask him to go any further.

So, that is my predicament and I will have to 'make some plans' to move forward at some point. Not sure 'what, when and where' but I need to do SOMETHING, and I certainly have not ruled out either dumping the car cheap or parting it out to see if I can recoup some of my losses.

You've done all the right things even if the order of doing them was a bit off. In spite the fuel system being so clean, it still would not hurt to follow another poster's suggestion to use a temporary fuel source connected directly to the carburetor to absolutely and positively eliminate any unknown or missed problems. I would also go back to the well-engineered stock fuel lines and pump even if the electric pump is kept as backup.

However, that it is happening when you go uphill is a relatively major clue itself. In 1953 when the 4-brl carburetor first appeared, it tended to stall when going around a corner but only in one direction. It was flooding momentarily when the fuel sloshed up and hit an area where it was somehow being sucked into the system where the gasket did not have much of a seal. The simple fix was a small tube inserted that went between the lower and upper housings to block the area!

This was Carter too and maybe not the same exact problem as yours but I suspect something similar is happening with yours. For example, maybe the little springs that hold the floats down (if it uses them) are weak or poorly designed or something else causing inconsistent fuel flow is happening.

Replacing the carburetor three times with the same type doesn't mean that there isn't some design flaw so perhaps someone can loan you an original Stromberg to see if the problem goes away! I have one but unfortunately it's apart and hundreds of miles away or I would be happy to loan it.

Incidentally, I doubt very much that it is anything internal to the engine or even anything serious at all. In fact, I love challenging problems like this and wish I were closer to assist!

This is news.

In earlier posts, you said as soon as you came to a stop the engine died and wouldn't restart immediately.

This is why I didn't think you had the same problem as I. But you are describing the EXACT same problem. Fine to start. Fine at idle in garage. Fine revving in garage. Fine going down hill to the corner. Fine after a stop on level ground.

But put a load on it going up a steep hill and it quits. With help from the electric fuel pump it restarts after backing into a driveway and getting level, and I could make it back down the hill and up a little hill to the garage. But never would it go more than 2 or 3 houses up the big hill.

Improperly set float drop. It may be tricky to do because Daytona Parts missed it the first time they rebuilt the carb. But I didn't push on this as your solution because I didn't realize it was happening under load, exactly as mine.

They found the float drop was not set correctly which prevented enough fuel from getting into the bowl. For sure, check this before doing anything major with the engine.

We all feel and share your frustration with your car. If you have good compression then there is nothing wrong with your valve clearances which in any case too loose/too tight would not yield your symptoms. It is highly unlikely that anything is wrong internally as loose bearings or loose chain again would not give those symptoms.


I believe Owen-Dyneto suggested putting a temporary "pony tank" to feed the carb by gravity eliminating any tank/lines/hose/filter malfunctions. I have not seen you try it. Although you scoped the tank that does nothing to insure there is nothing anywhere to restrict the fuel supply. If this does not improve the problem then at least you know it's not a fuel problem considering the carb has been ruled out.


Your malfunction may have nothing to do with coming to a stop, the conditions of out/back are different. Coming back you are going uphill, the fuel must be pumped uphill and the engine is straining more. Any one of those can be a primary/secondary cause. Engine straining especially with old motor mounts can twist the engine causing the flex hose to kink or expose an air leak, you mentioned once, I recall, that your fuel pressure went to zero.


Years ago I had a '40 120 with 20,000 miles that ran perfectly until I went up a steep hill. Problem was very fine silt that clogged the screen in the FP, after the stall if I let it sit 2-3 minutes it would start and run all day until the next steep incline


Good luck.