Should I scramble to horde Champion J13Ys now that I have an Edelbrock 1405?

[Gerald Morris]

Mechanical choke?



Watch this, I've done this only to get some smoke from excessive splash via the rods bearings, took the washer back out. Sadly there's no room to pull the pan in a sedan like you can in a Power Wagon, I rebearinged a wideblock in a '65 W200, did wonders for oil pressure and start up noise all gone.



These cars were designed around 180º thermostats, 210º seems a tad bit hot and contributes to the low oil pressure warm.

Once it's broke in to your liking, Power Punch or Lucas will increase viscosity index for better idle oil pressure, good coating for startups, clingy.

Had a GF with 300ZX that had run out of oil, filled it up with Power Punch, noisy as hell but it got her to work everyday, the motor had 0 psi at idle warm. Based on her looks I could she could get a very decent trade in on the car in that condition and she did.

UPDATE! Timing now advanced back to canonical 12.5 BTDC, replaced wonky distributor with good one. (Wonky had bad upper bushing.) Runs 100% better now. Come summer, I still am apt to seek a cooler running plug, but with running temp down to 198-205 in traffic, and a slightly more viscous oil, minimum warm idle oil pressure now at a healthy 15-20 psi. Trudi once again idles so butter smooth, folks have to ask if it's running. (This even occurred in August, at the Emissions testing station, BEFORE the head upgrade! See note below on plug wires.)

The only time idle now ever is noticeable is on the cooler mornings, I have to pull the choke a bit for a couple minutes if starting from ambient sub 50 F temperature.

Note, once I ditched the crap suppressor plug wires insisted on by the Chebbie Chimp, and went back to my Packard 440 + Rajah terminals home rolled ones. idle improved yet again, to a degree I didn't think attainable with this old motor.

 

[furious70]

Fwiw the only time I've used champion 1 broke apart and took out a piston.

Used autolites for years but various heat range ngk for the last 20-25yrs from OEM to race car to turbo engine. No issues. Just the v gap, nothing fancy.

 

[Gerald Morris]

Fwiw the only time I've used champion 1 broke apart and took out a piston.

Used autolites for years but various heat range ngk for the last 20-25yrs from OEM to race car to turbo engine. No issues. Just the v gap, nothing fancy.

This is good advice. I may try NGK next spring, when prepping the motor for summer conditions. I KNOW they make good plugs, ignition & electrical components in general. We used them in sundry motorcycles decades ago. If I'm happy with lack of oil in the cylinders after a few thousand more miles, I may adopt platinum plugs. Bosch made some good ones Once Upon a... that I tried some years ago, but fouled them out with the crappy old valve guides. NOW though, such a little investment should pay.

I tried Autolight 85s with decent effect some years back also. IDK now if I want them, given the new production plant location. I notice NOS Autolite 85s have become quite rare now.

NGK may well BE our Last Best Hope for spark plugs. Nagoya-min wa, ganbare neee! I prefer products made by skilled, well treated workers with high morals and MORALE, neither of which abound in the Middle Kingdom.

 

[CBODY67]

I suspect that spark plug production is almost completely automated. Untouched by human hands? Whether or not the machines are happy, that's another thread.

 

[Loadrunner]

Are the machines happy?

HAL: I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that. Dave: What's the problem? HAL: I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do.

 

[Loadrunner]

folks have to ask if it's running.

That's a Mopar big block, smooth and quiet, even when you hit passing gear on the highway, getting around some gas mileage econobox, almost instantly hitting 90mph as you were getting back into your lane on narrow 14" or 15" bias ply tires.

I may try NGK next spring

Been using them for 20 years in everything personal, because we have three older Subarus, so OE there, and on the Dodges, nothing but NGK and the truck's abilities to start after sitting long periods of in crazy cold temps like my plow is nothing short of amazing.

I need to check over the plow today, winter is on.

 

[Gerald Morris]

I suspect that spark plug production is almost completely automated. Untouched by human hands? Whether or not the machines are happy, that's another thread.

My problem with automation comes in with software. Machines only run as well as they're programmed. I'll never forget how the Army paid me to figure out for them that THEIR slopware ppl had coded an elaborate 0 = 0 in some stuff meant for the Small Smart Bomb, a bullet which could turn corners, and chase down Bugs Bunny. Bugs had little to fear from Elmer Fudd back in 2000, and I suspect he still can snooze comfortably. Such dazzling brilliance committed me toward computer-free driving more than ever then.

 

[furious70]

I have a couple sets of Bosch platinums for big block that I'll ship to anyone wanting to try them for $25 shipped.