im pretty sure i have the wires where there supposed to go. could i have the wires hooked up backwards or something?

 

if it goes on when one of the wires touches the roof, then there's a ground problem. check out your switches.

 

the same switch controls the headlights, dash lights, and park lights, and none of those have problems.

 

i can not get my trunk lid straight. on one side i cant even get the edge of the tape measure in, but on the other i have 1/4". i don't see any adjustments for side to side on the hinges.

Ive been messing with where the hinges hook up to the trunk lid, but no luck. i cant really think of any way to straighten it out beside put washers on the bolts on one side. im about to just take a rubber mallet to the lid

 

Sometimes the rubber mallet is the right move. You never know what got the lid out of adjustment, so maybe not a mallet, but maybe some pressure, just a little at a time until it lines up if there is no other way to adjust.

 

ill save the mallet for when its a little cooler and im a little less frustrated (90 degrees today).

what are thoughts on fiberglass for fixing rust? there are some spots i think fiberglass would work good, but should i just go with metal?

 

Hello there, I have just bought a 64 dodge Phoenix 4dr ht here in Australia, 318 poly motor, 727 push button box, here in Australia the car was sold as a dodge phoenix, It's a very nice looking car you have ,I will post some pics for you if you want, also i have been told that the 318 and 727 combination is one of the best matches you can get, all the best, Ray.

 

ya some pictures would be great. thanks

 

You can use a long 2x4 to adjust the trunk lid. Open the trunk, set the end of the 2x4 against the inside edge of the trunk, then close the lid a bit, and then pry. Do a little at a time until the lid lines up properly. Be careful not to bend the edge of the trunk lid.

 

the trunk floor is a little rusty. what can i do to keep it from rusting any more, and protect it form damage, since i don't know how much the rust has weakened the floor.

i was thinking aobut using truck bed-liner, since i was going to cover with carpet anyway.

 

Vacuum it out real good, and try to poke a hole through it with a screwdriver. If the screwdriver doesn't go through, then its solid. Sand it to bare metal, and spray some rustoleum or other anti rust paint.

 

what type of gear oil should i use for the rear differential?

i saw an article on carb adjustments so i thought i would give it a try. it said to warm up my car, then turn the adjustment screws in until the car began to sputter, then turn the screws out 3/4 turn. just a couple things though:

1) i cant find any adjustment screws on the carb. its a Holley 2 barrel, i can get pictures if that will help.

2) i warmed up my car to running temp (which i almost never do) i noticed that it sounds like the car is backfiring a tiny bit. not much at all though. it isnt like a loud cough, i didn't even notice it until i stood behind the car and tried hard to listen for something. this a problem or just an old car thing ignore it?

 

Use 80w or 90w oil in the differential. I doubt you have a Sure Grip, so no special oil will be necessary.

If you are running a Holley 2bbl carb, the mixture screws will be on the sides of the metering block (one on each side, behind the fuel bowl, about an inch up from the bottom).

If it's like a typical old Holley, you'll probably be able to turn the screws all the way in or out without the engine running any differently. The metering block gaskets often swell up after years, and block fuel/air in the metering block (one of the reasons I dislike Holley carbs). You can fix this by rebuilding the carburetor, the parts are cheap, but it takes a little skill to do the job correctly.

The misfire you are getting at idle is most likely due to the engine running a little lean, probably as a result of the old carburetor. With luck you'll be able to adjust the mixture enough for the sputtering to stop.

As I suggested previously, you should use a vacuum gauge to set the mixture properly. The old method of turning in the mixture screws until the engine coughs and then backing them out 3/4 of a turn is only a ballpark method, and if the carb is a bad one, it may take 1 to 3 turns to get it right. The only way to know for sure is to use the proper tools.

 

ya i found the screws, there way underneath in the front. there's 2 of them though? guessing on for each barrel? do these need to be turned in sync? Ive never worked on a car carb before.

 

Looks like you've got one of the factory-type Holleys. Yes, the screws must be turned together equally. When the throttle is closed the main circuit isn't active, so fuel for the idle circuit is regulated with these two screws and the throttle itself.

Adjusting the idle screws has only a little effect on idle speed, they only regulate the fuel mixture when the car is idling. The first thing you need to do before you begin is unhook your vacuum advance hose and then cap the vacuum port so there is no leak. Then you set the idle speed to factory specs, and then set the ignition timing to factory specs as well. When you set the timing the idle speed will change, so you'll need to adjust the idle speed once more. Adjusting the idle speed again may cause the timing to change a little bit (weights in the distributor cause the distributor timing to advance a bit when the engine is running). Keep adjusting both the idle and advance until they are correct.

Once the timing and idle speed are correct, you'll need to hook up a vacuum gauge to a full time vacuum port on your carburetor (or below it). Start the engine and note the vacuum reading. With the engine running, adjust the mixture screws in or out (both screws are adjusted equally) until the vacuum reading goes up. The idle speed will also move up as the vacuum increases, don't worry about it. Adjust the screws until you get the highest vacuum reading. Then adjust the idle to specs again using the idle screw on the throttle shaft. Disconnect the vacuum gauge, and re-connect the distributor vacuum advance hose. That should be all it takes.

Make sure that all your vacuum hoses are in good condition, including the large hose which goes to the brake booster. Leaks in any of these hoses can make it very difficult to properly tune your carburetor. Also make sure that the distributor shaft doesn't have too much play in it. It'll have a little bit, but too much play will also make tuning difficult.

 

have the car on the ramps, going to look at the exhaust and find holes, and fill up teh differential. how much shouldi put in the differential? until i can stick my pinky in and touch oil?

also, there is ALOT of water in my exhaust. it drips out all the time, it will leave puddles on my driveway. how should i get it out? i was thinking about drilling a hole in the muffler, then welding it shut after draining. will this work?

also, is welding under my car dangerous? there are some cracks and such in the exhaust i wanted to weld shut, but im a little worried about the gas tank leaking or something.

EDIT: just looked at the differential, i cant find any plugs or fill holes anywhere except for a square headed bold coming off the passenger side of it. is this it?

 

yeah that's it. you have to stick the drive of your ratchet (without a socket on it) in it to unscrew it. oil should be level with the bottom of the hole.

 

well lucky me my car is making a new sound today. it is making a constant ticking noise coming from the passenger side, i think from the valve cover. it is just a constant sound that doesn't go away, it sounds like it is with one cylinder or valve or where ever the problem is because it is perfectly repetitive.

what do you guys think this is? of course this happens today, my dads friend said he would come look at the car today and if he liked it (he said he liked the look over he has done before.) he would give me $2500 for it. i love this car, but money talks, and if i can make a profit i will sell it. ill buy a mopar that needs less work.

 

i was just about to bring my car to the show and of course it wont start.

my car ran about 2 days ago, but then it died, i figured it ran out of gas.

today i put in 3-4 gallons. i have been trying to get the F*****g thing to start but it wouldn't. i then noticed i didn't smell gas at all. so i took the gas line off before the fuel pump, and it was dry, no gas. then i went further back to around mid car underneath. checked there and nothing!

WTF happened? did something clog my gas tank or something? im thinking about just blowing in to the line towards the tank. i REALLY want to get this thing to the show.

 

well, i ended up fixing the gas problem, i got the car running and got to drive it around for a couple hours on Saturday.

it was going good for about 1.5 hours, but then my thermostat just stopped working. it just dropped to nothing.

to be safe i decided to take the car home. it was running good almost all the way home. but then about 5 miles from home. started to hear what i thought was ticking. we stopped in a driveway took a look, it seemed fine so we decided to putt the car home.

on the way home from there the "ticking" got wicked bad. but we got the car home. i was thinking something with the valvetrain because i could have sworn i heard good pinging coming from inside the valve cover on the drivers side.

that night to get the car in the garage, when i started it, with the pedal to the floor the engine was just bogging and barley running, it wouldn't pick up in RPM's at all.

yesterday i took off both valve covers and everything looked good. i expected to see somewhat of a disaster area, but nothing. then i test ran the engine again. it started a lot easier,but not as easy as normal. then from listening and watching, it seems like the sound is coming from the carb. the carb is coughing and backfiring really bad (and spitting back a little). if i try to press the gas at all, the engine just struggle and the carb starts to backfire more.

do you guys think this problem is deeper than the carb? i was hoping i could just put on the 4 barrel and have my problem fixed.

on a side note though, driving this car around the city was the best!

 

well, after more research i think i have found out what the problem is. i think the problem is a worn cam lobe.

i think this because i thought i heard a sound in the valve train a couple days before, it is backfiring from the exhaust and carb, and also right before the car was noticeably breaking down, the brake pedal loss pressure and dropped. i think this was due to vacuum loss.

after researching on line with all those symptoms i have come down to a worn cam lobe. does this sound right?

 

anytime you have a show to go to the law is the cars not going to start

 

check everything else first, make sure your carb and timing are adjusted right (you have a timing light, yeah?).

whenever i go into my parts store and tell my buddy i have a big problem, he suggests something little, and its usually right. it an old car!

also what did you do to fix that problem when it wasn't starting? are you SURE the engine is getting gas now?

 

that would be alot of lobes. break pedel dropped. thats odd. it got sucked down didnt it? and when you turn off the car it rises back up correct?

 

could it just be a vacuum leak somewhere? (sorry i'm still learning too haha)

 

i can get a timing light. ill get one and check the timing soon. could i try and adjust the timing without the timing light? like could i just turn the distributor a little and see if it gets better?

the gas tank was dry, then when i put more gas in it didn't do anything. so i put gas into the bowl of the carb, then ran the car off that. then there was gas in the line, i guess the engine running made enough fuel pressure to suck it through the line, because just turning it over wouldn't do anything.

my dad was driving when the brake pedal dropped. we stopped at a stop light, and he said the brake pedal just went to the floor (he says it did get sucked down).

 

theres nothing in the carb to make a ping sound, its either coming from the rockers, or the timming chain jumped, to check that, put #1 cylinder at TDC pull the cap on the dizzy, the rotor should be pointing to the #1 cylinder, (plug wire on the cap)

 

how would i go about getting #1 at TDC?

also i forgot to mention before, the brake pedal problem fixed itself when my dad gave the car gas.

 

a crude metod is pull #1 spark plug out rotate the engine by hand with a screwdriver in the spark plug hole till it reaches the top, the rotor should face #1 plug wire on the cap, or 180deg out, you will need some1 to holt the screwdriver up so it wont jam,

 

It could be a lifter isnt pumping up, can you tell if it's comeing from the underside of the engine, or the valves? Does it increase with RPMs?

Worst case senerio would be you have a rod knock, but if it's just a tap type noise, it might just be a lifter.