Ok Hello everyone new to the forum, and I do have a couple three questions to throw out. I will up date my user profile when I get some pics of the car in question. (want to use one for my id) More about me, I am from Amarillo,Tx 53 years young, and a fairly decent do-it yourself-er.(to cheap to pay to have it done). Anyway ask me what you need to know... I may or may not have an answer though. Ok before the flaming starts on the questions I have I HAVE been doing research on the net for answers to no avail, I know probably just hadn't stumbled onto the right website I'm sure but dead-end after dead-end and you know what that leads to. Also have searched the diy and general tech stuff here to no avail. 'Mentions' but not much detail, so here goes.... Ok car in question is a 1977 Chrysler Newport, 440 Lean Burn, 4bbl Thermo-Quad, 77k actual miles...(if more info needed let me know) Ok now for the order of things that has me so bummfuzzled...A really good friend of mine (may he quit laughing @ me and R.I.P.) left me his pet car... He aquired it after car had sat for 10 years or so, so trailered to my little shop, drained all fluids, filters, pulled plugs, cap, rotor, wires, squirted MM oil in cyl., replenished fluids, filters, etc. Cranked on car with coil wire out of cap for appx minute minute half, put new plugs, rotor, cap, in fired right up. Ran fine for a car that has sat for 10 years, no sputters, ticks, knocks. Ran great. He went on his merry way new land yacht and all. about six months later came by house saying car was running rough, sure nuff rough as a cob. Did the distributor cap/wire dance to find miss found 3 plugs not firing. Pulled plugs cleaned, (wasn't that bad just carbon/gas fouled) put back, ran fine for about 20-30 minutes, started missing again. Same dance found a couple different plugs fouled, SSDD to say... Ok now for questions.....
Question #1:
Is there a way to check/test lean burn system? (with-out a 5000.00 computer gizmo)
Question #2:
I know its a beat to death question (I HAVEN'T found the answer AFTER wading thru the aformentioned posts AND internet inquiries) but what is needed to do away with that crap (L.B.) other than an electronic dist., and what to do with the wiring harness plug-ins etc. Vacuum stuff I am not worried about I can buy all the little plugs i need I mean I am not a real big dummy BUT I'm not a mopar guy either. I also am not made of money either so the cheapest way is the way I am going to go. So I need to know ALL of the stuff I need to have to do conversion, after all it seems after all the posts i've read unless you are into total concourse resto, the L.B. system is junk and unneccessary. BTW Texas(or where I'm at) isn't a stickler on emissions and if its older than a 1984 no cats needed either, (state law).So what I am asking is to take me by the hand and lead me thru like you would your 12 yr old.
Question #3:
Thermo-Quad... Keep, junk, or what? I have the kit to go thru it, and does it take a carb guru to go thru and set properly? Special details/tools/tricks needed? I havent ever messed with one of these critters so.....Holley's Forever. If a replacement is needed I would appreciate a list # for a Holley. Quadra-Puke is out of the question, although I have done a few of those also.
Question #4
Timing....I can usually time fairly decent by ear but....

Ok sorry so long and to be such a pain on first post, but I promise pics will be coming, as my friend wanted to do a resto as best as he (I) could do...

 

Spend the money on an electronic distrib kit from Ma' Mopar.

Thermoquad is fine.

NO timing by ear. Get a light or borrow one. For tuning you need to know where you are starting so that you know where you can go.

Oh, PS welcome it is nice to have someone older than me here (48)

 

Dist kit? ok what does that consist of? I have a friend that has a dist I can get, Timing light I have, I was just thinking that sense the "computer" was taking care of advance etc that there wouldn't be a tab, or marks or what ever... Guess I need to take a stronger look-see. Thermo, ok a keeper but as I said in post...(not a T-Q guy) I've had a couple of offers to rebuild it but I also know their work, if you know what I mean. besides they are ch@#y Quadra-Puke guys...Thanks for the info tho.. anyone else have ideas?, thrown yer .02 cents worth in. ... Also your welcome C4C.

 

The Mopar electronic conversion kit has the distributor, the electronic ignition box, and the wiring, along with very good inxtructions. You can normally get it from a dealer, a parts supply store, summit, jegs, or even e-bay. I think I got my kit off e-bay for about $85, which is a pretty good deal. Normal price on them is about $200. See link: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/DCC-3690426/

I like Thermoquads too, just get it right and you have a Great carb. And yea, use a light, it makes a difference.

BTW C4C, I got ya beat in age too, 55, almost 56... heck I was a waiter at the Last Supper

 

The lean-burn dizzys didnt have centrifigal advance weights in them, or vac advance. All the timing changes were done by the computer. There should be a timing mark at least for TDC. But yeah, X3 what Buck and C4C said.

 

Dunno if this is legal to the forum or not, but I was just posting some stuff on e-bay to sell, and this was laying here. Wiring harness from the Mopar Performance kit, the instructions, and if you can get a good electronic distributor from your friend, all you'd need would be the ignition box. This might save you a few bucks...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...STRK:MESELX:IT

 

Bid placed!!! guess need to keep my eyeball on it now....

 

LMAO!!! Thanks guys...I appreciate all the fast response and the welcomes...Guarantee I'll be lookin @ the whole forum for info etc. BTW I am going to try the paint roller paint job on this car... I do bodywork on the side also, and will try to get a pic of last car I did appox 2 years ago...Oh another btw what editing software have ya'll used to resize pics...I didn't have any luck with what I have and .... $&&*(^%*$%^%# !!!!

Opps ok found the post on HOW to do it lets see if i shrunk 'em enough...lol

Thanks again,

 

Pics are up in album.... See I can read and follow instructions!!!!!!!


P.S. I just noticed that my user name wasn't spelled correctly and no way to change it but I guess I'll get over it....

 

Hey you are in a Mopar forum, Old Dart works as well as Old fart.

 

Yeah I know but...... Its not quite the same....I wish I could get the 'f' in the proper place

 

haha
welcome to the forum

 

Welcome.

 

So i guess for a re-cap.... Dont bother with a test of the lean burn system? Distributor, electronic ign box and related wiring to do away with? Carb is up to me keep it if I can tune it or get someone to tune it..(i have been reading and they seem to be difficult to tune), Then just time with timing light. Where should it be timed? 6-8 btdc or what for starting point?.... I have been looking @ these alternatives for a carb....
Carter part no. 4131SH5 (this is supposedly an older chrysler carter) or HOLLEY 650 SPREADBORE 80555-1
Let me know if these are a good alternative.

 

Either of those carbs should work, just make sure if you have the Holley (and maybe the Carter) you have the throttle adaptor. It's a long rod that lets the passing gear linkage work as it should. That's a VERY important item with Chrysler auto tranny's

 

Awwwww shucks shouldn't have been nappin!!!

 

Tell ya what... I only have one set of the wires, but I think I have two sets of the instructions. The second set is missing the front page or so, and is from an earlier kit. I'll copy what I can from the complete instructions, and add them to the other instructions, and send that to you if you'll pm me an address. You can then hit most any car with electronic ignition and start chasing the wires you need down and cut them off that harness. How's that sound?

 

Kewel....

 

Ok I know dead thread BUT it is MY dead thread...lol An update to the Newport.... Changed carb with a unit from a 1971 440 Charger ( or so they say) I even kitted it myself and I was worried about nothing, they aren't that bad to kit. Early Electronic dizzy, some female spade connectors and parts layin around....(used GM module, Ford E-coil and various lengths of wire...) after doing the trial and error method i finally got spark, & lo and low and behold the old gal runs like a scalded a$$ ape....Still need to back the timing up some more, as it has some pinging under very hard acceleration, but I am happy now as I am getting about 13-14 mpg vs the 3 it was getting with the missing,loading up and timing so retarded it would not accelerate. Now on to the 'other' Newport I have acquired, but will have to let this blizzard get over with and have the funds, I DO know it needs a fuel pump for sure...lol So thanks guys for the help, and knowledge.