Carburetor Tuning in Southern California

[kryptik]

Hello guys,

I've been tinkering with my carburetor and timing for quite some time now to no avail. Engine combination is ZZ383, Air Gap intake, MSD ignition, Quickfuel SS-680cfm-VS, etc. Timing is set at 14 initial/32 total @3000-3200 RPM. TKO-600 into 9" Ford w/ 3:50 gears.

I recently installed an AEM UEGO wideband AFR gauge into my driver's side exhaust bank. At cruise I am getting AFR's of 12-13:1, idle around 13:1. When I push in my clutch (not braking), the engine drops RPM down to ~500, shudders (AFR goes off the scale, lean, past 17:1), then returns to an 850 RPM idle. The engine gets terrible fuel economy, seems to run pig-rich, lacks throttle response, does not sound crisp, etc. Some days it is better than others (the randomness is what stumps me).

My previous Quickfuel on my old Camaro bolted on and ran great right out of the box. This one has given me nothing but trouble. Some days she runs really strong with great throttle response, and other days the motor just feels so lazy and I have to give way more throttle to do the same amount of work (and the motor just does not sound as crisp...I know something is off). It seems very random.

Only other thing I can think of is that my ignition box (6AL-2 Digital), which was pulled from THIS accident, may be damaged. But, I always thought that digital equipment either works or it doesn't, so I figured the box was okay. Now I'm thinking that the erratic-ness of the problem could be something faulty in the ignition module?



I do not have time to do any major tinkering as I am currently away from home, in college.

I am looking for a reputable shop/tuner in the Southern California area who still knows their/his/her way around a carburetor and can help me get this car running as it should.

I seriously appreciate any and all help with this issue.

Thanks for your time,
Matt

[TwinSting]

What part of SoCal are you in? JR Twedt @ JR Competition in Escondido, CA is incredible with a carb! He is even running a special at his new shop for like $300 for complete carb tune. Call him if it is not to far for you. 760-745-4540

[kryptik]

What part of SoCal are you in? JR Twedt @ JR Competition in Escondido, CA is incredible with a carb! He is even running a special at his new shop for like $300 for complete carb tune. Call him if it is not to far for you. 760-745-4540

Thanks for the referral Shaun...I'm looking mainly in the Los Angeles area (The San Luis Obispo area/Central Coast also works for me as that is where I'm going to school). Escondido is a bit far, but if I can't find anyone else I may make that trip over spring break.

Matt

[rrelco]

call these guys they made both my Demons run excellent

Thank you for support & patience after our fire incident. We are now operational at our temporary
location. The address is:
11822 Greenstone ave.
Santa fe springs, CA 90670

(562) 946-1388

Thank you,

C & J

[DarkoNova]

I've also heard nothing but good things about The Carb Shop.

http://www.customcarbs.com/

The Carb Shop
1461 E. Philadelphia
Ontario, CA 91761
Phone: (909) 947-3575
Fax: (909) 947-7495

[kryptik]

call these guys they made both my Demons run excellent

Thank you for support & patience after our fire incident. We are now operational at our temporary
location. The address is:
11822 Greenstone ave.
Santa fe springs, CA 90670

(562) 946-1388

Thank you,

C & J

I'll check em out...do you know the name of the business?

And I would have taken my car to the Carb Shop but they do not do "on-car" tuning/work.

Thanks guys, any other suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Matt

[rrunner68]

SMI,
Sean Murphy Induction. I just got my Double Pumper back from them today. Looks good.

[Pro Stock]

X2 on that, ask for Bob, they can pull your carb and run it on their dyno in order to determine if it's a carb or fuel delivery problem

I've also heard nothing but good things about The Carb Shop.

http://www.customcarbs.com/

The Carb Shop
1461 E. Philadelphia
Ontario, CA 91761
Phone: (909) 947-3575
Fax: (909) 947-7495

[kryptik]

X2 on that, ask for Bob, they can pull your carb and run it on their dyno in order to determine if it's a carb or fuel delivery problem

I can almost guarantee it's not a fuel delivery problem. Brand new Carter Street pump, pushrod (correct one), all new lines, new tank, fuel pressure is 6-6.5psi, new pickup/sock filter, new 100 micron high-flow paper filter post-pump, etc.

Plus, the engine runs pretty decent wide-open throttle, it's just around-town part-throttle driving and idle that tends to be very erratic.

[rrelco]

C&J Engineering

[Shaker455]

Hello guys,

I've been tinkering with my carburetor and timing for quite some time now to no avail. Engine combination is ZZ383, Air Gap intake, MSD ignition, Quickfuel SS-680cfm-VS, etc. Timing is set at 14 initial/32 total @3000-3200 RPM. TKO-600 into 9" Ford w/ 3:50 gears.

I recently installed an AEM UEGO wideband AFR gauge into my driver's side exhaust bank. At cruise I am getting AFR's of 12-13:1, idle around 13:1. When I push in my clutch (not braking), the engine drops RPM down to ~500, shudders (AFR goes off the scale, lean, past 17:1), then returns to an 850 RPM idle. The engine gets terrible fuel economy, seems to run pig-rich, lacks throttle response, does not sound crisp, etc. Some days it is better than others (the randomness is what stumps me).

My previous Quickfuel on my old Camaro bolted on and ran great right out of the box. This one has given me nothing but trouble. Some days she runs really strong with great throttle response, and other days the motor just feels so lazy and I have to give way more throttle to do the same amount of work (and the motor just does not sound as crisp...I know something is off). It seems very random.

Only other thing I can think of is that my ignition box (6AL-2 Digital), which was pulled from THIS accident, may be damaged. But, I always thought that digital equipment either works or it doesn't, so I figured the box was okay. Now I'm thinking that the erratic-ness of the problem could be something faulty in the ignition module?

I do not have time to do any major tinkering as I am currently away from home, in college.

I am looking for a reputable shop/tuner in the Southern California area who still knows their/his/her way around a carburetor and can help me get this car running as it should.

I seriously appreciate any and all help with this issue.

Thanks for your time,
Matt

Matt,
I know this guy from the PY forum.

He's a good tuner in Van Nuys
http://www.hkmotorsportsdynoshop.com/

[kryptik]

Matt,
I know this guy from the PY forum.

He's a good tuner in Van Nuys
http://www.hkmotorsportsdynoshop.com/

Thanks a lot Jeff,

I'll check it out.

Cheers,
Matt

[TheBandit]

Matt,

I used to go to a guy out in Santa Paula who was pretty good at tuning a carb and was happy to do so with me present and riding along to get a feel for the changes. He taught me a few things and didn't charge much. I can't remember his name, but he and his dad ran a shop called HJK. I'm pretty sure they're still around. He's good at diagnosis too. They work on and build a lot of classic cars.

HJK Performance Machine
1401 East Main Street
Santa Paula, CA 93060-2964
(805) 525-4453

I live in Oxnard, not far from TO and I graduated from Cal Poly also (MS mechanical engineering). I'm happy to see you survived the accident in your Camaro.

[LUACE]

C&J Engineering

X2, C&J have been around for years. The are located in Whittier. http://www.candjengineering.com/

[THE TECH]

C&J did my distributor and does great work