Mark Maras

Learned something new. zKars is correct about plates warping in old batterys. It happens when the electrolyte level drops below the tops of the plates leaving room for hydrogen gas at the top. The vibration of starting the engine probably caused the warped plates to get close enough to each other to cause a spark.

The electrolyte in a charging battery breaks down and emits Hyd. gas. Likely the closed battery access flap and a closed hood allowed the gas to accumulate under the hood until there was a spark under the hood. I blew up a 12v battery in a generator welder some years ago. The battery was enclosed but somehow a spark from my welding found it's way inside. The result sounded much like yours. Time to break out the baking soda and water.

Curious if the diameter at the base of the sheet metal groove is 7/8" on both of them? In other words, does the new one just larger diameter flanges?

Ditto to all of the above. Some car and engine history would be helpful too..

@siteunseen, as long as you've brought up sweet sounding hybrids, I thought about your lawnmower when I saw this. You might want to upgrade. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=838645199628824&id=838631229630221

Home Depot has a water activated fiberglass wrap (PowerWrap) made for plumbing leaks. I've not used it on floorboards but it did work great on iron pipe.

I think the latest option is probably the most realistic. Any discount available for the less than perfect bumper and will the insurance cover the extra expense of repair and re-chrome? Good luck at the show this weekend. Question for the knowledgeable. Are the bumper guards from a 77 compatible (current wrecked bumper) with the bumper guards on an early 76 (replacement bumper)? It would be nice to be able to select the best looking ones from either bumper.

I'd try the straw first as Cliff suggested first but it sounds like you'll need to remove the float chamber covers and check the needles and seats for foreign matter in them and check the float level. You may need new gaskets for this procedure. There is another way to check float levels without removing the covers. One can remove the suction chambers and pistons, (no gaskets needed, be careful not to bend the mixture needles) look down at the top of the fuel nozzle. The fuel level should be just below (no more than 1/16") the top of the nozzle. I'm betting you'll see fuel above the nozzle. BTW, your nozzles should be about 2 1/2 turns down if the float level is right. Another BTW, the fuel pressure should run about 3 - 3 1/2 pounds of pressure. Much more than that and the pressure can overcome the ability of the needles and seats to shut off the fuel supply to the float chamber.

A strap wrench on the vibration dampener might work but if you've soaked the cylinders for a few days it's time to use the car's mass and inertia. I doubt you'll have to tow it. With the spark plugs removed just push it forward in 1st or 2nd and pop the clutch. If you need to push it backward be sure the trans is in reverse.

@882993md A rich setting won't account for the fuel in the air filter. Another possibility is the float levels being set way too high allowing fuel to pool on top of the nozzles. I suggest this because you did start the engine and I'm assuming it ran OK. I don't think it would have run very well with stuck needles. How easy did it it start and how well did it run?

LEDs or flashbacks?

Autobody101.com is a good site to pick up some repair info.

I've used both types over the years. Never had a problem with either as long as the fuel is clean.

You can mask them but I'd pull the headlights now. It'll make them easier to remove the next time you install a new headlight and it will also allow the elec. plugs to the headlights to be cleaned up. Corrosion and poor conductivity on these is frequently part of the reason for dim lights.

There is no easy way to remove the headlights. Jack stands, pull the wheels and crawl into the fender wells and remove the screws (use penetrating oil) that hold the headlight buckets in place. Anti-seize the screw threads when reinstalling. You'll be glad you did. The screws visible on the outside are adjusters.

Congratulations. Looks like progress. Now drive it normal for a week and take another look at the plugs.

Your cam appears to be fairly mild grind. Been looking back in older CZCC threads concerning SM needles. The consensus of opinion (curiously except Bruce Palmer) was that the SM's were too rich for a stock engine or a mild build. An interesting suggestion to lean rich mixture needles was to physically lower them (pull them out) .020" from the standard position. You might try that and see if the over-rich condition improves.

First things first. I still would like to know if the difference in color between #4 & #5 plugs is normally what you find when you pull the plugs and I'd still like to see the compression test readings. I know very little about the cam you selected and how "hot" it is but I'm beginning to believe that dealing with traffic and warm temperatures you may be better off with a cam closer to, if not, OEM and OEM needles. Keep in mind this is only one opinion. Other's may differ. The over-sized pistons will make little to no difference when it comes to the carbs. OEM Hitachi's work just fine on 2.8s. Taking a trip on the "WayBack Machine", this reminds of fooling around with small block Fords and Chevy's in the late 1960's. It was common to stuff a bigger cam into them and usually over carb them too. The result was similar to the symptoms you're experiencing. Lousy response at low RPMs. Loaded up plugs. Poor all around driveability on the street. Not saying that you won't get it running well, but the changes from stock aren't an asset at this point in time. Now back to # 4 & #5 plug colors. Is that normal?

Any more than light pressure on the glass after you think it's cut loose will end catastrophically. BTDT

Ditto to all of the above. I think driving in the rain is much worse. The water gets thrown up under the car. There are a lot more sheet metal seams and nooks and crannies that are exposed to moisture under the car than on top.

IMO, drive it normally before checking plug color. General opinion, that I've read, is the SM's are a bit richer a low RPM's.

Don't richen it up yet. Refresh my memory please. What needles are you running? Meanwhile, just drive it for a week, pull the plugs and send pics.

I agree with your diagnosis. The needle valve appears to be the problem.

The old one looks to be usable if it's massaged a bit. Maybe if the body shop didn't have to spend time on that piece they could repair the small rust spots by the windshield instead. It's worth a try.

Moog and Timken are good replacement brands. I would also add Spicer u-joints to the list.