new here, "new" project

hey all, this being my first post, i hope i fall in properly... :D

i just bought a 1969 chevy el camino with a straight 6 250 in it.
http://www.fausett.org/elcaminoproject/eb1.jpg
http://www.fausett.org/elcaminoproject/eb5.jpg

it appears to miss a bit, at idle, but not all the time, and not "every" time. when you get on the throttle, it seems to pattern out, and run better. at idle it has the usual lifter clicking, but other than that it appears to run fine.

any ideas for the missing? or things i MUST do as far as fix up/dress up/performance mods? glad i found this place. i hope i can lend as much as i borrow :D


drew

Welcome. It looks like you have a good looking start.

I would start by checking the spark plugs. You can tell a lot by how they're burning. A tune-up might be in order. Plugs, points, plug wires, etc may solve the problem.

A low-speed or idle miss might be a vacuum leak. A vacuum leak will smooth out with more rpms. But then again an irregular miss may not be felt as much with higher rpms.

thanks a bunch! i'm excited about this project, i haven't had a "project" vehicle in about 8 years, which has been frustrating, i'm 26, and my last rebuild/restore was a 1971 ford f100 that i did in highschool, and the one before that was a friend's 71 mach 1 mustang.
so it'll be good to brush the tools off and get working. I've never had the pleasure of working on a straight6 before, so it's kinda new to me.
i'm doing the plugs/wires/points tune up, to see if that helps, probably do that tomorrow evening.
it didn't sound like a vacuum leak, but it's always what you don't expect. i'll keep everyone posted!

anybody have any other resources on the 250 chevy?

thanks again!


drew

If the miss really does go away when the car is being driven, especially under load, then I would suspect a faulty plug wire/spark plug, in which case, your tune up should remedy.

Other suggestions about vacuum, etc. are valid as well, but my first guess would be a plug wire.

T

Welcome to CHR. Great looking 69. Just looking at you engine bay, it looks as though your plug wires or some of them look bad which might be causing your problem. Have fun with it.:D

clifford performance makes good straight six parts...expensive but good... you can reach them at cliffordperformance.com

thanks everyone! i'm really looking forward to a fun project.

here's quiz question two!

the paint... after rust removal, keep it yellow? or go something like a deep burgundy with a gold flake and then black racing stripes or the inverse of those?


thanks for the compliments and ideas!!!

drew

Nice el camino. I'm a big elky fan, am currentlly working on a 67. You don't see to many 69's with a L6, at least I haven't most tend to be V8's. Would be nice with a big block, but than again with the price of gas i'd keep the 6, and that way it stays all original.

I tend to agree with the rest of the guys that your miss most likely is a plug/wire issue. A good tune up should fix it.

I would keep it yellow. But than again I like yellow. What color is the interior? That will help determine the color for the exterior. The burgundy would be cool also, not quite sure about the gold flake. Just please don't go with red. It seems as every other car at shows is red. I tend to go right past red cars, and i don't score them as high when i judge shows. Red is almost a kiss of death when i am judging. Th only thing worse are those stupid cry baby dolls. I wont' even consider a car that as one of those by it. OK i'm done with my rant.

Looks like a nice start to your project. And welcome to the club.

the interior is a heinz57 to a certain extent... the carpet and buckets are black. the dash, and doors and headliner are greenishbrownish... kinda olive actually.

drew

another question from the newbie...
i just bought (from ebay) a set of retractable seatbelts out of a late model car, i double checked measurements before buying, so the mounts are fine, my question is this...
The seller retracted the belts all the way back into the housing, and now i can't seem to get them to unwind... any suggestions?
do i need to take the covers off the side of the retractor mechanism?
here's a picture...
http://www.fausett.org/elcaminoproject/belts.jpg

i realize the picture is dark, but it's all i've got at the moment.
thanks in advance for any help!!!

Drew