85 351 4door Vic **DUW**

[1987cp]

Whoops. Got this thread mixed up with someone else's and thought you were working on a SEFI car for some reason!

[johnunit]

no biggie, what you sent me would work anyway. I'm actually thinking that might be the idea is to mount what you showed the pic of on the firewall, so that I can change both filters in the same spot and without a jack/lift.

[1987cp]

Not quite sure I follow there, as a carb car won't normally have a filter underneath except for the screen on the fuel pickup ....

Also, on the low pressure carbruleted system you can save $10 and get one of the cheaper Summit brand canister filters. Or do like most of us and use a regular $3 inline filter from your favorite local parts store. :p

[johnunit]

I might just do the in-line filter thing, but what I was trying to say is:

since I've already got a filter in the engine bay, but am not really comfortable with that one crappy filter doing the job, I might mount something like the one you posted on the firewall as a supplement, unless it's more complex than line-in, line-out somehow.

[1987cp]

Oh, okay, I see.

I think it'd be a little troublesome with a mechanical fuel pump, since you'd have to run a rubber or braided line from the engine to the filter and back again. I might make a little more sense with an electric pump, since then you'd have to have a flexible line going to the engine anyhow.

[johnunit]

I had an epic fail a few days back.

Tried to untighten the fuel filter to switch it out (didn't have the right replacement anyway) and let a wrench slip. I broke the fuel line, and this was in auto class, outside the actual garage. Spent the rest of the school day getting to curse at and grapple with my car in plain view of most of the school. I managed to get a neoprene line in there temporarily.


The car has been a hard starter when cold since I got it, but recently I've been getting a severe hesitation off-idle. If I give it throttle (doesn't seem to matter how much) and it's not TOTALLY warm, it usually just bogs and stutters from a start, to the point where I managed to stall it at a stop sign. Luckily, three of the hottest girls in school were there to cheer me on.
The bog lasts anywhere from half a second to 3 or 4 seconds.
What could be causing this? I haven't changed anything tuning wise, and there's no new sound or anything like that. I've been running it with fuller tanks of gas and always use good stations so it's not bad gas.

Anyone with experience on VV carbs who can help me will be owed a beer.

[P72Ford]

The VV is not fun. Nathan in MN rebuilt the one that was on his '89 P72. You may wish to consult him on this. Rather than even attempt it with mine, I just replaced it with a 4bbl. However, I farted some with mine.

If you have a hard time getting it started, the choke may not be working. Check to make sure you have a valid 12V switched source at the choke, and that the choke wiring is intact. You can also make sure that the choke linkage is functional as well. It may be stuck open (mine used to stick closed). If it appears to be gunked up, spray it down with some carb cleaner. It might not be a bad idea to remove the carb and clean it.

As for the stumbling off idle, I struggled with that with the first carb on my '88. I swapped carbs, and before long it started doing it again. I believe the accelerator pump goes bad; that is inside the small bowl at the rear of the carb. I think the little diaphragm ruptures, causing the issue.

You can attempt a rebuild, or pay someone to do it, or you can swap on a different VV. I was afraid to do mine when I had less knowledge of carburetors, but now I'd probably attempt it.

A 4 bbl swap is not a terrible project, and the cost varies with what you use for parts. It cost me close to 700 with all new parts.

[1987cp]

Gnater was pretty happy with is VV following the rebuild. I rode in it when he came down for the Detroit meet in '07, and was fairly impressed. He's not been driving that car lately pending a 4V and 5-speed swap, possibly his nice rebuilt VV would be up for sale?

[johnunit]

The VV is not fun. Nathan in MN rebuilt the one that was on his '89 P72. You may wish to consult him on this. Rather than even attempt it with mine, I just replaced it with a 4bbl. However, I farted some with mine.

If you have a hard time getting it started, the choke may not be working. Check to make sure you have a valid 12V switched source at the choke, and that the choke wiring is intact. You can also make sure that the choke linkage is functional as well. It may be stuck open (mine used to stick closed). If it appears to be gunked up, spray it down with some carb cleaner. It might not be a bad idea to remove the carb and clean it.

As for the stumbling off idle, I struggled with that with the first carb on my '88. I swapped carbs, and before long it started doing it again. I believe the accelerator pump goes bad; that is inside the small bowl at the rear of the carb. I think the little diaphragm ruptures, causing the issue.

You can attempt a rebuild, or pay someone to do it, or you can swap on a different VV. I was afraid to do mine when I had less knowledge of carburetors, but now I'd probably attempt it.

A 4 bbl swap is not a terrible project, and the cost varies with what you use for parts. It cost me close to 700 with all new parts.

Thanks, I'll check the choke stuff for sure. I've noticed very little difference between when I supposedly set the choke and don't when starting, so this would make sense.

I kinda want to keep it with the original VV, partly as a challenge and because of the originality of it, but also because I've heard from a lot of local owners who had 351Ws that they never saw nearly the mileage after a 4 barrel swap as they did with a well tuned VV.

[1987cp]

Theoretically, you should be able to get excellent fuel economy with a small 4V if you can manage to drive around on only the primaries. For example, the 500cfm Edelbrock AFB's primary venturi probably flow at most 40% of the total flow capacity, or around 200cfm max. That means excellent vacuum signal and part-throttle response as long as you stay out of the secondaries.

[johnunit]

well, I don't trust myself to stay out of the secondaries.

[1987cp]

Then you'll be getting crappy fuel economy even in an old 1.6L Escort.

[johnunit]

no, if I was in an old escort, I'd be parked, somewhere that no one could see me.

[1987cp]

:lol:

[johnunit]

I think I've mentioned before that the plastic intake tubing has cracks and pieces missing, and generally looks like ass. It's also, obviously, more restrictive than Victorian dress code.

So, in the short term (before/instead of getting a replacement OEM one with no holes) I'm thinking either just take the whole thing off, so that the intake tubing is just the metal part directly attatched to the air filter area or make new tubing somehow that is less nasty looking and maybe less restrictive.

So for the 351W guys, and the CFI guys, and whoever else had the same air intake setup (check first page for underhood pic, midway through the big pic post), have you done either of these, and did you notice a difference? I know there's the old warm air vs. more restriction debate when I take off the tubing, but what was the seat-of-the-pants verdict? If anyone has done the custom air intake routing, how did you do it and again, was there a noticeable difference? Does it sound different? Fuel economy difference? Anything like that. I think it'd be a nice spot to start with going in a more performance direction while I dig around for some of the more pricey things I have to do.