Expert: Brad Sears - 3/13/2008

Question
I recently bought a 56 Ford F100, which I believe has the original 272 V8 in
it.  It runs, and it actually runs strong considering the age of it.  When i
bought it the owner had a plastic oil quart can hooked up to show that the
engine fired off and ran, but obviously not for long.  After buying it, the gas
tank was removed, cleaned and put back in and filled with gas.  After having
the generator rebuilt, voltage regulator replaced, new coil, new spark plugs,
charged the battery, we figured it would fire right off and purr.  Well, we did
get it to start once and run, but after that, it will start and then seems like it
just runs out of gas and dies.  

I do have a new set of points and a condenser to swap in, along with new
spark plug wires.  

What do you think is going on?  

Thanks
Chuck Karl

Answer
Well it might be a bad fuel pump, a hole in the fuel line between the fuel tank and the fuel pump, or a carburetor full of glop. The points might be bad but it does not sound like that is the problem. If it were me I would have the carburetor off and on the bench checking the action of the needle valve under the float and make sure that the jets and passages are clean. Then set the float and replace the carburetor. You also want to make sure that the fuel pump is delivering gas to the carburetor. Finish the cleaning of the fuel system, the cleaning of the tank was only step one.
Brad