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Classic/Antique Car Repair/My 1964 Chevy Nova II

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Expert: Paul Wilczynski - 3/21/2009


Question
Hello , I have a 1964 Chevy Nova II with a 230 inline six under the hood. As of today, I noticed that when I drive the car, it stalls out when I come to a stop. The car has been running a little rough lately and my first thought was that the timing needed to be adjusted. When I put gas in the car the other day it overflowed on me....so I  thought maybe it had something to do with that...but I'm leaning more toward the timing issue. If you have any ideas, please let me know..and thankyou for your time.

                                      Brian

Answer
Brian, my first thought is carburetor. Sounds like a float problem to me, but it could be ignition, too. Check in the following order:

1. Timing
2. Point gap/dwell
3. Plugs and wires

I'd check the carb first, though, followed by fuel filter and fuel pump. Sounds like it's starving out.

--Paul

Classic/Antique Car Repair

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Paul Wilczynski

Expertise

Most questions involving vintage car restoration, mechanical and body, paint and upholstery. Parts sourcing. Extensive experience in wood-bodied station wagons, British and French cars of the '40s through '70s. Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, Sunbeam Alpine and Tiger, Citroen Maserati, VW Beetle, 1955-65 Chevrolet (especially Nomad station wagons), Corvair.

Experience

Wide-ranging and long-term. I owned a restoration shop in the 1970s, continue to dabble in vintage exotics. At one time, had a seven-car collection of contemporary exotics which I had restored and maintained myself. When I was 18 years old, I designed a woodie kit for the VW Beetle, which I developed into a product which was featured on television and in over 100 magazines and 25 books at last count. I still own and drive one of my creations. I owned a design and fabrication consultancy from 1982-2002, specializing in show car fabrication for manufacturers including Ford, Mazda, GM, Subaru, Mitsubishi, etc. Since 2003, I have been a department manager in Industrial Design, and a full-time instructor in automotive design and fabrication at the university level. My students go on to design automobiles as staff designers for major auto manufacturers worldwide.

Organizations
Western Automotive Journalists, Industrial Design Society of America.

Publications
Long list of magazines and books, including Playboy, VW Trends, VW Greats, Hot VWs, and European automotive magazines.

Education/Credentials
I teach design and fabrication at university level. My education is in Industrial Design, University of Illinois (1966-1970).

Awards and Honors
Many awards for restorations in local concours and shows.

Past/Present Clients
Mazda, Ford, GM, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Honda, Toyota, Chrysler, Mercedes, Porsche.

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