Well, I have been trying to get my '68 back in the water all summer and I am getting closer.
I just want to alert all you Holley owners. I put a brand new Holley 450CFM 4V on top of my brand new powder coated Edlebrock manifold. I cleaned the distributor, replaced the water intake hoses, the spark plugs with brand new Motorcraft AGSF32FMs (for GT40P heads), turned the idle mixture screws out 2 turns and fired that baby right up. I quickly adjusted the choke and set the timing to 12 Deg. She was running absolutely great! I was so happy. After about 45 minute the 289 developed a miss. It got worse and to keep it running I had to open the throttle. It still got worse. It died. I tried to crank it and it backfired severely.
I pulled the plugs and found they were very very black and sooty - carbon fouled.
I pulled off the flame arrestor to make sure the choke was open and it was.
I called Holley tech support to confirm proper jetting for a small V8 and confirmed the jetting was OK. I asked if there was any chance they shipped it with incorrect jets and he said NO - NEVER.
The tech told me to tighten the fuel bowl bolts. He said that some gasket was leaking (on the inside). This sounded hoeky to me and they seemed tight to me but who am I to argue with the Holley tech? I cranked down on them. I cleaned the plugs, fired the 289 up, ran it for 45 minutes at idle then for a half hour about 2500RPMS. Shut it down and pulled #4 spark plug (closet to the PVC inlet on the intake) and found the the plug to look clean and grayish-white.
The plug fouling problem seems cured.
This is the first I have heard of the "tightening the bowl" requirement for new Holley carbs. Just passing along the info.
BTW, I want to be a Grand Poobah too.
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Happy owner of a '66 and a '68 Mustang
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