OK, what's wrong? Take a guess

[52 Ragtop]

I have a 64 Strato Blue ragtop in my garage (not mine) Guy dropped it off and said just take care of anything it needs! Needed a valve adjustment BAD, so, I pull the plug wires and valve covers and set the valves. Button it all back up, and all she would do is backfire and fart a few times through the carb.
I doubled checked the firing order, Looked for anything that I might have screwed up, nothing "ovious" I called Lee D. and asked him what he thought.
I got her running, runs great, no valve noise etc, but, I'll let you guys take a shot at what Lee said to check! <g. So, take your best shot! It's SO simple, almost unbelievable.

Jim

[BobPalma]

Jim: The three easiest mistakes (other than a body man doing mechanical work[:0], which is always a can of worms) are:

1. You started checking the firing order assuming #1 cylinder was on the right (not left) side of the engine.

2. You set the firing order assuming the rotor rotation was clockwise, instead of the correct counter-clockwise.

3. You assumed the Ford cylinder numbering sequence (1-2-3-4 on one side of the engine; 5-6-7-8 on the other side) instead of the Studebaker cylinder-numbering sequence.

You implied that you did not remove the distributor from the engine and assuming that is true, it rules out having re-installed it incorrectly.

(Sorry about the remark RE: body men doing mechanical work. It's not really a can of worms; it's usually a flat-out disaster.[8]) BP

[52 Ragtop]

Bob,
Wrong , wrong, wrong and right! I did not remove the dist. while setting the valves.

Jim

[41 Frank]

Did you pull the coil wire and it was shorting against something?

Frank van Doorn
1962 GT Hawk 4 speed
1963 Daytona Conv
1941 Champion R-2 Rod

[53k]

Had the wires one hole off? Put the wires in the cap then put it on 180 out?

[img=right]http://www.frontiernet.net/~thejohnsons/Forum%20signature%20pix/R-4.JPG[/img=right][img=right]http://www.frontiernet.net/~thejohnsons/Forum%20signature%20pix/64L.JPG[/img=right][img=right]http://www.frontiernet.net/~thejohnsons/Forum%20signature%20pix/64P.jpg[/img=right][img=right]http://www.frontiernet.net/~thejohnsons/Forum%20signature%20pix/53K.jpg[/img=right]Paul Johnson, Wild and Wonderful West Virginia
'53 Commander Starliner (since 1966)
'64 Daytona Wagonaire (original owner)
'64 Daytona Convertible (2006)
Museum R-4 engine
1962 Gravely Model L (Studebaker-Packard serial plate)
1972 Gravely Model 430 (Studebaker name plate, Studebaker Onan engine)

[52 Ragtop]

Frank & Paul
Nope, you won't believe it!

Jim

[bowss@aol.com]

Adjusted the intakes to the exhaust spec and the exhaust to the intake spec

[JDP]

Since they are the same clearance spec, I assume you mean something else.

JDP/Maryland

[wcarroll@outrageous.net]

Out of gas or bad ground??

http://community.webshots.com/user/s2dbaker?vhost=community

[allstateguy]

did you swap the coil wire with one of the plug wires??

Reviving an early Lark

[buddymander]

Did you forget to remove the feeler gauge from an intake valve?

[StudeDave57]

The top was down but the sun wasn't out. This happened because of the full moon last week- on an even numbered day- but you did the work on an odd numbered day. Seriously~ it happens out here in SoCal all the time!!! [:0] [B)] [xx(]
Either that or it was because you let the smoke out of one (or more) of the plug wires [?] [?] [?] Yeah, I may have made that last one up. [)]

StudeDave [8D]

[StudeRich]

Jim; did you fail to push the spark plug boots on the Plug Wires back up after they pulled down on removal? If one or two jumped the gap or were connected you COULD get the backfire. [:0]

StudeRich
Studebakers Northwest
Ferndale, WA

[leyrret]

Did you adjust valves in proper sequence?(each piston on compression with valves closed)

[LarkVIII]

Coil contact button fell out of the dist cap?

63VY4 Leakin' Lena Hagerstown MD