My son Ben bought his first car, a '61 lark, last fall. More about the purchase here in our intro.
We are starting to do some minor work on the car here and there, so I thought I'd post a "build" thread of sorts, to house a running chronicle of the project.
A quick update on where we are now with the car...
Last fall after getting the car home, we had some issues with the fuel system... Checked all the simple stuff like fuel filter, vented gas cap, etc. Put the car away for winter before figuring out the problem.
Got the car out this spring, and drove it around a bit. Was running ok, but went through the carb anyway, to see if there was anything obvious that was causing the stalling last winter. Didn't find anyting...
The old generator wasn't charging much. I opened the hood to check it out, and when I turned on the key, it let the smoke out of itself... Instead of trying to find another one or get the old one rebuilt, I replaced it with a Mopar alternator. Works great, keeps the new battery charged.
We drove the car on occasion, less than a mile or so each time. It runs, but not well. I think the carb needs more help than I can give it, the engine surges, and stumbles. Driving it one evening, I discovered that the tail lights and one brake light weren't working.
We sorted out the inoperable tail lights last week, which turned out to be a quick fix. The wire to the tail lights was plugged into the wrong spot on the head light switch...
With all of the lights now working, we decided to venture forth on Saturday to run an errand to the auto parts store that is about 6 miles away. The car is still on ancient bias ply tires, so we took it slow on back roads, cruising along at about 20mph. The car did great, all things considered. We made it to the parts place without issue, got the stuff we needed, and headed back home. About half way home though, it started running crappy, eventually cutting out completely here and there. I was able to keep it running enough to make it a block from home, when it just wouldn't run at all. We pushed it the last block, and let it sit for the afternoon.
This is the first time we have driven the car for more than a mile. I want to drive it around a bit to determine what it is going to need to be a reliable daily for my son... The list is getting longer...
It seemed that the stalling issue had disappeared, but then again, we didn't drive it more than around the block a few times.
After this weekend's adventure, it seems to me that it is vapor locking. After sitting long enough to cool down, it runs fine until it gets warm again. The engine temps don't seem over normal operating temps.=. Other than cleaning the carb, haven't yet done anything with the fuel system. Going to check the fuel pump pressure, check the fuel lines to see if they are too close to the hot stuff, etc. The car already has a cheap electric fuel pump at the tank, but I'm not sure if it is doing anything. Might also add a return line to the tank.
The car came with a trunk full of spare parts and new rubber seals. This weekend we installed the new rubber on the driver's door. Next will be the passenger front door, and the trunk.
Working on finishing up a Willys Wagon project for my oldest son, so the Lark project will be little bits at a time for now.
More to come...
Pete
We are starting to do some minor work on the car here and there, so I thought I'd post a "build" thread of sorts, to house a running chronicle of the project.
A quick update on where we are now with the car...
Last fall after getting the car home, we had some issues with the fuel system... Checked all the simple stuff like fuel filter, vented gas cap, etc. Put the car away for winter before figuring out the problem.
Got the car out this spring, and drove it around a bit. Was running ok, but went through the carb anyway, to see if there was anything obvious that was causing the stalling last winter. Didn't find anyting...
The old generator wasn't charging much. I opened the hood to check it out, and when I turned on the key, it let the smoke out of itself... Instead of trying to find another one or get the old one rebuilt, I replaced it with a Mopar alternator. Works great, keeps the new battery charged.
We drove the car on occasion, less than a mile or so each time. It runs, but not well. I think the carb needs more help than I can give it, the engine surges, and stumbles. Driving it one evening, I discovered that the tail lights and one brake light weren't working.
We sorted out the inoperable tail lights last week, which turned out to be a quick fix. The wire to the tail lights was plugged into the wrong spot on the head light switch...
With all of the lights now working, we decided to venture forth on Saturday to run an errand to the auto parts store that is about 6 miles away. The car is still on ancient bias ply tires, so we took it slow on back roads, cruising along at about 20mph. The car did great, all things considered. We made it to the parts place without issue, got the stuff we needed, and headed back home. About half way home though, it started running crappy, eventually cutting out completely here and there. I was able to keep it running enough to make it a block from home, when it just wouldn't run at all. We pushed it the last block, and let it sit for the afternoon.
This is the first time we have driven the car for more than a mile. I want to drive it around a bit to determine what it is going to need to be a reliable daily for my son... The list is getting longer...
It seemed that the stalling issue had disappeared, but then again, we didn't drive it more than around the block a few times.
After this weekend's adventure, it seems to me that it is vapor locking. After sitting long enough to cool down, it runs fine until it gets warm again. The engine temps don't seem over normal operating temps.=. Other than cleaning the carb, haven't yet done anything with the fuel system. Going to check the fuel pump pressure, check the fuel lines to see if they are too close to the hot stuff, etc. The car already has a cheap electric fuel pump at the tank, but I'm not sure if it is doing anything. Might also add a return line to the tank.
The car came with a trunk full of spare parts and new rubber seals. This weekend we installed the new rubber on the driver's door. Next will be the passenger front door, and the trunk.
Working on finishing up a Willys Wagon project for my oldest son, so the Lark project will be little bits at a time for now.
More to come...
Pete
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