Old time poster here, used to post 10 years back or so, before the forum when it was more a mailing list.
Anyhow still have my bird, though I have had some serious offers on it, none that made me pull the trigger. Has been sitting in my garage for 4 years, haven;t even started it. Was covered, and had boxes, junk and everything else stacked on it. I have a wood working shop of sorts in my garage, so it was literally covered in dust and I practically forgot it was there. My love has been rekindled, I cleaned her off and detailed her a bit but I was thinking, no way is she going to start after sitting all that time. I was going to pump out the tank, take off and clean the carb ect. In the end I just got a junkyard battery and tried firing her up, on the 4th crank she caught and sounded great. After half a minute or so I started getting paranoid thinking gas may be squirting on the headers or something so I shut her down, no leaks at all. So far so good, no tranny fluid showing on the dipstick though so I think the gasket must have dry rotted, next step is to check into that, and also the brakes, and might try to take her around the block sometime next week.
Questions are these - Long vac line coming off the carb, which I remember putting the metal sleeve on - For the life on me, can't figure out where it goes. Also, looks like some type of stock connector for something, located around the passenger side firewall .. I know the pic is none too good but does this thing ring a bell for anyone ?
I can't help too much on your questions. On our '67 there are two vacuum lines off the carb. One goes to the vacuum advance on the distributor and the other (I think) goes to a vacuum resivour can up under the LF fender on the firewall. Nice looking bird, get out there and enjoy it! Cal
That connector looks like either the oil pressure switch or the blower motor, they would both be in that vicinity.
That looks like the hot air feed for the aftermarket choke set-up, they usually went down to the exhaust manifold to some type of thinga-ma-jig to fasten it there. Carter carbs had that set-up...I think???
Turns out the hose is coming off/going to the engine, not the carb. Of course the other end could be going to the carb, but I have nothing I can find where it goes, as I said it must be this length for a reason. Carb is a rochester qjet btw.
I'll figure it out, a couple more quick questions. Where would I find the engine code ? I remember searching a decade ago and I think the numbers did not match, but I want to check again. Saw a 4 digit code under the pass side valve cover on the block, and another same location but more towards the firewall on drivers side. Also, what kind of tranny fluid is best for 1st gen birds ? I have a surplus of dexron 3 but not sure it would be a match [400 auto]
(1) The Q-jet pictured is not from a 1st gen. It's a later model. Has the hot air choke and a different choke linkage, plus one of the big "smokestack" vents which Pontiac used form '71-'79. The intake is also from a later '70's engine, because it has the big EGR valve coming out the side, just below the carb. The most common engines which used these intakes and carbs were the '75-'78' 400's, with a 500557 or 568557 casting number block and 6x casting heads. I believe I can just barely make out a 6x on the head pictured in your 1st post.
(2) You can make a positive ID on the engine by locating three different numbers. (#1) The block casting number which is located on a pad, below the rear end of the head, on the passenger side--just behind #8 cylinder. (#2) The block date code, which is just behind and to the side of the dist hole. The 1st digit is the month, the next 2 digits are the day of the month, and the last digit is the last digit of the year the block was cast. (#3) The engine code, which is just under the passenger side head, on the front of the block. Most of these codes have 2 digits--some have 3. It could be something like a YX, or a WT or something similar.
Then, armed with these numbers and codes, you can look 'em up in one or more of several online Pontiac engine ID sites. Some sites have the wrong info. But most sites have most of the info correct. The Wallace site has a good engine ID page. You can enter the info you know about the engine and it will give you the possibilities of which engine you have, based on the info given. The more info you enter, the more precise the results will be. So, get the numbers and codes I mentioned and plug 'em into the blanks and see what turns up.
You can't always make a positive ID with just the engine code alone, because Pontiac used the same code on different engines. For example, the same 2-letter code may have been used on a 301, 350, 400, and 455, but only one of these in a particular model year.
The most common 400 block casting numbers were 481988 from '71 thru early '75, 500557 from late '75-'76, 568557 from sometime in '77 thru '78, and XX481988 for the W-72 400's in '78 and '79. The last 400 blocks were actually cast in '77. Can't find where anyone has run across a date code later than about Nov of '77.
(3) The heads that are on your motor may not be what came on the motor. But you can get the casting code off them and check 'em out on some of the Pontiac head ID charts.
(4) Dexron is OK. Back in the old days, we were told to use Type F, because it was supposed to withstand just a bit more heat than Dexron. But I don't think it was really that much better.
I may have missed it in here, but in case it didn't get answered. That part you have the green arrow pointing to, is that where your mystery hose goes to? Because I believe the other end of that goes to the underside of the air cleaner, it's just an air intake.
A TH400 originally called for Dexron II fluid but you can't buy that anymore. The Dexron III is fine, like Oldskool said. That's what I run in mine.
-=>Lee<=- Due to budget constraints the "light at the end of the tunnel" has been turned off!
Thanks again for all the helpful info, should be able to nail down engine info with that. Yeah "type F", thats what I recall using, glad dexron is Ok because I have a batch of it handy. I'm assuming I have a pan gasket leak but theres just 1 way to find out for sure.
My air cleaner has no fitting on it anywhere, so the hose didn't go there. By its length and the way its "bent", I should be able to nail it down but still nothing, every port within reach is either taken or capped, must be well hidden. Car starts and idles and sounds great, but after 10 seconds or so it starts to die out, and unless it is revved up it does die. I'm thinking this hose might have something to do with that, or at least hoping. Might be a timing issue as well, or possibly fuel filter. Did a basic tuneup, if the tranny fluid doesn't leak all over the floor will probably take her for a spin this week.
Ran into significant brake problems, have 0 pedal. Filled MC and no leaks detected, have the feeling the lines have more air than fluid. Wrecked the 2 rear drums beating them off, so those will be replaced. 2 cylinders look shot so I'll probably replace all 4, and do the brake pads while I'm at it. With that done, I'll bleed them and hopefully will be good to go.
Replaced all brake shoes, drums & cylinders. Bled the brakes and unfortunately still have no pedal. Noticed a small leak where the master cylinder meets the booster, likely the culprit.
Any good way to diagnose whether its the MC, booster or both ?
Symptoms: With car not running brakes feel low but not terribly low. With it started they instantly go terribly low.
Was getting ready to bench bleed the new cylinder, figured I might as well pull the old one first.
Turns out this MC has a boot/gasket that looks nothing like the one that came with the new one. Went to the parts store when I got it and the guy said the only place I'd find something like that would be yearone. Anyone been down this road already, something so [censored] simple and now I'm going to have to wait days ? I can't see how the new boot would do any good at all, its very thin and bulbous, not even close to the shape of the original. Browsed around online at yearone & ames, don't see anything like it. I have a NPD within driving range.
Also I am noticing that the contact point for the brake pushrod in the old MC is a good inch or 2 inside the MC body, whereas the new one is right in front ,,, Don;t see evidence of it but could this plate have just flat out deteriorated and buckled ?