1985 CHP #E408395

[ChrisL]

I'm loving all of these '85 CHP cars coming to the surface right now. Can't wait to see more on the SMPV Bill..

[28HopUp]

Progress has been pathetically slow. Life has been keeping me out of the garage for the most part, but I have had some successes and setbacks with the car. Kris came over to the house this past weekend, and he and I set the timing and tried working with the Holley 4180C carb. Here's a shot where you can see the car is running from all of the black smoke -




That's Kris under the hood, and me at the wheel to keep it running and restart it as needed (with the garage door open - safety first!). The motor just wouldn't hold at idle, and that carb does not offer much in the way of adjustments. It was too late in the evening to keep working on the car (didn't want to upset the neighbors), so we called it a night. This week I plan to install the Holley from the SMPV to see if that helps or not. I may need to buy a new carb, but I would like to get the old gas out of the tank first (by driving it!). But it is getting CLOSER!

[kapracing]

I know your anxious to get it rapped up so you can get started in the SMPV... LOL

[Mustang Kid]

Need to rebuild the carb if you haven't already. I had the same problem with mine.
Other than that, it's looking good!

[28HopUp]

We installed the carb from the SMPV, which improved things quite a bit. We could tell there was a vacuum leak, but it took a while to determine that the diaphragm in the distributor's vacuum advance was bad. Regardless, I was determined to get the car inspected. I ran it through our state inspection lane, and was not surprised when it failed the emissions sniffer. But having taken the car through the lanes, I was able to get a 30-day temporary tag for the car -




Now I can break-in the motor with a fresh tank of 93, and continue sorting out the few things left to finish.

[ChrisL]

What a great looking car Bill!

[28HopUp]

Thanks Chris!

As an update, I installed an Edelbrock carb that was rebuilt to match the mild cam in my motor. Also replaced were: coil, coil harness plug, ignition wires, vacuum advance, cap, rotor, and plugs. The charcoal cannister was connected again, and all of the vacuum lines are connected/plugged. I ran the car through DMV inspection today and it failed again! The HC readings were no where close (10x the limit at idle!), but the CO levels were much closer to the required limits. I received another 30-day tag, and I now have to take the car to an approved Certified Emissions Repair Technician to see if they can bring it under the limits. If not, then I must obtain an emissions waiver if repairs are made greater than $810 (which I will be above after this next shop visit). I am not sure if the waiver is perpetual or not. The tags will only be good for 2 years, so I am not sure if I will need to apply for another waiver or not in 2015. Presently, the cut-off for the dual emissions checks is 1981 or newer, but they will likely adjust the cut-off as time passes. Presently, my 1966 Mustang does not need to pass any emissions because of its age.

[Va 5.0]

My dad used to run a can of dry gas in his 69 Chevrolet to pass N.J. emissions back in the early 80's. He would pass every time..... not sure about today's tests.

[John10608]

The car looks good Bill !

[mac88chp]

Ugh, smog issues with stone-age carbs and controls. Been there, done that with my '84 SSP...that's why I sold it. Good luck sorting out your '85 Bill.