I got the
AMC 304 purring like a kitten!
My best bud came over today and he, my wife and I were all turning wrenches on my baby.
My Jeep had sat neglected in my garage for over six years. The coolant had corroded a hole right through the aluminum timing chain cover. It also ate up the bearings in the water pump. So we replaced the cover, water pump, oil pump, fuel pump, put all new hoses and belts, pulled the carb and cleaned it throughly and blew it out with air, replaced the fuel filter and some of the fuel lines, cleaned up the distributor and replaced the cap and rotor, new oil filter and 5 qts of 10/30w oil, put a can of Berryman's fuel system/carb cleaner in the tank and filled it with premium and put a fresh battery in her. I was concerned about firing her up not knowing what might go wrong after six years. A little Berrymans carb cleaner sprayed into the carb and cranked her over for the first time. A SPARK! She fired up! A few more cranks and a misting of carb cleaner into the carb and the fuel pump primed up. The bowls filled and she was purring like a kitten. I was waiting for the timing to be
but we nailed it when we installed the distributor. A check with a timing light showed the timing at 10 degrees advanced. Right where it should be with the Jacobs ignition! I guess paying attention to the details and the old measure twice cut once rule paid off!
A check of the idle speed after she was up to temp showed her idling at 875-900 rpm. Perfect. Aired up the tires and pulled her onto the street for the first drive in over six years.
I can't tell you all how good it feels to have nailed it on the first try and to have my Jeep purring like a kitten again. I'm gonna run this engine for the next year while I build my 360 up. The old
AMC 304 has plenty of grunt for now
Thanks for the advice guys, especially on installing the distributor. It was priceless!
I washed her and cleaned her up. Here are some pictures of my baby (even theough my wife gets to drive it! :laughing:
interior... I had the tub sprayed with LineX bed liner. One of the best things I ever did on the 5.
I still have some odds and ends to fix. I need to have the winsheild replaced, hook up the temp, fuel and oil pressure gauges and get them running properly. Also need to adjust the idle mixture on the carb and check the electric chocke. The motor is surging slightly when idling and is slow to come of the rev's. I think I may need to adjust the dashpot. Otherwise she is running strong and smooth. Fix the driver's side seat adjuster and and the clutch free play and she'll be top notch.