Just got my T/A. Previous owner just put in a "crate" 350, modified cam (I don't know what), Holley 750 cfm Carb, Edelbrock intake, msd ignition, hooker ceramic coated competition headers, B&M shift kit, B&M ratchet shifter, 3" pipes w/flowmasters. Sounds great, runs great, drinks gas like it's goin' out of style. While I'm LOVIN' the car, I'm about to name it Stinky Pete! Why does the exhaust smell so rich? It idols right at 700, but I get the feeling it's getting too much fuel. I have an Edelbrock 600 cfm sitting in a box, but don't want to lose too much power. Any ideas on what I may be running here (HP-wise), how to make it better, or why it smells so bad?

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Thou Shall Not Whine ~ The forgotten commandment

 

Sounds a little on the rich side. Are you sure also there are no gas leaks? How about the catalitic conveter? Is the vacuum advance hooked up? I have heard that without it hooked up, you do burn a little rich at idle.

check those and let us know.

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350 4 bolt main, Speed-O-Motive 383 stroker kit, re-sized rods ground for clearance,TRW Forged pistons,10.7:1 compression,HPC Coated RPM intake, Speed Demon 750 cfm carb,World Products Sportsman II heads,2.02/1.60 valves, Comp Cam 1.6 roller rockers, Comp Xtreme 284 cam,240/246@.050 with .540 lift,Crane pushrods,ATI damper,Proform HEI and MSD6A box,HPC coated 1 5/8 headers, 2.5" exhaust with 40 series mufflers,TH350 with B&M 3000 stall, Powertrax NoSlip Locker, 4.11 gears.

 

I don't think it's a gas leak 'cause it doesn't smell like raw fuel. It's coming from the exhaust. The car sat for about 8 months with limited running after the new engine was put in (he couldn't afford to drive it ) so I don't know if that has anything to do with it. What vacuum advance would I be looking at, and what would I be looking for? (I said "Engine Dummy" )

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"If you ever drop your keys into a river of molten lava, let'em go, because, man, they're gone." - Jack Handey

 

There should be a small hose coming off the vacuum canister on the HEI to the carb. Is it pluged to the carb?
Or you could have a plugged cat........

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350 4 bolt main, Speed-O-Motive 383 stroker kit, re-sized rods ground for clearance,TRW Forged pistons,10.7:1 compression,HPC Coated RPM intake, Speed Demon 750 cfm carb,World Products Sportsman II heads,2.02/1.60 valves, Comp Cam 1.6 roller rockers, Comp Xtreme 284 cam,240/246@.050 with .540 lift,Crane pushrods,ATI damper,Proform HEI and MSD6A box,HPC coated 1 5/8 headers, 2.5" exhaust with 40 series mufflers,TH350 with B&M 3000 stall, Powertrax NoSlip Locker, 4.11 gears.

 

The vacuum lines seem okay, but how do I check for a plugged cat? The airflow is good coming out of the pipes...

 

dude if your cat was going bad, you would probably have a smell like old raw eggs coming out of your exhaust.. and it would probably rattle if you tapped on it..

 

Definitely not that then!! Besides, I really don't think it's in the exhaust. from the headers all the way back is only about 18 months old...