Sad story. Yesterday my 91 GTA was stolen from the lot at my work. So far it hasnt turned up, and being 5 hours from Mexico (3 at that cars cruise speed haha) im pretty sure I will never see her again.

Now the problem I have is that my only other car is a 85 T/A with a 305 that I had been working on for Street-Grudge drags. Specs are Edelbrock EPS manifold, 2406 headers, 1406 performer carb, points HEI and a .420/.442 summit cam. But I cant get her to start. When I turn it over I can get it to lug by flooring it but its like 500-600 rpm but if I let off the gas it just dies. Im not sure if its either the carb or the distributor. Now both the carb and the distributor worked in a 350 truck that I got them out of a couple months ago, but now they wont work on the 305 so I figure it must be either my timing light is berzerk (its old) or I just dont know how to tune the carb (most likely). I need help! I wont be able to get to work if I cant get this thing running fast, im running out of favors for rides!

Thanks guys!

 

If the distributor isn't a mechanical/vacuum advance unit, you'll never get it to run right. The ECM relies upon carburetor inputs and loads to enable the EST system.

With all those Edelbrock parts, it's a wonder you can get it to run at all. Read into that what you want, but IMO, their quality is nothing like what it might have been once.

More specifically, the carburetor you are using is probably not jetted properly for a 305. Moreover, if it's one of those Edlebrock clones of a Carter AFB, the four metering rods are probably wrong for the applicaton, and possibly the air bleeds are wrong. At similar vacuum signal levels, the carb is likely to administer about 15-20% more fuel than you'd need, and if it was a "performance" Edelbrock (oxymoron?), it's probably even higher.

 

Well heres the deal, carb base had a crack in it. AND my timing light was busted. Put it up against a buddies car and it read like 40 degrees advanced when it was 8 at idle (I know, because I set it 3 weeks ago). But such is life .

Cops found my GTA, sterios gone, ignition is jacked and tranny is basically dead (why they ditched it) but I got my bird back at the very least.