I have a 1970 Plymouth Valiant that I just bought bout a month ago. All I have done so far is install a battery, built a new exhaust from the firewall back (I am going to buying headers for it soon due to the fact that the factory exhaust manifold is cracked... any suggestions??) and I have changed all the fluids. I have a new Holly 1bbl carb (the factory carb is leaking fuel) and new master cylinder, and wheel cylinders (breaks get spongy once in a while) that I am going to be installing this weekend.

Until yesterday the car has been running fine... On my way home from work the car stated loosing power. I can start the car and it will idle fine. But when I push on the gas, it will try to stall out. When I put the car in gear and push on the gas at all it will die.

Like I said the car starts rite up and idles fine, it doesn't act up till i push on the gas.... Might this be due to the leaky faulty stock carb? Is there anything else I should check?

PLEASE HELP!?!

This is the first carbureted car I have ever owned. I have spent most of my life devoted to building sport compacts and this is the first ol' school car that I have owned so I am learning as I go. There are several older people around my area that have been VERY helpful in educating me on several things about my new project. But, I like to be able to work on my own car and at the same time, be able to impress them with my knowledge of the older generation cars.

Welcome on the board. Get these three books as quickly as you can, to get up to speed on how your carbureted car works and how to see that it keeps working reliably. If your "new" carburetor is in fact a "remanufactured" item from a parts store, it is a likely suspect in your car's failure to run correctly, see here. It pays to be really careful and picky about what parts you buy and where you buy them from, because a lot of what's offered in consumer-type parts stores (Autozone, Schuck's, Checker, Kragen, etc.) is of poor quality.

Also, if this car you bought had been sitting a long time before you put it in regular service, there could be rust and crud (or even just water) contaminating the fuel in the tank, lines, and filter.

Beyond that, tune-up parts and technique suggestions in this thread, and note this engine requires periodic valve adjustment.

Skip the headers, get Dutra Duals instead. Dutra can be contacted on here by sending a PM to user "Doc".

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Thanks a million for the heads up on some reading material and for the suggestions on where to start on a general tune-up.

The car hasn't really been sitting for very long. The guy that I purchased the car from started it and drove it a few miles at least once a month until just a few months before she came home with me. I will still try dropin the gas tank and cleaning it and flushing the fuel lines.

The carb that I got is a reman. from Autozone... I am going to be putting it on after work this afternoon to see if it might cure my problem. Is there anything that I should be worried about with this reman. carb?

What are the benefits of the Dutra Duals over a set of headers from someone like Clifford Performance?

No, don't do it. Return it and get your money back; the odds are overwhelmingly against a successful result with it and once you've installed it, they will only exchange it for another equally bad carburetor.
Yes: everything. They just don't work well or last long. See the links I provided in the previous post. (It's really true; I'm not just saying this because I have a few new carburetors left for the '70 models! )

In general, stop buying parts at AutoZone. They sell mostly garbage.
Well for one thing, when you buy from Dutra instead of Clifford, you're buying from someone who actually can be relied on to send the parts you've ordered, and you can trust that they will be as described, and well made, and that they will actually fit. None of that can be said of Clifford. Also, Dutra is a significant member of this community, so by buying from him, you're supporting his continued involvement and development of good parts for our cars. The importance of this may not yet be apparent to you, but after you've spent some time here on the board, it probably will become so.

As for headers vs. Dutra Duals themselves, leaving out the question of vendor reliability: with DDs you get to keep your automatic choke, your thermostatic air cleaner, and your intake manifold heat, for significantly better driveability and fuel economy. With DDs, you have no hassle with exhaust leaks, engine/chassis/ground clearance, all of which are common problems with tube headers. Unless you are going racing very fast, there is no advantage to tube headers over DDs.

The red text in my previous post is clickable — doing so takes you to other posts where you can learn more about whatever subject is in red.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Thank you again and yes I do understand about supporting members of this organization... I was previously I very active member of a jbody organization set up like this for more then 7 years

Thank you again!!

Dan is right on the Headers. I would not use headers on a street car period. Why?. Headers only help in a very confined performance appacation ie Race Cars, they leak and and wont help street cars with stock engines.They help Race cars only in a narrow rpm range. For me the best three items for a street car most bang for the buck would be Electronic iginiton, Dutra Duals, and a 3.23 gear in the differental. Thanks Ron Parker






It Aint Over Until I Win

How do I tell what gears I have in my rear now without taking off the rear end cover? Am I rite in my research in assuming that there are three dif. rear ends for my car!

sorry to double post....
On average... how much do the DD's run cost wise?

If it's a 7.25" (9-bolt cover) you can find the ratio, under the grime, beneath the passenger side reinforcement web on the differential, according to Dr. Dodge.

Factory stock rear axle ratio with an automatic transmission was 2.76. This is a fine ratio if you do a lot of highway driving and have relatively small diameter tires, but you may prefer a lower (numerically higher) ratio if you do a lot of around-town driving and want snappier acceleration from a stop. To check your axle ratio: Jack up one of the rear wheels. Leave the other one on the ground. Release the handbrake and shift into Neutral. Turn the lifted rear tire through two complete revolutions while counting quarter-turns of the driveshaft (just count up how many universal joint caps come to face the ground). Divide that count by four to get your rear axle ratio.

For Dutra Dual costs, see the Dutra Duals page and contact Doug Dutra ("Doc" on here) via PM.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

I just wanted to put in my two cents on the "Headers" vs. "Dutra Duals" issue.
I say this with the utmost confidence, and with no reservation whatsoever, go with the Dutra Duals. My '78 Volare's 225 has had 'em for over 8 years now, try doing that with headers!
If the slantmobile is a daily driver, it's gotta be Dutra Duals, in my opinion.

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"Ja, Ich fahre ein altes auto."
'78 Volare 225
'67 Charger 318