1978 GP with 307 rocket help

[naminator]

Well, it was electrical. I re-did the battery connectors, cleaned up a few different cable ands and she cranked reasonably well. So I threw a bit of start fluid into the carb (after giving it a bit of Mr Marvel mystery oil) and she coughed a few times. The fuel pump was working, so I gave it another try and this time she ran for a few seconds, but sprayed fuel out the carb (which I am not shocked about) and I shut it down. I replaced the old fuel filter with a newer and temporary wix filter I could see in and again, it started for a few seconds. The plugs have absolutely zero build up on them and I was talking with the previous owner and he had replaced both the plugs and wires when it died on him.


Anyways, it started the second time and then choked out. Then I heard a strange trickling, but it was getting dark. One of the rubber fuel lines had come loose, so I tossed another drip pan under the car, rammed the fuel line back on and called it a night. I was surprised it started.

 

[79 GP 4 speed]

We need lots of pictures of this car

 

[naminator]

I got the 307 to run and idle (albeit super rich) last night. Plug wires where completely installed wrong. Unsure why it stopped running for the previous owner and his first solution was to toss new plugs/wires into it. I assume the carb was/is filthy and needs to be either rebuilt or just cleaned heavily and adjust a ton. I need to sort that out, but then a brake line blew while I was testing things and I called it a night. Tonight I may try to air up the two flats, so I can jack up the car and place the front on ramps/stands to work on the brake line.

However I sent a video of it idling and running to the previous owner (him and I have been chatting) and he said he found the safety inspection from 2019 and sent my pictures. It is a LONG list of things that need to be worked on of course, but it gives me a free baseline. Apparently the motor mounts and body mounts are giving out along with a bunch of stuff I already knew/expected. Deciphering the mechanic chicken scratch is going to be fun. I think the previous owner is a bit frustrated he gave up on the car and sold it to me, sellers remorse or something.

Regardless, after I put the plug wires on right, put in the battery and I just barely turned the key, she start up instantly. Idled a bit rough from running rich, but I am guessing I can address that. She even built oil pressure properly so that was a very good sign. The engine from being so caked in grease was smoldering a bit though, so a solid wash/degrease of the engine and car in general is going to be happening asap.

 

[olds307 and 403]

Is there a plastic connector on the carb? A TPS? Is there a vacuum advance canister on the distributor? I wonder if someone threw a CCC motor under the hood without the computer. The carb goes pig rich with no timing advance.

 

[naminator]

Is there a plastic connector on the carb? A TPS? Is there a vacuum advance canister on the distributor? I wonder if someone threw a CCC motor under the hood without the computer. The carb goes pig rich with no timing advance.

I can take some pictures/videos of it this weekend when I pull the tarp off again and post them. I am really lost on the issues and just sort of trying stuff. I did however get an inspection sheet from 2019, with some of the issues resolved, but several still outstanding I will need to go through. I snapped a quick video of it running the other day, might not say much.

https://imgur.com/a/jNIX2k4

 

[olds307 and 403]

Does the distributor have a vacuum advance? The carb is probably way too rich for a stock 307.

 

[69hurstolds]

The kickdown or TV cable (what transmission is behind it?) isn't even hooked up. Looks like a TH350 cable or something. Doesn't look like a 200-4R TV cable.

Also, cast iron intakes on a 307 were up through MAYBE 81 or so? Cast 17 into them. The A4 intakes starting in 1982 were aluminum with casting number 22504068. Replaced by 22507984 until it was discontinued in 2012.

A5 intakes...you never want one of those unless full out resto of an 86/87 442. Peanut ports.

There is also some other numbers, but if it's a VIN 9, it had an aluminum intake.

Interesting though, if it IS a 307, and a VIN 9, it has the right fan belt setup for a late Jan-84 through 1987 dual groove PS pulley used on the VIN 9. Check the balancer. If it's a thin knife blade thickness balancer, it's a Y engine. If it has the thicker 350-455 style balancer, it very well could be a VIN 9 engine.

 

[naminator]

Does the distributor have a vacuum advance? The carb is probably way too rich for a stock 307.

Oh it is 100% for sure running too rich. But that could be just the carb gummed up from sitting for a year. The fuel lines on this car are on the driver side of the engine bay, but the 307 fuel pump is on the passenger side, so there is two, rotted and cracked hoses just sorta hanging freely in the engine bay. One already blew off the first time I tried to start it. So I got some new, hopefully temporary, rubber line I will replace it with his weekend, I just want to also pickup some fresh fittings for it. I am also very new to this, so I don't know how to tell if the distributor has a vacuum advance on it. I would assume so, since it looks like it has the cannister on the side of it and the AVS2 1905 in it has a manual choke. I will 100% get significantly more pictures tonight/tomorrow, anything specific I should try to take pictures of? Or everything.

The kickdown or TV cable (what transmission is behind it?) isn't even hooked up. Looks like a TH350 cable or something. Doesn't look like a 200-4R TV cable.

Also, cast iron intakes on a 307 were up through MAYBE 81 or so? Cast 17 into them. The A4 intakes starting in 1982 were aluminum with casting number 22504068. Replaced by 22507984 until it was discontinued in 2012.

A5 intakes...you never want one of those unless full out resto of an 86/87 442. Peanut ports.

There is also some other numbers, but if it's a VIN 9, it had an aluminum intake.

Interesting though, if it IS a 307, and a VIN 9, it has the right fan belt setup for a late Jan-84 through 1987 dual groove PS pulley used on the VIN 9. Check the balancer. If it's a thin knife blade thickness balancer, it's a Y engine. If it has the thicker 350-455 style balancer, it very well could be a VIN 9 engine.

Yeah the kick down is not attached at all. It is an SJ vin car, which came with the TH200-4R from that I know, however it also came with a 301, not the 307 and has been hacked up a bit. The cast on the front of the block, behind the water pump is 3161 5A, which according to classicoldsmobile.com, puts it as an 81+ engine. The casting on the intake (in front of the carb) is 22503087 and below that some circle start thing and D1D I believe, but the picture I did take is blurry. I need to work on the brake line this weekend, so I will have to get deep into the engine bay and potentially jack up the car. I know it is one the block on the drivers side a bit closer to the front, but again, I have been doing small things before really trying to find that VIN. Hopefully I can find it and report back if it is a vin y or 9.

I know the 307 of this gen is basically a boat anchor. The goal isn't any form of power or modifications, unless by some weird miracle the previous owner modified the snot out of it for some reason. I know the 307 BOP cars of that era are decent enough recipients of a 400/445 big block, so depending on how all this effort, time, cut knuckles etc. plays out, I will probably be putting the car up for sale with as much information about it possible. The goal is to get it running and moving safely, get an inspections, compare that with the 2019 inspection, insure the car (hopefully with a very generous appraisal for classic car insurance purposes) and then work on the other bits as I see fit while driving it or something. If I can get it driving and on the road, it really increases the value of course and then I can enjoy it.


If I had unlimited funds, I would fully clean it up, paint it a cool tone of white with black Grand Prix SJ scrip on the doors, switch from a tired, burgundy/red/nicotine stained interior to a black one (from a W-Body Monte Carlo or something) and swap in a better rear end and a mild 455. But that is just dreams at the moment. I feel like once it is running I am listing for the cost of the car+parts+some profit, then as I add parts/work to it, increasing the price slowly.

 

[naminator]

It was incredibly smoky and hot this weekend, so I got much less done than I wanted. Here are the photos:

https://imgur.com/a/17SAjsZ

I pulled the spark plugs and checked the gaps, all where around .06 and the driver side, on brand new plugs, after running for maybe 5-10 minutes total where extremely carbon fouled, 4 and 2 where very clean, 6 was a bit fouled and 8 looks like it wasn't replaced with all the crap on it. Anyways, I re-installed them, the exhaust was smoking and smelled real rich. I put the air cleaner on and gave the engine some throttle and it was struggling to rev up and then would drop RPMs hard. One of those times, the RPMs dropped and the engine stalled. The are cleaner is filthy and some fram thing and it is pushing on the fuel line into the carb, so I will be picking up that banjo fitting for the carb to hopefully help with routing. As an fyi, I spent about 3 hours vacuuming, blowing out dust, using spray 9 cleaner and then pressure washing the engine bay. Surprisingly the intake is blue, much like the valve covers, but I couldn't see that below all the grime and junk on it before. It is significantly cleaner now, so don't judge me harshly on that, since it is part of the project list. Those pictures where before I cleaner anything, so I could get a "before and after" unfortunately my 1 bottle of spray 9 and pressure washer where not up to that task fully.

I also have the attached safety sheet from 2019. The exhaust system has 2 new mufflers on it, the tires I new, I got a new Coolant reservoir, I fixed the hood latch, the front and rear brakes where fixed (but the front driver line split), the wheel bearings got re-packed but I would swap them etc. Outside of that, everything else on that sheet is pretty accurate repair wise. There is a few, u-fix it places with lifts here, so hopefully I can get the car running/driving then do the motor, body and suspension mounts at one of those places instead of on my drive way.

Oh and in the pictures, my finger is on the "1" position for the rotor/wire for this installation.