fuel problems

[Phil Waterman]

Alex is correct about the fuel push rod wearing and not making a full stroke. This was a very common problem with FORD V8s as a kid playing with hot rods we found that it was more often a problem then not. It would often result in fuel starvation at full throttle. It was very common to find push rods had already had the treatment before. We would generally fix the problem by brazing as Alex suggests. However we also generally added an electric fuel pump back by the tank on a separate switch but hooked to the ignition so that the fuel system could be primed without having to crank the engine to get fuel to the carb. Makes a big difference on starting, also helps cure vapor lock as well because the pump down by the tank can push the vapor bubbles through when the mechanical pump is not able to clear them. The reason for the separate switch was because it was hard then (then as now)to find an electric fuel pump with the lower pressure range 3-4 psi instead of the 6-8 psi of most electric pumps. The higher pressure is great from priming or clearing vapor lock but can cause flooding.