150ron

I start it up about once a week to keep everything going, last year i changed the water pump, thermostat and radiator, (you guys helped me with that ), fresh oil change, fresh gas with a bit of seafoam in it, and just replaced the fuel filter, i keep the battery on a trickle charger all the time.

The car will start up every week, upon start up, i get lots of white smoke, i have to put a cardboard down on the floor under the exhaust tail pipe, so all the black sludge comes out on the cardboard, i usually let it idle for a few minutes and then i just run it for 15 minutes or so around the neighboorhood.

When accelerating hard i see a big black cloud of smoke behind me, while stopped, there is always white smoke that smells like carbon monoxide/car fumes all around, its a 1966 all original cali car, with a 289 V8, speedo says 15K now, but im guessing its been around once, so mayb like 115 or even 215, who knows.

What am i looking at here?

barnett468

Ok;

Pure white exhaust color that dissipates quickly is water/condensation and it will stop after maybe 15 minutes at the most.P.

Very lite blue/gray [almost white] that lingers like cigarette smoke is oil.

if there is always blue gray smoke than your rings are bad and probably your valve guides and/or valve guide seals.

Very dark gray to black is excessive gas. Your power valve might be leaking but it would idle badly or you mixed new gas with old.
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150ron

Its that blue gray'ish almost white, that lingers like cigaretter smoke as you said, its always there, so oil, check.

the cloud of blackish gray'ish smoke that i see when i accelerate hard is excessive gas? ok,

What do i do, should i just do what ive been doing, just drive it once a week to keep everything going, does it need a totall engine rebuild?

If so, how much does a 289 v8 rebuild usually go for?

barnett468

yes.



with it on the ground, around $2,600.00 to $4,000.00.

hi perf crate engines start around $4,500.00.

150ron

Ouch, but i understand, and thanks for all the info

Any cheaper options, maybe like a rebuilt stock 289 or something that can fit right in?

Also, instead of driving it around just once a week to keep it going, can i cut it to about once a month?

barnett468

the 2600.00 to 4500.00 is for a stock rebuild.

yes you can drive any car just once a month if you keep gas in ity but if its parked outside where it gets 40 degrees or lower it is not good for the brakes etc..
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150ron

You know your stuff, i just called a local place that rebuilds engines, and he quoted me $4000 for a totall rebuild...

Its garaged, any downside to just keep driving it once a month the way it is?

3 young kids, no extra $ at all these days, wifes car, shes attached to it, but knows we cant afford to do anything to it, so it just sits there for years and years taking half of the garage...

I'll admit tho, ive gotten to really like it.

barnett468

no real downside, can't hurt it much . . put 20w-50 oil in it . . fix the carb . . make sure your iugnition timing is still correct and the points are set.
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150ron

Thanks barnett, i will put 20w-50 next time i change the oil, the carb seems fine, it idles good and runs OK for what it is, when i did the water pump last year, i removed all the CALI smog bs off the car, noticed it got to up speed quicker with the smog stuff off.

This car sat for 7 years and then with fresh gas it started right up, guess ill just keep it going till we have $ available in the future.

Thanks for all the help and info barnett, tis appreciated.

Chromeshadow

Did the blue smoke start when you took off the smog stuff? Does it smoke if you take off the oil filler cap?