VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1912-1928 Starting a 28 Chevy

Hello,
My Dad bought a 28 Chevy coupe with a rumble seat 10 or so years ago. He worked on it then and got it running somewhat. He was going to get serious on it and then his health failed. Now he is in a home and there sits the 28. I finally decided to get it running again. New battery, coil, and gas tank cleaned. I disassembled the vac tank and cleaned all the crud and rust out of it. Lo and behold it started! The only problem is what to do next. I have a 28 Chevy repair manual and several Dykes books, but found no info. I don't know if the owner's manual would tell or not. Since I don't have one I thought I would ask the pros. I went by a note my Dad used, but I feel that it wasn't quite right. It seemed like it really wanted to run despite my ignorance. Any help would be appreciated!

I feel like I got lucky when it started. I really don't know the correct process for properly starting and keeping the engine running. Throttle ,spark ,etc. If I could get some info on the correct way to start a cold engine then what to do when it warms up,that would be great.

Cornjie start by applying the hand brake and take the transmission out of gear. Set your spark advance lever to full retard and throttle lever to 1/4 setting. Make sure your full shut-off valve under the vacuum pump is open. (optional= spray some starting fluid in carb opening) set your choke on, turn ignition on and step on the starter button. Once the engine has started you can advance the timing. As the engine warms up you can open the choke.Good Luck.

Cronje, welcome to Chevy Chatter! There is a wealth of info on this site about your car. If you join the VCCA, you'll get access to extra goodies, like technical articles and the ability to use the search engine.

I agree with SSG26K, that is the process I use to start my '28.

This process is included in the owner's manual, along with other neat tips like how to double clutch.

The booklets show up on ebay and a number of vendors sell reprints. I suggest getting one for your use and also to display when you take your car to shows.

Got pics?

Cheers, Dean

These old cars all have a personality of there own. I have two cars with 216 engines. One likes the choke and the other one does not. One likes the gas pedal pumped, the other does not,

Thanks, I'll see how that does. I was getting bits of info from various sources, but nothing concrete.

You can find the Instructions (Owners Manual) for 1928 models on "Old Online Chevy Manuals" here .
But I guess that it is more expensive to print all the 78 pages than to buy a copy from Gary Wallace or the Filling station.

I ordered an owner's manual last night. The online info will work great in the meantime.Thanks!

I tried starting it today and found it starting hard and when finally starting would run for a minute or two and then die. Only run when choked all the way. Once it dies it is almost impossible to restart. I have taken starting fluid and sprayed into carb breather hole with mixed results. I probably need to remove the carb and clean it. Also starts with very low rpm's on brand new battery. once it has started and then dies ,it will turn over much faster for a short period ,the be slow to start again. I will say that I do love to hear it run though.

Hi,

Your description brings a couple of things to mind:

1. Since the starter motor is turning slowly, I suspect the battery cables are too thin. These old guys need much thicker cables than the newer 12v systems. The larger cables allow the amperage to reach the starter motor. Think of a water hose: larger diameter equals more flow. Other possibilities are corrosion between the ground cable and the chassis or corrosion in the connections to the floor starter switch and the starter motor. I suggest cleaning all electrical connections with some sandpaper or a small wire brush. For the battery to ground connection, I use a star lock washer in between the cable to 'dig in' and provide a good electrical connection.

2. There is a tiny fuel screen inside the carb inlet. I suspect it is clogged causing not enough fuel to get to the carb for prolonged running. Other possibilities are partially clogged fuel line, vacuum leak, or crud in the bottom of the gas tank.

Keep us posted. Yes, the roar of a four is sweet!

Cheers, Dean

Got good heavy battery cables. Good contacts. I will check those on the starter button. Took carb off and found that someone at some time removed the screen assembly on the fuel inlet. Just a threaded/ barbed fitting for rubber fuel line. Also someone removed the screen to the inlet on the air cylinder. Must have been fighting rust issues for years.

Got to looking online at carbs. I am missing the inlet/ screen housing on the carb. I just have a fitting screwed into the hole with the gas line plugged in.Will that affect it's performance much?

Considering that the fuel was not filtered, I suggest opening the carb to check for crud in all the tiny orifices.

Also, check that the float/shut-off-needle is set correctly.

Imagine how good it will feel when you find and fix the problem! A good use of your critical thinking skills.

Cheers, Dean

My '28 suffered from a slow starter motor that really struggled, even after I had cleaned and refitted all the connections, and fitted a new battery.

The problem was the bolts that hold the bendix drive spring to the pinion and shaft had come loose and where rubbing on the inside of the housing, just tightened them up with Loctite and it's fine now..

Bernard

I sanded and cleaned all the contacts I could find. Put some gas in the vaccuum tank and it started on the first try. Ran it for a good 7-10 minutes. Let off the choke, advanced the spark, dropped the throttle down, adjusted the idle screw on the carb. Ran awesome. Went in reverse and 1st gear. Only problem is that once the vac tank empties out it starts to die. Looks like it is drawing some from the tank, but not really enough. The vac tank looked pretty much complete minus the screen on the fuel inlet. Changed the oil and put some more gas in the vac tank, ran great again. No smoke or anything. Hasn't even been out of the garage and I was about as excited as I have been all week!

Congrats! So, you've narrowed down the current problem down to the fuel line and/or plugged gas tank.

Fun, huh?

Dean

Great stuff, I think we all know that feeling! It's a bit of a long shot but make sure the breather hole in the gas tank cap is clear, the fuller the tank the quicker the air inside runs out.

Bernard

How much gas did have in the gas tank when it stopped running? I had a problem that if the gas tank was less than 1/2 full the car would run out of gas. It turned out the gas line inside the tank was disconnected from the fuel line fitting of the fuel line going to the vacuum tank and was sucking air and not fuel.

I removed the gas tank and had the fuel inside the tank re-soldiered and the vacuum tank functioned fine after that.

There is a needle in the top of the vacuum tank where the line comes from the intake manifold. Take emory cloth to it and make sure you have good vacuum from the intake manifold to the vacuum tank.