I am in need of a few things

[Frosty]

Your VIN will look similar to this example. It should be literally visible from the outside thru the driver side windshield, closest the firewall. Your VIN should start with the letters 2N (2-Pontiac, N-Bonneville series)

Here is how to decode your VIN number once you've found it.

[Maxwell]

I got the vin. it was really dirty and the sealant that holds the windshield had crept up. had to push it back and pick at it and clean it as best I could. Now it's getting the carburetor done. my friend is gonna help me find a kit and if a friend of ours agrees we're putting it in an ultrasonic cleaner to be sure it's as close to 100%  clean as possible. Then rebuild and reassemble. And hope that once back together it lives. I do think it is also an ignition issue as well as when I had someone help. The strength varied. Might try doing the hot lead trick to the coil to make sure it's running good. if it is then runs like ass when the hot lead is gone. That should tell me that it's a harness issue

[Fitzy]

I'm gonna chime in here. I've had a carby 'cleaned by ultrasound' and the only sound I heard was my wallet emptying. I rebuilt my own carby a few months ago and it was crudded up to the max. I used paint thinners to really get in there and dissolve all that crap - worked a treat. Just make sure there are no dissolvable rubber or plastic parts in there before you start, and wear rubber disposable gloves, and some sort of safety eyewear. Thinners is toxic stuff. Flush everything with fresh gas after you've cleaned everything and let it air dry. If you're inexperienced, take pics and take your time. Take notes of where everything goes: all those little rods & linkages need to go back from whence they came.

[Maxwell]

I mean. My friend owns and ultrasonic cleaner. So that makes life easier. I've hit most of the passages already with a can of carb clean, but it's more to get anything I missed as well as degrime the exterior of the carburetor body. I am close. Decoded my VIN after getting the numbers cleared. 2N39R3P494825. and I am gonna see if next time I have a chance to talk to local law enforcement if it's fully legal to get the VIN Plate Remade as mine is nearly corroded away. it was a good chunk of time scraping and scrubbing to get to that VS what I shared the other day. but at least it's visible now. But once the carb is on I can try to start it back up

Def gonna need some restoring of this. 

[Maxwell]

Had my friend contact the sheriff. Car is clear. Still have to have my local pd write a vin verification form so I can get it registered. Next on the agenda. Getting the thing running so that I can be able to move it. Can someone give me some ideas on suitable carburetors for this thing. Looking at keeping it 2 barrel for now just for pricing and less work vs getting a 4 barrel manifold and running one, or doing the jank thing and getting an adapter plate and running it upside down with a 4 barrel carburetor

 

[Maxwell]

I got a huge update. IT LIVES. It gave me a heart attack as it had a lot of lifter noise on start up but that cleared up after about 5 minutes as it's been really cold. Need to get a carb kit or a carburetor. Spent the money to change the really gassy oil for my peace of mind as it reeked of fuel.

[Maxwell]

Oil change done. Should've wrote date/mileage on the filter but that's besides the point. It doesn't start and look like a chainsmoker now. Carb work is next

[Frosty]

Well it started and you heard it run. You know your next steps. The nice thing is a carb rebuild can be done indoors, out of the cold, on a work bench somewhere.

[Maxwell]

if I get some more funds I can do that. Can any of you help recommend a kit? preferably linked if possible. As I don't know what's good, what's not. But gonna share it. I'm impressed by how it's running. Let it idle and run for about 20 minutes, no overheating, just steady running, happily, smoothly. Found out that defrost works, heat is working. Can't get my temp selector to move, it's stuck in the middle. but it gets cozy in there. Next thing electrically is getting blinkers, reverse, and then windows. Dash backlights aren't working, they were dim, but doesn't work now at all. Wish to get it brighter and maybe a colors. Like an halogen orange LED color. 

[Maxwell]

I do think my idle is a little high even when warmed up. Though it is good. Sadly. I think my gas gauge stopped working, it says E when I had an 1/8th tank. Could also be a fuse or something. what fuse is it?

As well as backlight for dash?

[Frosty]

Looking at your fuse block I think you are missing a fuse. Here is the diagram of the fuse block from my '72 manual (a year should not be a significant difference). At the top left is the power accessory 40A circuit breaker/fuse is missing. 

It looks like this:

This is available from OPGI for $16.00. You might also be able to get it through your local parts stores too. Take the photo with you to be sure.

[64 kiwi boni]

1 hour ago, Frosty said:

Looking at your fuse block I think you are missing a fuse. Here is the diagram of the fuse block from my '72 manual (a year should not be a significant difference). At the top left is the power accessory 40A circuit breaker/fuse is missing. 

It looks like this:

This is available from OPGI for $16.00. You might also be able to get it through your local parts stores too. Take the photo with you to be sure.

bottom right is fuel fuse. 

Frosty that top left holder is missing the clips ! i suspect Gaetan's car has no power accessories ie power widows/ power seats, power hood etc.

Gaetan, remove the bottom right fuse, sand the contacts and check continuity from each side of the fuse cradle.

then climb under the car and find the earth strap off the fuel sender unit on the car and ensure it is earthed to the body of the car .. it must be 100% or the gauge wont read correctly👍  

a quick test is to remove the feed wire to the fuel sender, turn on the key and earth out that wire, your gauge should go straight to full. this will prove your wiring is sound and that the fuel Gauge is working... then it comes down to earth of the sender in the tank or faulty sender unit itself

[Maxwell]

that's not my one, this is. That was a reference. I know that one of the fuses needs a new end clip as it rusted off. 

[Maxwell]

This should be better

[Frosty]

After downloading and enlarging your picture, I see quite a bit of rust on the contacts for the fuses. I think you should take some time to clean up when you get a spare moment. See what I mean when I enlarge a portion of your photo?

So your radio, turn signals, gages, and instrument cluster lighting are all impacted. This is not to say these things aren't working, but this can cause problems for sure. Also I would inspect some of the fuses and consider replacing them with new ones. Some look like they are a little shaky and perhaps on the verge of giving up, especially the one with the red color in it. The one with white in it, to the right of the 40A circuit breaker is another one I would inspect/replace. 

[JUSTA6]

On 1/6/2022 at 8:25 PM, Maxwell said:

if I get some more funds I can do that. Can any of you help recommend a kit? preferably linked if possible. As I don't know what's good, what's not. But gonna share it. I'm impressed by how it's running. Let it idle and run for about 20 minutes, no overheating, just steady running, happily, smoothly. Found out that defrost works, heat is working. Can't get my temp selector to move, it's stuck in the middle. but it gets cozy in there. Next thing electrically is getting blinkers, reverse, and then windows. Dash backlights aren't working, they were dim, but doesn't work now at all. Wish to get it brighter and maybe a colors. Like an halogen orange LED color. 

Dash backlights. Try turning the headlight switch knob one way or another.  It makes the lights brighter or dim to completely off.

[Maxwell]

It stopped working, used to work marker lights and running lights work but not the backlight. It was dim

[TWO LANE BLACK TOP]

Judging by all the corrosion that I see in the photos...My guess is that the whole electrical system is full of bad grounds...Would start by cleaning the bolt connection lower left corner of the fuse block...Then maybe go to all the light sockets including the License plate light and make that they all are clean and crap free and that they are grounded properly to the chassis..The light sockets themselves are grounded individually to the body when they were pushed in and twisted into the mounting holes instead of having separate ground wires from the sockets to the body...Had a rusty mid 70s Oldsmobile cutlass that had lots of electrical gremlins (Came from upstate New York) ...99% of which wound up being corroded grounds all thru the car..The reason I single out the License plate light is because the light and fuel gauge/sending unit were on a common ground...

Basically every ground connection strap/bolt..etc.. inside and out or that you may suspect is a ground that you can find should be cleaned and retightened... 

Edited January 11, 2022 by TWO LANE BLACK TOP

[64 kiwi boni]

wow! i justA down loaded that picture as Frosty did! your gona need to spend some time cleaning ALL those fuse clips up AND i agree with two lane, you justA have to go through every earth too!!

 especially all light bulb sockets! 

[Maxwell]

Sounds like a plan. Though it's gonna be on wait as I'm sick. Might be covid but not confirmed. Gonna be resting awhile. 

Also if I am not mistaken. The one that looked really rusty broke so I have to redo the clip on it

[Frosty]

Take your time, this isn't a race. Do what you can when you can. We hope you are feeling better soon.

[Maxwell]

Feeling better today. Don't have covid which is nice. Also. How hard is it to bleed rear brakes. Cause I don't have any engagement in the rears. Also got to move it today. Gonna stay there till spring or I move out my parents place and in with my bf. Also gas gauge was correct. Now confused where an 1/8th tank goes when it sat. No leaks ATM. Also probed my fuse panel. That little 4 amp seems to be fine. So something in the circuit might be dead. Also gonna test my 40 amp and then see about tracing wiring for the power window relay. See if I have something going on with it. I wanna have working windows by spring so I can air it out. Has a slight rodent smell. They're eating the rear seat and it's not great. Also if any of you come across a front valance for a decent price lmk. Mines not savable. 

[Frosty]

Unless you get a special brake bleeding apparatus, bleeding brakes is usually a 2-person job. If the car is going to sit until spring, I'd wait for the warmer weather to do it unless you need to use the car. Otherwise take it to a mechanic shop you trust.

Not sure on your car, but on my 72 Lemans, there is a circuit relay behind the driver's side kick panel that impacts both the power windows and power top on my convertible. If it is there on your car, that relay may have gone bad. Mine actually failed in a unique way. It failed back in the late 90s and allowed me to put the windows and top up and down without the key in the ignition until it finally failed completely 3 years ago. Once I replaced it, the windows and top require the key in either accessory or start position.

Edited January 14, 2022 by Frosty

[Maxwell]

So I should trace the red wire and find out where that relay is and possibly replace it

[Maxwell]

I have replaced almost all of them.