I'v gotten my '53 GMC 228 to run (very roughly and at high idle). I've been tuning things up, dinking around with the points, timing, advance, and the mixture needle, but I was still getting some backfiring and burping no matter what. Finally, I started her up, walked around to the passenger side, and decided to pull a plug wire while the engine was running. I randomly grabbed a plug wire and pulled it off. Lo and behold - no more roughness, no more explosions! I hopped back in and throttled down all the way, and the engine still kept running nice and smooth. It was a lovely sound!! When I tried her cold the next day, with the plug still off, the engine almost caught, but wouldn't start.
Is this a compression problem?
I think I'll get a set of plugs and cables just to make sure they are not the problem.
