The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot '60-'66 Trucks Engine Startup went Great!

Sorry if I posted a lot here lately, I'm just getting excited about having this beast on the road soon. I fired up the 230 this Sunday and posted a brief 1+ minute video on my photobucket for you to see (it's the first post).

It started on the first turn of the key! Of course I had to try a couple of times to keep it running until it was pulling fuel up to the carb. I ran it for about 30-minutes at 2,000-2,500 rpms. Don't worry I chopped the video down to the first minute or so.

I forgot how these things smoke for the first 5-minutes or so! Wow! The temperature gauge pegged on HIGH after it warmed up but I had another actual gauge that was reading normal. From what I read this is not uncommon with the generic sending units and these old gauges. I'm going to get another sending unit from a company that claims to have the correct resistance for these old gauges. I'll let you know.

It's been a 3-year process for me and I still have a few more things to bolt on but it WILL be on the road this spring!

You have every reason to be excited! Congratulations Tom! I almost p*** my pants the first time I started my 230ci. My engine hasn't been gone through except to clean the plugs and change the oil etc.

You will be the envy of the neighborhood once she's on the road!

One question for you. What kind of starter do you have? Original type. Yours sounds like it spins much faster than mine. Makes me think mine is bad.

Jay

Jay,

I took the original starter in to Advance Auto (an auto parts store around here) and had them test it. It failed the test and I just had them give me a rebuilt one. It looked just like the one I took in. The battery is brand spank'n new also so that probably helped.

Looks like your project is going well also.

My starter sounds weak. I think it might have issues. I'd hate to trade it in if it's not bad. I've used it many time to start my truck. It just doesn't spin fast like yours.

Congrats! I recently went through the same excitement when I started my rebuilt 230 on my 65 C10 4Spd Truck. Please let me know where you get the sending unit. Mine is bad and the gauge isn't working. I'd like to get it fixed before I actually get her on the road this spring.

I actually had two old inline 6 starters lying around when I got my 230 running and coincidence would have it that both just wouldn't turn the engine over fast enough for the engine to start. I feared the engine was too tight or locked up because my dad had it rebuilt 15 years ago and then just sat in storage. Long story short, I picked up a rebuilt starter from Parts Plus and the truck fired up almost immediately. The rebuilt spins the engine super fast almost like a later model 80's chevy.

On another note I'd just like to say there's nothing like these old 6's. Once I got my exhaust done to original spec that truck is super quiet like a new truck. When you drive down the road all you hear now is the transmission. These old stovebolts are interesting creatures for sure. Can't wait for summer so I can fine tune the carb and get her on the road so I can move on to paint and body.

Jay,

This is the site that I heard about http://www.lectriclimited.com/mainpage.htm I cannot vouch for it until I try it. I remembered that I probably still have the old sending unit and I'll try it first.

Also, here in Lincoln there is an auto shop that rebuilds alternators and starters. I remember taking a starter there several years ago that crapped out on me and they fixed it right up. I'm sure there's an Alternator and Starter repair place in your area if you want to keep the original.

Matt,

Mine seemed really loud even with the new stock exhaust but then I was running it at a high RPM. I haven't set the idle or fine tuned the timing and mixture. Once I bring it down to normal idle I'm sure it'll quiet down.