<VV> Parade Paranoia

[Ron Hinz]

It is clear that my ‘62 wagon has had a paranoia about parades for many years and it hasn’t abated a bit as I found out yesterday in our Veterans Day parade as it stalled about four blocks before the end.  It has been doing this for many years and nothing seems to affect it.  This is the same car that didn’t quite make it to the Spring car show and had to be pushed into place for the show.  Then it barely made it home and quit just as I was pulling up to my garage.  That time changing out the “Made in Mexico” coil did the job but this parade stalling problem has been with it for many years.  New wires, fuel pump and push rod haven’t done a thing and in normal driving it does just fine with no missing or hard starting but give it a half hour idling along in a parade and it quits, seemingly in both banks without a stumble beforehand, and won’t restart for a while, like five minutes, after you’ve been left behind.

The way it cuts off makes it seem like ignition but it has done this with several different coils, new wires, etc.  And, it only happens while idling.

The way it “recovers” in five minutes or so of cranking makes one think that it’s fuel and that the carburetors need to pump up but both sides quit and start together and there’s no fuel starvation at higher speeds.

Jiggling the ignition switch does nothing and besides, it doesn’t cut out at speed.

A failure of gas tank venting would be worse at speed, not better.

So, what is a common failure mode when idling along in a parade?  (It has also done it while idling along in heavy traffic)

Could the gas tank float hang up?  Air leaking under the carb gaskets?  Why the mandatory wait before it will restart?  (After the parade has left you!)

RonH – in hiding after screwing up the big Veterans Day parade.  We were unit 77 of about 100.