I own a 1964 Dart with a 225 slant six. It has manual brakes and a pushbutton trans. The engine has been recently rebuilt (less than 100 miles), converted to electronic ignition, had a new coil added, and I have had the carter 1 bbl carb replaced or rebuilt about 3 times. Despite all this, the engine still runs rough and I have to fight to keep it idling. In order to get the engine to run at all, I have to turn the idle up which makes it run way too fast when the car is in "Park" The engine smooths out when you give it gas, and makes a whistling sound when you rev it. The valves seem a little noisy. I've been told that they need to be adjusted and that the carb needs to be rebuilt again. What's going on here, and what's the best way to fix it? I am not concerned about having a "correct restoration" or anything, I would just like to have it run smooth. Any help in resolving this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Sean

kustomkarma@yahoo.com

Sounds like it needs a good new engine "shake-out", here are some things to check:

Retorque all the bolts, especially the head gasket and manifolds.

The valves need to be adjusted *right* by someone who knows how to do it. Learn how to do it yourself, it is not that hard.

Check for vacuum leaks, correct as needed. One way to confirm an intake leak is to close the choke flap some as you turn down the idle. if you can get it to idle low with the choke part way closed, you have a leak somewhere. Also plug the PCV valve untill you are sure there are no other vacuun leaks.

Check the distributor set-up, if you just converted to electronic ignition, who knows where the curve "set-up" is.

Dialing-in a new engine & combo of parts takes some time so dig-in and double check everything.
DD