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My wife has had it with the smell!

ksurfer2

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The newness is starting to wear off and my wife is starting to get annoyed! I have had my 69 RR for a couple of months now. I love it! It is an A-12 clone complete with the 440 6bbl. After driving when I park it in the garage, I need to leave the garage door open with a couple of fans running for at least an hour otherwise, it will stink up the whole house. Almost like a gas/fuel smell. Any ideas of what issue is causing this, or how to cure? Or is this just a feature of these cars and leaving the garage door open with the fans what needs to happen.
 
On the real side, it could be running rich or lean. I know that sounds odd but a lean condition can make them smell really noxious. If your plugs look good and you eliminate both possibilities then it's just something you have to live with. You have to remember that these cars were made in a time with little concern for the environment. Since you are running a 6 pack, more than likely you are running a bit lean. Have you tuned the outboard carbs? They always contribute fuel at idle
 
The hot engine is also evaporating fuel from the carbs. Try parking it in the driveway with the hood for about 20 minutes before you put it in the garage.
That should help.
 
When my car had that problem it was from the gas tank being rusted through where it sat against the trunk floor. Driving it would soak the insulation pad with gas, but it would never drip to show a leak.
 
Hood open, sorry. Also can you shut it off and coast into the garage? Or build a new shop...
 
It's normal, I always open my hood when I pull into the garage. Helps the engine bay cool down faster. Might want to seal the interior door to your house better, I did mine and it helped big time. My downstairs used to smell like the garage !
 
It's an open air fuel system. Sounds a bit extreme, but even when running 100% correctly there will be a fuel smell in the garage. You could go to a closed fuel injected system.
 
Thanks all. I had the carbs tuned recently, but will pull the plugs and see what they look like. I may try to do something to seal the door a little better, but since its a rented house, I cant go too crazy. My wife is a keeper too, but if I can't get this worked out....I will miss her.
 
Evidently you guys must not let her know how much you spend. I know I keep a lot of the costs from her eyes. My defense is that all the bills are paid, we have a beautiful house over our head and food on the table. The only cost I had to own up to was the 10 grand for the crate hemi 15 years ago.
 
The newness is starting to wear off and my wife is starting to get annoyed! I have had my 69 RR for a couple of months now. I love it! It is an A-12 clone complete with the 440 6bbl. After driving when I park it in the garage, I need to leave the garage door open with a couple of fans running for at least an hour otherwise, it will stink up the whole house. Almost like a gas/fuel smell. Any ideas of what issue is causing this, or how to cure? Or is this just a feature of these cars and leaving the garage door open with the fans what needs to happen.
get her nose plugs
tani-woman-nose-plug.jpg
 
If the fuel system and ignition system are in good working order you shouldn't be chased out of the house. I have not dealt with a 3 carb set up, though. Make sure the tank is venting correctly, no leaks like mentioned above, check all of the fuel lines, and make sure the carb(s) adjustments are correct. Make sure all 8 plugs are firing correctly. Fouled plugs, weak coil, wires with too much resistance can cause issues. If all is working as they should, you shouldn't have to leave it outside to air out.
 
Mine was similar when I got it. It was running so rich it would make your eyes water. It was also running on the hot side. After leaning out the carb, changing to a 180 stat, adding a fan shroud and an extra insulating carb gasket to help prevent fuel boiling in the float bowls, it is now no different than my daily drivers.
 
The hot engine is also evaporating fuel from the carbs. Try parking it in the driveway with the hood for about 20 minutes before you put it in the garage.
That should help.
This is the problem - I had exactly the same thing years ago. Replacing with a 4BBL and a QuikFuel carb solved the problem.

No point wasting time checking the plugs etc....fuel is just evaporating out of the carbs and into the room atmosphere.
Ventilation is the key - or let the engine cool down before parking inside.
 
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