82 New Yorker lean burn conversion

[gwirtel]

My son bought an 82 New Yorker for his first car. It is clean and runs fine, but it takes about 10 minutes to warm up before it can be driven. The previous owner ripped out all of the wires for the lean burn stuff, including the wiring for the idle control on the carburetor. I don't mind spending some money on it to get it up to speed, so I have been looking into converting the lean burn system into something that actually works. I have found a Proform Electronic distributor kit (66991) for about $150, but I suspect I also need a carburetor. I am not interested in getting an expensive one that would add a lot of horsepower, but just a basic reliable setup that would start quickly and go.
Can any of you help me on this?

 

[80mirada]

I would check and see what is in there doing the job now. Does it have a distributor with an advance mechanism? What kind of ignition box since the lean burn is hacked.

 

[BudW]

A choke thermostat may be what you need, mostly. The heat sensitive bi-metallic spring in those quit working after 15-20 years or so.

The Choke thermostat (and its heater) and choke pull off is what effects cold drivability as well as fast idle (doesn’t matter if it has lean burn, or not).

After that, you might want to overhaul the carburetor (or have it done) making sure everything is exactly set to specs. Note: this is crucial, for not getting things exactly to specifications, being lax and/or skipping steps, is what causes most people problems.

My ’86 5th Ave has lean burn currently on it, but has a ’76 318 2-bbl Carter BBD on it (non-computer/Lean Burn controlled). The computer thinks the computer controlled Holley 2-bbl is still in place (but electrical connector was left undone – nothing to plug into). The only thing the computer is controlling is ignition timing (for now).

I have an ignition system setup (same setup/PN you have) ready to install – but hadn’t done it yet.

BudW

 

[Cordoba1]

+1 on getting the choke thermostat working properly. Often overlooked by the do-it-your-selfer; a working heat-stove and assorted plumbing contribute significantly to drivability. The system's purpose is to keep the temperature in the air cleaner at a constant temperature.