The vacumm guage pulses rapidly from 19 to 21 which I guess is what worries me. My other barracuda was a /6 and the vacumm was low but it was steady at idle. I have a job interview in the am for a part time job and the weather is going to be heavy rain for a couple of days then I will adjust the valves and check some other things. I was going to show off tonight and fire it up for my brother inlaw but it failed to start. I hope I was low on fuel because it always starts good.
Thanks for your help.

Stay in touch w this

Im hoping the mechanical valve train just need to be reset. Solid lifter 273's can idle like butter. Chiltons says a wiggling vacuum needle (more than 1 inch {typical for a high lift cam}, more like 5) is a sticking valve or related. Look here at Scenario #5

http://www.secondchancegarage.com/public/186.cfm

I've got a chiltons manuel and hope when I adjust them it will help. We have heavy rain monday afternoon till tuesday night so later this week I'll get back at it.

Mine is a little more like senerio 3. thanks for that info. That does show a lot about the vacumm guage and what it means. Mine is like 3 but goes between 19 and 21. When you excelerate it smooths out.
There is so much to learn and do.

I'm sure your not ready to rebuild it so maybe forgo compression/leakdown or timing chain & not likely dampener has shifted. I'd adj the valves then concentrate on the timing/dist as that much initial is not right.

Thanks Robert, My goal today is to get it in the garage before the rain starts and do just what you said. The guy I purchased the car from said to check the dwell first. Maybe he has a reason for that. I know he said he rebuilt the distributor.
Do you know what to set the dwell at on a dual point distributor. This is a 65 commando engine which I think is stock and all original except for the dual exhaust. I just bought a dwell meter so now I'll move a few things to get it inside. Thanks again.
Tommy

The gap is .016 and total dwell is 38 and can block each set open one at a time w a piece of matchbook etc & 29 dwell on each points set but it's not a critical adjustment (unlike the valves). Any idea why it wouldn't start

It fired up fine today, who knows, I think it has a mind of its own sometime. It or she or Goldie, the previous owners name for her, is in the garage so I can take my time with it. Maybe by morning I'll have the valves adjusted and check the dwell. As far as not starting it did smoke out of the exhaust this morning which is unusual. Perhaps it was just flooded. Again Thanks for your help. One of these days I am going to conquer this or learn a lot in the process.

The dwell reading is 33, breaks down to 26 on one set and 22 on one set. So these need adjusting. May not solve my problem but a good place to start. Sure is nice to finally have her in the garage and out of the rain.