What am I doing wrong?

[X11_STE]

OK, heres the short story; My '81 citation blew a head gasket so I had to tear the motor down. While the motor was apart, I decided to make use of an old holley 4bbl & torker intake (since the motor was apart anyways.............. yea, we know how that goes). Got the heads on, got the intake on and the carb in place. BTW I just rebuilt the carb last night in my bedroom (my first! yaa!!). So with the basics covered & bolted up, I try and "test fire" the engine. Thankfully dad was around and noticed fuel pissing all over the place (including through the vent tube!). OK, I think, well, we will tighten down the float jets. Dad went about his biz & I did the adjustments. Fired up the car again and it somewhat idled until I noticed the front of the car was on FIRE!!!!! F'n-A!! After the whole nieghborhood showed up to put the fire out, we found the fire did no permenant damage (just a little water in the valve covers). I walk away from the car. Several hours later I come back to ticker with it some more with a new neighbor. I crank it over again (this time with the dizzy disconnected) he shouts WHOE!! I go for a look and he cranks it and fuel is just GUSHING out of the exhaust manifold! Seriously, it looked like someone turned a fire hose on in the manifold!! But the back mani is bone dry. Good thing the rest of the exhaust was not hooked up or I'd be in serious trouble.
So what am I doing wrong? The engine actually ran great prior to tear-down, even with the blown head gasket. Timing is currently ~0* TDC because it cant be ran long enough to adjust. The engine is a bone stock '81 2.8 x-code (lo-po) with ~105,xxx on the clock. The only things that have changed is the intake, carb, and the vac. dizzy.
HELP!!!!! TIA!

[pocket-rocket]

I wonder if the cylinders filled with fuel from the fire incident. Or maybe it's water from putting out the fire that was gushing out of the exhaust mani. Either way, I would be rechecking that carb.

[trotterlg]

What did you use to put the fire out the first time? Larry

[geoffinbc]

Well you rebuilt your first carb. Sounds like something was missed and the engine is full of fuel.

Pull the plugs, pinch off the fuel supply line to the pump and turn the motor over. Let any fuel come out of the plug holes. When its all out drain the oil because there will have fuel in it. Leave the plugs out over night and let the fuel evaporate. Put new oil in and go rebuild that carb again and figure out what you missed. If one side is flooded and the other is not then one side of the carb has the problem and the other may be ok. So maybe a jet is missing allowing huge amounts of fuel flow.

[X11_STE]

OK, so, after thinking about it for awhile, yea, I'd agree with ya'll, the problem simply has to be in the carb. We used water to snuff the fire. Not the best choice I know, mixing water and flaming oil but is what we had at the moment. I suppose the engine could have gone through a "fuel wash" after the fire, but how? The liquid coming from the mani is definately gas, not water.
BTY, I will try those ideas next. When I rebuilt the carb, I was extra careful to take my time and do one thing at a time. Everything was put back together EXACTLY as it came apart, down to the bolts in the float bowls. Um, the only thing I can think of that was "skipped" was the main jets. Fear kept me from even touching them. I suppose the carb's sitting for over 8 years might have clogged one of them. So, would it be advisable to go ahead and tear the carb back apart (shudder) and then soak the main body (with jets installed) in a can of carb clean for a day or week and then try again?

[pocket-rocket]

I suppose the engine could have gone through a "fuel wash" after the fire, but how?

Fuel sitting in the cylinders seeping past ring gaps while you went to go cool down for a few hours.

[geoffinbc]

With enough fuel going through the engine to be seen coming out the exhaust is enough to wash down the cylinders. Plus there may be water in the engine too so changing the oil is good insurance.

[X11_STE]

OK, got that. Oil change was not in the budget but wtf? I guess now its a priority.

So is there anyone here that is good at tuning a carb? Maybe be able to give me some pointers on known problems with these beasts?

[GrandAmGTTT]

well since pretty much everyone on here has an engine that is EFI finding someone that can tune a carb is prob scarce around here

[X11_STE]

Yea, I'm finding that out. EFI is for the weak and for those who dont apperciate simplisity.

[Driver_10]

Every symptom that youve stated thus far points at excessive fuel pressure. A carb needs no more than 5psi or so. You didnt happen to stick an EFI fuel pump on that thing when you did your rebuild?

[Driver_10]

Yea, I'm finding that out. EFI is for the weak and for those who dont apperciate simplisity.

or at least those dont like swatting out flames

[pocket-rocket]

or at least those dont like swatting out flames

As funny as that reads now, been there, done that

[X11_STE]

Every symptom that youve stated thus far points at excessive fuel pressure. A carb needs no more than 5psi or so. You didnt happen to stick an EFI fuel pump on that thing when you did your rebuild?

Believe it or not, the fuel pump is the original 105k mile, mech. unit that came with the car. I was thinking, if anything, the fuel pressure would be too low because the pump is now feeding 2 bowls instead of one.