Barn Find 1958 Dodge Coronet Lancer - Engine Vitals 

The 325 poly of that year model only came with a 2 bbl, the 361 had 2 single 4 bbl options and one with dual 4 bbl carbs. Compression indicates that is a healthy engine , sounds good ! I think it could use a new cap , rotor , plugs , plug wires , and condenser . May just need the grounds cleaned up .

love the car mate keen to see your progress in its tidy up

this 2023 and you are working on a 1958. you are going to be lucky to find anything at a parts store today for that car. take youre old parts with you so you can compare them there to make sure you get the correct part. dont be surprised if you need to modify something to make it work for you.

First thing I would suggest, find the timing mark on the crankshaft pulley and mark it with some white or yellow paint. Makes seeing and setting the timing much easier. I am not sure what elevation you live at but back in the day (60s-70s) it was common practice to advance the timing over factory spec 1 to 1.5 degrees for every thousand feet of elevation. (We lived at 7000 so we usually went 10 degrees). Next, I agree with commenter Robert Lynch on electrical parts replacement to give you a solid baseline to work from. You cannot reliably check the distributor by looking for wobble while it is running. Worn bushings will affect performance long before they are bad enough to see wobbling while it is turning. Try taking the distributor out and put it in a vise. While holding the points open, grab the top of the shaft and try to move it side to side. IF you can feel ANY PLAY at all, the bushings are shot and the point gap will be all over the map while it is running. The bushings are replaceable however if you can find them. The same bushings were used over multiple years on multiple engines so they should be available. I think I saw someone comment on vacuum leak possibilities. That is something that I didn't think of but is absolutely worth checking out Finally, with as many vehicles as you are working on having a decent set of test equipment (dwell meter, etc) will pay for itself in less than three months by closing off false rabbit holes that chew up time and money chasing after false causes and parts that you may not need. Based on the compression tests you seem to have a pretty solid engine mechanically. If you had burnt valves or ring problems you would not be getting as good of compression readings as you are. (I would retest that cylinder that tested 145 as that is suspicious to me). I am looking forward to seeing further progress on this car because as rough as it looks from a distance, I think it has the potential to become a very nice car, worthy of taking it to whatever level you want.

If you had a wobbling distributor shaft, the contacts on the rotor would be all chewed up. I had a 77 Chrysler that had that problem.

That engine sounds nice. Go back to time stamp 17:46 and see just as you turn over the engine there is a spark jumping across the plug leads, looks like no.7 and 8 cylinder area. Be no harm to fit new plug leads.

Vaccuum guage is you're friend on these cars,best way to tune them looking for maximum vacuum. Timing by the book is a starting point, vacuum guage will tell you where the engine would like to be in regards to the timing.

One thing that it really needs is to drive it and blow the cob webs out of it. It's obviously not ready for that yet. Proceed with the things it needs to get it ready for the road, tires, brakes, exhaust, windshield and then give it a drive.

Sounds like Christine(!!) ... you'd better get the hell outta there Lol 🙂.

Probably due for a new set of VALVE STEM SEALS. My 318 fouls plugs & blows smoke when the top end pumps up oil off Idle.

It seems you confirmed bad plug wires, but haven't replaced them. Cleaning the plugs also doesn't eliminate them as a potential cause. On a car that's been sitting a long time, it's best to replace all of the ignition components. One piece at a time is frustrating.

The engine has good compression. If those cylinders weren't firing that engine would be shaking and running terribly. However if those cylinders were lacking compression they'd just be along for the ride so to speak and it wouldn't shake as badly. Is your gasoline fresh? Stale and rotten fuel can be an issue. Also look for vacuum leaks as a possible cause for rough performance. Those plugs didn't look that bad. Might also look into timing as an issue as well. That's all I know!

👍👍👍

Change plugs. If one has a craked insulator down inside plug it could cause miss. I would suspect the one that looked oily or wet. Do you have a vaccuum guage? That can tell you a lot as well.

Just give it a full tune up wow

You should have wide open throttle when doing a compression test.

Price of rims and tire, plus body and interior, drivetrain, $35.00, $265.00, $100.00. Full total price is $400.00.

If you can't find points get a protrinx electronic ignition 2 wires on it very simple to do I put it in all my classic cars it doesn't matter if the shaft is wore neather

Valve adjustment, fouled plug, firing order.

Did these 58's have a gear you put put it in to lock the box like a park? Thanks,mine rolls in all gears and relies on the handbrake? Doesn't seem safe to me lol

Looks like the plug gap is a bit wide.

Just wondering what is a 58 like that in good condition worth over there,I'm in australia and thinking of buying one?Thanks