83 smokes, bad idle, hard to start warm

[Brocksdad1]

Hey fellas

I just got this 83 from a fellow 150 miles away. It had the Quadra with all the necessary wires missing and running rich.
I installed a 600 edlebrock on top of the existing performer intake.
It idles up and down now. Won't idle in gear.
Smoked before, now it's worse.
And now the valves are rattling, off and on.
Any insight?

Bryce.

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[78BIG-TEN]

Check your oil and make sure its not diluted with fuel

[jetmech]

New or used carb? Electric choke or manual. Is the choke hooked up? Excess fuel smoke or oil? Smoking from tailpipe I assume? Does that pic show the smoke or is that from being cold? Nice looking truck by the way.

[bd]

Check your oil and make sure its not diluted with fuel

X2

Check for fuel in the oil by letting a drop of oil fall from the dipstick onto a clean fingertip.  If the oil is okay, the drop should hold its circular shape with well defined edges.  If it tracks along your fingerprint, the oil is saturated with fuel.

What color is the smoke (blue = oil, black = fuel, white = coolant or ATF)?

[Brocksdad1]

It's blue.  I'd say valve guide? And seals? 
It's a freshly rebuilt edlebrock with electric choke. Hooked up.

In the pic its not running.

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[Brocksdad1]

It had the Quadra all electric but nothing was hooked up.
It has a esc dizzy

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[Brocksdad1]

I'm a heavy equipment tech, but it's been years since I've messed with gas engine and carbs. I had two other 85,83 k10 when I was younger

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[timthescarrd]

In my experience, it's heck trying to get the edelbrock to work with an ESC dizzy correctly.  What I did on my 83 was bought a new vacuum advance HEI dizzy on ebay for $40 and pulled off all the ESC junk off the truck.  That probably isn't your current issue though.

I agree to check for fuel in your oil.  Blue smoke should be burning oil, valve chatter can be from oil too low, or broken down/polluted

[Brocksdad1]

Ok.

In going to get some new heads. Now I'm wondering what way to go. VIe been reading about going to vortech heads!!??
But I already have a performer intake. 
So what heads to get??? I see no reason for aluminum. 
I wound like to pass a few gas station if possible and this is a daily driver truck. I also pull my bass boat with it on long trips.
I have if in the garage now And the existing heads are coming off tomorrow.  Pics to come. Ill also be checking cyl walls for damage and wear. To see if its a rearing or boar. I can have a hone for 80.00 and bore and hone for 150.00
Found engine kit for 200.00
Talked to machine shop and found that all kits are made by one of two companies and consist of all the same parts like felpro and so on just packaged and named different. 
Kit contains hyporutectic pistons and hvop. Double roller. All the goodies.
Vie found several reconditioned. Heads on ebay cheaper than I can have mine done but not sure what way to go. Old school 350 strain plug, vortech, and new intake? Just not sure.

In going to order a new dizzy for sure.
All this is starting to come back to me.
I was into early broncos most of my life. 14 in fact
  You all in on myself in another thread sometime. 

Thanks for all the input.

Bryce

[bd]

So... fill in the blanks for us.  How did you arrive at an engine O/H from your initial post?  Was it "just because," or did you discover something new?  Are you confident it isn't a bolt-on causing the problem that will be transferred to the "new" motor (e.g., fuel pump leaking gasoline directly into the crankcase)?   

[Brocksdad1]

Well its blue smoke. Has a new fuel pump. Smokes on initial startup. Smokes while taking off from a stop sign.

[bd]

I'm not contradicting you - just wondered if I missed something.

BTW, welcome to the site!

[Brocksdad1]

I understand.

I just went out to the shop.
After I had put on the edlebrock carb it had got worse. After some research on wiring I looked at the dizzy. Well it's a aftermarket dizzy with only the pink hooked. BUT!. The pink going to the ESC was still hooked. So I diskoed that and also found a loose ground on the back of the block.
So now it starts and idles again. But still a ton of smoke, and when it's put into gear it's almost dieseling. No power. Slight sound of lifter noise now. Not as bad. Had to been the timing screwed up.
I've advance and retarded the timing and nothing. No power at idle. Once I get it past idle though it will take off great, even spin the tires. I'm baffeled.
At idle in park there is no laboring of the engine.

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[timthescarrd]

That kinda sounds like your idle speed is too low.  Do you have a tachometer? 

Also a little confused about the distributor,as far as I know, a non-esc will have a pink for power from the main wiring harness to the coil, a three-pin (usually red, black, and yellow) from the module inside the distributor to the coil (plugs in right behind the pink power), and a spot beside the pink power lead for a tach.  an ESC will have all that plus a 4-pin connector coming off the back of the distributor down below the cap that connects to a plug on the esc harness. 

[Brocksdad1]

Its running around 950 rpm in park.
The truck had a esc.  The dizzy that is in it is aftermarket but the small pink was still hooked up to the large pink. The 4 pin connector for the esc is still there in the harness just not part of the dizzy. The small pink was supposed to be eliminated.  And run the dizzy off the large pink.