stalling while idling

[vince d]

Greetings all,
My 61 bullet bird rides well , but eventually stalls while idling...I can drive it a hour or so and it may begin to sputter but ill give it gas and all is well, shortly afterwards when idling it begins to sputter again and when I give it gas it runs ok but only for a few seconds then the sputtering returns, I repeat the process and it stalls, while trying to restart I hear a misfire but it will not start. I note that the see thru gas filter is empty and the engine temp is normal .I don't believe its idling to low, I've never had this problem before. The car has sat up for 9 months or so what should I begin to look at?

[tbird]

Check your fuel system from the pick-up in the tank to the carb and your fuel pump pressure you could have a check valve hanging up in the pump due to impurities in your gas which can plug the intake sock in the tank or the check valve.

[Karl]

I agree with Jim, check the fuel system to the carburetor especially the fuel pump, it may have a bad diaphragm or a valve and not delivering enough fuel and pressure.
Karl.

[smorgasbird]

Empty fuel filter means no gas to the carb. My 61 did that same thing a few years ago. It would stall, but if I waited 5 minutes I could restart it and run another few miles. Turned out to be flakes of rust from the inside of a replacement fuel tank that plugged everything up. I ended up replacing the tank, fuel pump and fuel filter; and giving the carb a good cleaning.
It may be just a failing fuel pump, but you might also want to use a bright flashlight to look into the tank via the filler tube. The rust I had in mine developed at the seams and was visible through the filler tube. The nine months of sitting makes me suspect the rust in the tank, but bad gas (ethanol) could also eat the rubber diaphragm in the fuel pump.