Ian Vincent

The Macy's kit looks the business but I was a bit more agricultural. I placed the appropriate cam follower in No1 inlet with another follower upside down on top so that I had a flat surface to place the dial gauge on. I had already determined TDC on the engine using an old spark plug with the centre drilled out and tapped for a piece of studding. I did exactly as you suggest, set the engine to TDC, advance it to the desired setting (103 deg in your case) and then set the camshaft at max lift on No.1 inlet. I didn't have a vernier camshaft chain wheel so I played around with the one i h

Checking the plugs will tell you if the mixture is weak. when I tried changing to a leaner needle, my car started to pop and bang on overrun and stumble on pickup from low revs. Rgds Ian

I did have to raise the car but only by a couple of inches to allow the front arms of the crane to slide under the chassis rail on the near side. The castors I used were leftover from a previous project and on the large side. Rgds Ian

John's crane worked fine for me - with a hydraulic jack. Rgds Ian

Have you used a dial gauge to check the lift at each valve? My money would be on a cam follower sticking but you can't check that definitively without lifting the head. Rgds Ian

My post 60k LHD car didn’t have a blanking plate. Rgds Ian

Try using as long screwdriver or a piece of dowelling with something like an aerosol cap nailed to it as a sounding rod (assuming you don't have a stethoscope thingy) and then place it on the manifolds to ascertain if the noise is associated with the valve gear. Your could also put it on the timing chain cover to see if the chain is the culprit. Rgds Ian

Hi Marco, As you have discovered, having the correct mechanical advance is important for optimum performance. I would have thought that someone with your ingenuity (and workshop) would have come up with a test rig to check the advance curve against the workshop manual. Rgds Ian

For what it’s worth, after I had my car set up on a rolling road a couple of years ago, I removed the piston and suction chambers and measured the depth of the jets. The front one was 0.89mm below the bridge and the rear one 0.6mm. Since then, whenever I reset the carbs that is my starting point and I don’t have to move much from there. I’ve not worked out why the two measurements are different. Rgds Ian

Looks like the bulge is something added by a previous owner. Rgds Ian

In the past I have used a polyester resin to seal dusty surfaces. It penetrates and binds the surface together. You can also apply paint to it provided you apply it before the resin has gone off completely because otherwise the paint won't be able to bond to it. I am sure SIKA will offer a suitable material, although the one I used was called G4. See attached link. G4 Damp Seal Rgds Ian PS G4 is mainly sold as a pond sealer but as you can see from the link, it can also be used as a primer.

I agree about the Venturi but the effect of the gate valve in an SU is to create a low pressure area which draws the fuel up into the air flow where it is vaporised in the same manner as the model in the video. Rgds Ian

And if I had the cash, I’d be after it as well. Lovely car. Rgds Ian

My son sent me a link to this video, he thought I might be interested. It could probably be condensed a bit but for me it does what it says, it explains how a simple carburettor works. Rgds Ian How a carburettor works

I got fed up with making holes in my hand and bought a pair of the specialist pliers. I agree, they are a bu88er to undo. Rgds Ian