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Hi all,

 

I am looking to take my lhd us spec 6 out to live on the algarve as a weekend car.

 

Before I do this I am thinking of performing some upgrades to make the car more reliable, as it has a habit of missing when accelerating.

 

Some background first, had car commissioned and mot after import by TRGB last year 'great job'. New shox all round and bushes trunnions etc, oil cooler, hoses and electric fan. Plus tyres, hood and red leather interior. Car is from California so tin worm free. White paint needs sorting but that's next years work.

 

So here is my list of upgrades,

 

1, replace stormbergs with hs6 kit from SU-carbs

2, replace what looks like original exhaust with Phoenix ss manifold and big bore sports from tr shop

3, have head converted to lead free

4, have distributor converted to 123 ignition

 

And don't tell the wife how much I have spent

 

Anything I have missed or should do at the same time.

 

I also like the look of the fosseway vented break upgrade.

 

I intend to do the work myself.

 

Can anyone suggest a good place to take my head for the conversion. I am in wapping East London so expect to have to travel.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Paul

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Had my tr6 head done over Christmas at H T Howard, Slough. look at their website and the work they do. First class job, and done within a week if you take out the Christmas holidays.

 

Telephone them and have a word, their engineers take the time to talk with you.

 

http://www.hthoward.co.uk/about-us/company-history/

 

I am not associated with them in any way, just a happy customer

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Strombergs to SU's = same. No performance or tuning advantage in my book. This seems to be a current trend and one I don't understand, unless one just wants to part with money. I've owned plenty of the 4 pot TR's as well as several 250's & 6's so am familiar around both types of carbs. The Strombergs were no more or less difficult to tune and offer same performance. In fact, they were made with throttle shaft seals, which are easy to replace, so no need to rebush carbs when the time comes to rebuild. The only ZS's carbs I'd swap out are the early ones on the 250's and early 6's with the non adjustable needles. Actually, all I do is swap in pistons from carbs with adjustable needles and call it a day.

 

And yes, I have done the swap on a 6, years ago when I had carbs leftover from a 4a and put them on my 6 as I had read things about "responsiveness" etc. No real difference. Carbs of both type were in good working order when removed/installed.

 

Of course this is all JMHO.

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Hi Paul

 

Do whatever you like !

 

I've loads of things on my 6 that are in no way 'necessary'

 

But if it's reliability you're after then I'd propose 'less is more'

 

In addition to the carb comments above, although I would argue that a new setup properly adjusted will give peace of mind and the 123 is well regarded, you probably won't see any benefit from the phoenix exhaust manifold.

 

Maybe just replace the system as the standard cast manifold is reckoned to be pretty good, at least up to 5-6 k revs.

 

Steve

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Paul,

When the head is off skim it to bring compression up to 9.5:1 USA engines were 8.5 or lower. IIRC 7.5 in the last year of production

On other hand valve seat recession is unlikely to be a worry unless you drive flat out at 3000rpm-plus all the time.

So you could leave the head be if the extra power is not important. I have yet to hear of valve seat recession on a 6-cylnder engine - lots of unleaded conversions, yes, but actual recession no.

 

I'm rather in Steve's less is more camp. Electronic disy's are fine until they go wrong.Then you'll wish you had stayed standard and carried good spare points, condenser rotor arm and coil and feeler gauge.

 

" Missing while accelerating". If it misses for just a second or so after flooring the throttle, and not at other times, then try a stiffer oil in the dashpots.

Assuming a diaphragm isn't punctured.

 

Peter

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Find someone who knows how to rebuild the ZS carbs AND set all the adjustments.

There are components in the ZS that need periodic replacement.

Failing to realize this, some owners start turning adjustment screws. There is no amount of adjusting that will compensate for a worn out part. You may have a pair of these "adjusted" carbs

You can do a pretty decent job of rehabilitating ZS carbs and making baseline adjustments with the help of this and a carb rebuild kit:

http://www.buckeyetriumphs.org/technical/Carbs/CarbsI/CarbsI.htm

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I've fitted one of those very reasonably priced electronic conversions which fit inside the distributor, carry a set of points and condenser in the glove box as it's easily reversed in the case of a failure, and no need to convert the tacho to electronic as the 123 doesn't have a tacho drive?

Regards

Graham

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Andrew Turner can do an excellent job of rebuilding your existing Strombergs, which will work just as well as SUs.

 

I'd rather have Martin Jay rebuild an existing dissie than go electronic.

 

Keep the OE manifold, which does a decent job on a standardish engine.

 

Spend the money on having Peter Burgess do a proper job on the head.

 

Cheers

 

Alec

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Paul,

Bite the bullet, Sir! Go Lucas Pi! You know you want to!

Despite all the tales from the day, which were due to garagistes twiddling where they knew not, Pi is extremely reliable.

All those fiddly carburettor bits wearing against each other, it's no wonder they need adjusting every week!

Get the MU set up by some one who can do it on the bench, leave it alone, and enjoy!

 

John

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Paul

 

I tend to agree with John.

 

I had some early issues with my PI, but, had the MU overhauled by Neil Ferguson (he is on the forum; thats where I found him) and took a set of overhauled injectors at £10 a pop, again, from Neil, who also spent time on the phone, walking me through bleeding the system - a really good guy to deal with.

 

I spent some time ensuring the butterflies were working in unison and now the whole thing works.

 

I will leave it alone, except for the occassional clean of the linkage

 

Get the PI system set up well and it works

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FWIW and given where you are going with the car I would also go for rebuilt dizzy with spares rather than the expensive leccy fitting.

Go for it if you feel you must but rebuilt original would be easier to sort in the event of issues esscpecially in the Algarve

Edited by Rodbr
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My 2p worth based on experience of modifying and upgrading on several classics

 

Use original components - you know they fit. Just get them overhauled. Carbs have a limited life before seals perish and **** affect efficiency.

 

Get the carbs rebuilt b someone with all of the special tools and test equipment. Then there is no doubt they will work. I use Burlens for my rover HS6s. They came back like works of art. Car ran beautifully.

Get the original dizzy rebuilt. I used distributor doctor. I have full faith in pertronix electronic points. I know for sure the spark is happening at the correct time. An exhaust manifold is useless if the spark is off by a degree or the curve is off.

Get the best plug leads you can. I use magnecor. The idle increases when I swap from new cobalt leads to the magnecor.

When you have all of that done and the timing set up and engine tuned, then decide if to need to modify the brakes. If it isn't moving at its full potential - don't worry about stopping it.

Before you modify the brakes, change or get the best pads you can and bed them in properly. Google it.

The standard set up is very capable, but many of our cars fall short of factory spec due to worn carbs, dizzys, linkages etc.

Just my thoughts based on having wasted money on "upgrades" in the past before I sorted the basics.

Petrol Injection is the dogs whatits though...

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Hi and thanks for advice / words of wisdom

 

I have decided to book car in at enginuity for new phionex big bore system ( no manifold) ignition upgraded to Petronix and hs6 conversion from southern carbs as enginuity recommend this as being cheeper and more reliable than getting stormbergs rebuilt.

 

They will also be guiding car through MOT ounce I get bumpers back from colonnade and have seat belts from quickfix order placed in July but they are waiting for decent chrome work, been promised and of March.

 

 

Kevin the only cooling work is revotec electric fan and oil cooler.

Regards

 

Paul

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