Classic car tune up.
Discussion
As detailed elsewhere I'm fiddling with a Gilbern with an MGB 1800 engine.
My tune up plan is
Electronic igntion, new cap, rotor, plugs, new coil, timing set with a strobe.
Run through the tappets and set the gaps.
Clean carbs, fresh fuel. Check mixture by plug colour, it has K&N type air filters and richer needles, but it does run on a little, I think that might be the ancient fuel.
On the road, advance ignition until it pinks, then back it off a little.
What else would you do?
I'm doing some other stuff like belts and rad hoses.
My tune up plan is
Electronic igntion, new cap, rotor, plugs, new coil, timing set with a strobe.
Run through the tappets and set the gaps.
Clean carbs, fresh fuel. Check mixture by plug colour, it has K&N type air filters and richer needles, but it does run on a little, I think that might be the ancient fuel.
On the road, advance ignition until it pinks, then back it off a little.
What else would you do?
I'm doing some other stuff like belts and rad hoses.
Sorting the ignition is the smartest thing to do - its getting harder and harder to find books of paper matches these days so points are becoming more difficult to adjust. Lumenition are well regarded, amongst others.
New fuel & coolant hoses are cheap insurance, quick and easy to replace and rubber that has perished with age. New fuel filter with the new fuel hoses.
New thermostat and coolant, oil & filter whilst you're in there.
Regrease all the wheel bearings, check/clean/adjust the brakes and handbrake.
Go to all the earthing points and make sure they are clean/not corroded/good contact, and smear vaseline over the top to keep atmosphere out.
Spark plugs can be hard to read with unleaded ethanol/petrol blends, the oxygen in the ethanol makes the plug look leaner than it really is - lack of lead doesn't help either. Gunson colourtune has mixed reviews but cheap enough to be worth a try.
Given that the air filter and needle are both non-standard, and the ignition system has been modified too, you should probably take it to a rolling road and make sure the AFR and spark advance are correct through the rpm/load range - doing this by ear on the road is impossible to get accurate.
New fuel & coolant hoses are cheap insurance, quick and easy to replace and rubber that has perished with age. New fuel filter with the new fuel hoses.
New thermostat and coolant, oil & filter whilst you're in there.
Regrease all the wheel bearings, check/clean/adjust the brakes and handbrake.
Go to all the earthing points and make sure they are clean/not corroded/good contact, and smear vaseline over the top to keep atmosphere out.
Spark plugs can be hard to read with unleaded ethanol/petrol blends, the oxygen in the ethanol makes the plug look leaner than it really is - lack of lead doesn't help either. Gunson colourtune has mixed reviews but cheap enough to be worth a try.
Given that the air filter and needle are both non-standard, and the ignition system has been modified too, you should probably take it to a rolling road and make sure the AFR and spark advance are correct through the rpm/load range - doing this by ear on the road is impossible to get accurate.
Presumably if it's a B series, it'll have SUs, which depending on type may have a lifting pin under the main body to check the fuel mixture. I haven't done this for 25+ years now but recall you lift the pin slightly and if the revs increase slightly you're about right - better start point I suggest than trying to interpret plug colour.
AMGSee55 said:
Presumably if it's a B series, it'll have SUs, which depending on type may have a lifting pin under the main body to check the fuel mixture. I haven't done this for 25+ years now but recall you lift the pin slightly and if the revs increase slightly you're about right - better start point I suggest than trying to interpret plug colour.
I think you might be right! I had forgotten all about that pin!Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff