She's alive!!! And now here's some pics of the engine

[paulandchez]

Finally got her started after replacing the fuel tank and lines etc. All I did in the end was remove each plug and re-insert, and took dizzy off and put it back. Turned key and instantly fired up???? What the blithering heck???? 3 times I charged the battery cause it drained it trying to start it!
Anyway, I'm going to give the engine a full service to hopefully help, but I was wondering what you guys thought as to whether I should service now and then fiddle with carb settings as it runs quite rough sometimes, or should I fiddle first then service? It has a weber carb fitted and I've never worked on these before. It appears to have a vacuum advance dizzy (whatever that is, but I presume it uses the pulse from the carb to time the spark??). Also, I assume the bar that goes across the rear of the engine is the old choke?? I can rotate it and hear flaps moving. There seems to be a cable missing from where the spring is though so nothing is attached to it. Would this have been disconnected because of the weber?
Any help would be appreciated.

[kevtherev]

The spark is timed by the distributor and delivered by the coil.
The carb has nothing to do with timing
Its just a tube with holes in it.

Your leads seem to be connected wrongly firing order is 1 4 3 2
And there is a vac pipe missing from the distributor.


Do not "fiddle" with the carb settings unless you have a gas anyliser

[paulandchez]

Thanks mate, I'll check the plug connections today. There is a vac pipe going from the carb to the dizzy. Its connected to the round vac advance part at the bottom (the round thing attached to the side). If you look in the first pic, it curls over the plugs and goes into the carb just above the mixer screw. Is that what you meant or should there be something else there? When I said fiddle, I meant adjusting the mix and idle. Can you not do that without an analyser on these?
Thanks for the info

[AdrianC]

When I said fiddle, I meant adjusting the mix and idle. Can you not do that without an analyser on these?

Some people can do it by ear - but it really is a knack, the product of years of experience.

The carb has nothing to do with timing

With the slight exception of the vac advance. Paul - what that does is to bring the spark timing forward slightly as the inlet "sucks" harder. If there's air being sucking in, then that certainly won't help it run well. Disconnect the pipe at the carb end, and suck on it. You shouldn't be able to suck any air in at all, like a straw with your finger over the end.

If it's starting and running on all four, no matter how roughly, then you've got the plug leads in the right order. You obviously can't have just one in the wrong place, so if you've got two swapped, then it'll run REALLY badly if at all.

If you've had the distributor off, then unless you marked it's position very carefully and made sure to line it up again on refitting, then it'll be in the wrong place, meaning the spark is happening at the wrong time.

[kevtherev]

When I said fiddle, I meant adjusting the mix and idle. Can you not do that without an analyser on these?
Thanks for the info

Not accurately no
you can adjust the idle though.
Remember the mixture is only for idling speed, the main jets are responsible for anything above

re the distributor
in your picture there is clearly a vacuum spiggot waiting for either a hose or a blanking plug

http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q69 ... 15b75c.jpg

When does it run rough... cold or hot or all the time?

[CovKid]

Webber

[paulandchez]

Right, just taken her out for a jet wash and she's running great. Little rough on start up and every now and again she'd cough and almost stall if I put my foot down from a standing start, but apart from that seems to be running fine. Think I might just give her that good service and see how things are after that. What do you guys think?

[jason k]

Great news it's going!! Now start saving for some proper carbs!

[BOXY]

Also, I assume the bar that goes across the rear of the engine is the old choke?? I can rotate it and hear flaps moving. There seems to be a cable missing from where the spring is though so nothing is attached to it

The bar isn't a choke!!!! It operates the cold starting flaps in the ducting / tinware. The missing cable should be connected to a thermostat capsule mounted low down on the right hand side of the engine. If the cable & capsule are missing make sure the flaps are held open by the spring (the fail-safe position). If the flaps close during normal running the engine will probably over-heat.

[paulandchez]

Also, I assume the bar that goes across the rear of the engine is the old choke?? I can rotate it and hear flaps moving. There seems to be a cable missing from where the spring is though so nothing is attached to it

The bar isn't a choke!!!! It operates the cold starting flaps in the ducting / tinware. The missing cable should be connected to a thermostat capsule mounted low down on the right hand side of the engine. If the cable & capsule are missing make sure the flaps are held open by the spring (the fail-safe position). If the flaps close during normal running the engine will probably over-heat.

Ahhh that makes more sense. Yeah the spring is still good and holding them in the open posistion....thanks