Swifty's Navigator

[Paul L]

Swifty - I sure the gear lever gate will be to your usual high standard.

Just don't get too carried away with the improvements and forget to drive it.

Good luck, Paul.

[swifty]

Paul There's not much chance of forgetting to drive the car as it' certainly a fun car to go out in so when the sun shines i get itchy feet to take her out for a spin basically any excuse i can i take up.


Two enamel badges arrived today, these will be the final finishing touch to the look of the car.


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Very pleased with the quality, metal back with coloured enamel front with a clear glaze surface.

[swifty]

Fitted the Mintex 1144 front pads today, great improvement both with the feel and stopping power so i would definitely recommend them, the other pads were standard cheapo's which had very little feel.

[swifty]

The SU fuel pump arrived end of week so i decided to fit it to the car and see if the hot start problem is fixed.

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SU fuel pump, same as the one fitted to a stag.


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Made a bracket to mount the fuel pump to the petrol tank sub frame, ive deliberately mounted the pump next to the tank where it will be cooler than if mounted under the bonnet.


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Pump fitted and piped in ready to go.


Well after all the work involved (3 hrs) the engine was ran up to temperature then stopped for 5 mins with the bonnet closed then cranked the engine over only to find the hot start issue was still there, so back to the drawing board.

Next i intend to remove both carbs to check the float height and also the fixed jet height in relation to the carb bridge as i fitted new jets when overhauling the carbs, i believe this measurement to be 100 th or 2.54 mm give or take a little LOL. The fixed jets in the strombergs are a push fit in the carb body which means they can potentially give a rich or lean mixture, the needle can be adjusted slightly to enrich or weaken the mixture but this is a very small adjustment so if the fixed jet is a mile out then problems will occur, may have to see if i can purchase a second hand emissions meter just to see what the CO reading is.

All in all not the result i was wanting.

One thing that was a result was the panel deadening i used to combat the drumming and vibrating of the rear panel fitted behind the seats, i bought a box of smart price vinyl floor tiles with glue already applied from B&Q for £6, they work a treat and are a lot less money than the sound deadening stuff you can buy.

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Black vinyl floor tile stuck to the back of an ally panel to stop the rattling.


Well that's it for now see you all soon.

[peterux]

Sorry to hear about your ongoing vapour lock issues.
I've read that bio-ethanol petrol can be more prone to cause vapour lock in older cars with carbs.
I also believe that super unleaded (98 octane) is less likely to have any ethanol.
It might be worth trying a can of super unleaded? Maybe run a fuel line from a 'temp fuel tank' just to try it, if draining your fuel tank is too daunting.

Just an idea to try.........
cheers, Peter

[Mister Towed]

Swifty, sorry if you've already made this obvious somewhere in your thread, but whereabouts in the country are you?

I have a pair of (worn out) 150 Strombergs sitting in my garage that you're welcome to borrow to see if they work on your GT6 motor. They're jetted for a mk1 Vitesse engine but still ran ok when I put a mk2 cam in.

They won't allow the engine to rev above 4,000 but I never had a hot start problem with them so you may be able to eliminate the carbs as the problem if they'll start your engine from hot.

There's also the possibility that it's nothing to do with the fuel supply or carburation. A friend of mine has a Mk2 Jag that he's owned for thirty years and has recently recommissioned himself (very talented chap, a farmer who restores cars in what little 'spare' time he has, it's his full lift and Willys Jeep in some of the pictures I posted last year). The Jag had a terrible hot-start issue and would cut out while on the move then refuse to start almost every time he took it out. Once it cooled down it'd be alright for a while, then cut out again once hot.

After a year of head scratching he took advice from a Jag expert who recommended he have the distributor reconditioned. Since he had that done his Jag hasn't missed a beat. Just a thought...

Triumph also used two suppliers for their distributors, btw, Lucas and AC Delco. I have Lucas and haven't had a problem, Phil J swears by AC Delco, in fact he couldn't get his bike carb'd motor to run at all with the Lucas version so fitted an AC Delco one in its place and the engine started no problem. I have one of those in my garage too...

Oh, and I love your floor tile anti rattle solution. That's exactly the ethos of the Sammio experience - imaginative solutions to those little (and big) issues. Keep up the good work.

[phil9]

swift you can buy old lead 4 star petrol on the net in 2 or 3 gallon tins they send them to your house mite be worth a look ethanol is getting a big problem with oil motors ....mite be distributors as towed said running hot on mod/fuels... i like to no as a mate has same thing with his gt6

[garyh]

I have no idea about the fuel problem... But I like the vinyl tile solution.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by garyh

I have no idea about the fuel problem... But I like the vinyl tile solution.

+1

[swifty]

Mr T Thanks for the offer but i live over 200 miles away. I've fitted a brand new distributor with electronic ignition from H&H Ignition Solution and also replaced the distributor arm with a red one from the ignition doctor in case the insulation was breaking down on the blue arm that originally came with the distributor.

phil9 That may be something i will try but i was hoping to be able to use standard 95 unleaded.


garyh & Paul L Picture of the box in case you go looking in B&Q for the tiles.

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Not the most exciting picture but i thought if you could see the box then it may make it easier to spot the tiles on the shelves at B&Q.


Latest installment of the hot start saga.

Stripped the carbs off the car to check the float heights which were slightly to high, this would give a lower fuel level in the float chamber so adjusted to 17mm high. Then turned my attention to both fixed jet height's which were sitting too high, both jets were 75 th (1.9 mm) down in the carb body this would give a leaner mixture on start up. Knocked the jets down to 100 th (2.54 mm).
Took the car out for a blast (any excuses to drive her) returned home switched the engine off for 10 mins then started again flooring the throttle and hey presto the engine started, i must confess not as quick as when cold but after three to four revolutions so without tempting fate i think i may be getting to the bottom of the hot start problem.


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Picture shows the fixed jet which is the small round brass fitting sitting in the center of the ally carb body. The dash pot followed by the air valve with diaphragm attached is removed to gain access to the fixed jet.



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Checking jet height in relation to the carb bridge with a vernier caliper, this jet is 103 th, the extra 3 th in not a problem.

Something else i noticed after adjusting the fixed jet's was the exhaust does not pop as much on over run plus the idle mixture can be set correctly, prior to doing this adjustment the needle adjusters were screwed fully in (clock wise giving a richer mixture), were as now they are in a mid way position, this all adds up to being correct with the adjustments ive just done.


Well hopefully there is now light at the end of the tunnel but looking back i could of possibly saved myself some money if i had checked these two things first.

But as the saying goes "You live and learn".

[Mister Towed]

Swifty, glad you're getting your hot start sorted - these old Triumph motors are so simple they really should work. Mine even ran (badly) when I put the mk2 cam in 180 degrees out.

[Paul L]

Swifty - Fingers crossed that you have fixed the starting problem.

[swifty]

Spent some time today figuring out the program for a gate type gear change.

Started with the top plate, made a trial plate out of acrylic sheet which is easy to machine and cheap.




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Trial fitted to the mock housing to make sure the gear slot positions are correct so now will make the final plate out of ally then start on the housing which hopefully ill make out of a solid piece of ally.




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Trial gate plate in position, will also turn a new gear knob to suit the gate type change.


See you all soon.

[DaveP]

I really like it in the plastic as well

[swifty]

It does look good in plastic but i am trying to keep it looking period. One of the lads said it would look good with a blue led in the housing but again not period.

[Psycho pops]

Wondered where the fifth gear came from, had to go back in your thread for the answer, all is clear now, looks great!

[molleur]

That looks terrific!

[swifty]

Psycho pops Fitted a type 9 gearbox specifically for the fifth gear plus i felt the ford box is stronger than the triumph, its out of a 2.8 capri which has the longer input shaft to suit the gt6 engine and different ratio's to a type 9 in the smaller ford engine cars, i was led to believe a 2.8 type 9 would suit the triumph 1:89 diff which it does.

One down side is the position of the reverse right next to first, you don't have to lift or push down on the gear stick to engage reverse, there has been a few occasions Ive thought it was in first only to find out it was in reverse, this is one of the reasons Ive started making a gate shift to remove this error before i smash the rear end in.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by swifty

… I am trying to keep it looking period. One of the lads said it would look good with a blue led in the housing …

Swifty – I remember Mister Towed posting this photo from Goodwood and this certainly looks period to me.



Whereas, starting with a single blue LED in the gear shift housing, could quickly lead you down this road…





Good luck, Paul.

[swifty]

Paul Thanks for the pictures that certainly is period.


Had the car out today in a local city parked up in what can be described as a street with original cobbles and old buildings, the car looked at home. The comments given were very positive, people stopping to take pictures, one lady thought it was a jaguar and when told it was put together with parts in a garage she was amazed, she then proceed to show some pictures of classic cars she had taken in London of the gum ball rally.

Made the gear gate top plate in ally today so now have the main body to machine.


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One thing that has not gone well is the hot start saga, its still there.


Booked the car in at a local classic car show in July, it will be interesting to hear what comments i get from the classic car die hard's, expecting a bit of flack about not being a classic.


Well that's it see you all soon.