Carburettor problems.

[Spitfire1500]

Well, I have run out of patience again.

As I was tightening the pivot bolt with a spanner, on my front carburettor, I had quite successfully changed the jet on this to a standard one, after much swearing and taking a breather, it was sticking...but nothing major, so I thought.

The the pivot bolt then decided to break. That's it, theres a piece inside the bottom bit of my carburettor and I have three quarters of that bolt left to admire. I have since torn off that god awful cardboard heat shield and all my fuel cables.

What are my options now?

Do I order a pair of new carburettors, with the standard jets ready installed for me, do I go for a weber or other performance carburettors, changing the manifolds and so on as I need to or get my carburettors reconditioned? I just want to go for the easiest and possible cheapest option.

My driving test is coming up in around a month, I want reliability and I don't want to spend an awful lot of money as I don't have an awful lot of money at the moment, I also really can't be bothered undertaking this conversion myself anymore after todays events because BL decided to use some bloody waxstat jets on their later carburettors!

An annoyed David.  >:(

[Deleted User]

just become a rent boy for dave and earn some lovly dellortoes ;)

[Mac]

Yo Dave, don't let it get you down. At least you've got a car to fidle with, some of us poor sods have just got bits
;-)

Cheapest and quickest I reckon is soak bit of bolt left in with best thread stickin releasin oil you can find, then drill with small bit and tap it with a left hand (reverse thread) male tapper. When it starts biting you now have a handle to unscrew the bloody thing out agin. Then put new bolt in.
Haven't donit meself mind you.

Webbers or dellortos - great but definately not cheap or quick to get right for your particular engine if yer SUs are set up right at the mo.

Nutha thing to watch is the splindles if you're replacing them (which you should unless they're perfect) they bend real easy.

[ferny]

What exactly have you done to them? Info and maybe pictures? We may be able to sort something out in order to fix them.

[Deleted User]

David ...don't despair old chap we all get days like that ....i'm just in the middle of putting a new engine in the Herald and have managed to snap off the vac advance on the dizzy ...luckily i have another amongst my bits and pieces.If something fell in the carbs it will fall back out if you turn the thing upside down and give it a shake ...as Ferny said take a pic stick it on here i'm sure someone can help ...someone will prob have the bit kicking around they can send you and you'll be sorted again
I allways walk away from the job when something happens like that ..have a coffee a good think about it an return to it later

[Spitfire1500]

Hey everyone!

I ended up spending a few hours putting my doors back together again and then putting them back on my car since I couldn't do anything else with the car after that bolt incident.

It's quite funny because a lot of the door trim clips on my drivers side door are gone, it likes to come off all the time! Also, my door windows are somewhat dodgy, as I stripped and threw away the old seals (they were nackered anyway) so the glass rattles an awful lot. Should be good enough for it's MOT though, when I sort everything else out (sidelight, putting bonnet assembly on and most importantly the carburettors).

Onto the carburettors anyway, I have attached an closeup image of the bolt in the carburettor.

When my images are transferred, I can also show a picture of my dashboard now and a picture of the rest of the carburettor, so the attached picture makes some kind of sense!

Zoom out of my front carburettor and some of my trainer!



Picture of my new dashboard:



Thanks again everyone,

David

[Deleted User]

is there not enough to grab with mole grips?

old radio controled car trick cut a slot with a dremel and unscrew with screwdriver

[Spitfire1500]

[quote by=mattius link=Blah.pl?b=spit,m=1175351904,s=6 date=1175366390]is there not enough to grab with mole grips?

old radio controled car trick cut a slot with a dremel and unscrew with screwdriver[/quote]

Cheers Mattius,

There is a very tiny amount of bolt sticking out - a few mm at best, but much too small for a mole grip. My mole grip is quite nackered now anyway.

I'm not sure I have a dremel, but I can go check with the owner of the garage, might have one lieing around.

Thanks again,

David

[Deleted User]

mini hacksaw might do, few mm can often be enough for pliers or mole grips, those bolts shouldn't be too tight to get out. i removed a head stud with mole grips and they are torqued up.

[Deleted User]

were you drunk mate when putting the drivers side dashboard together ;) sterring wheel and both dials look wonky ;) hehe

[Spitfire1500]

[quote by=mattius link=Blah.pl?b=spit,m=1175351904,s=8 date=1175368490]mini hacksaw might do, few mm can often be enough for pliers or mole grips, those bolts shouldn't be too tight to get out. i removed a head stud with mole grips and they are torqued up.[/quote]

Cheers Mattius,

I think I'll try that out tomorrow, also going to be figuring out why my side light doesn't work and putting my bits on (apart from my bonnet assembly), at least I won't be wasting a Sunday on not doing anything - then I can sort the carburettors out another time, I need to order that bolt anyway as well as a few other bits and pieces.

Thanks again,

David

[Deleted User]

also i would clean up the carbs while your at it, much easier to see whats going wrong when something is clean.

[Spitfire1500]

[quote by=mattius link=Blah.pl?b=spit,m=1175351904,s=11 date=1175368692]also i would clean up the carbs while your at it, much easier to see whats going wrong when something is clean.[/quote]

What do you reckon is the best solution and apparatus to clean the carburettors with?

I looked on the Canleys web site and a new pair of SU Carbs (early ones, minus needles) are £227.50 ...very tempting, as it will save me a lot of bother (but expensive!).

I might take this opportunity to get one of those aluminium heat shields as mine needs replacing - the one on TSSC is very tempting....how does everyone rate them?

Thanks,

David

[GT6boy]

Couple of quid for a bolt extractor will very easily sort your broken bolt.
If you really feel the need to buy new carbs, i'm sure you could get them cheaper elsewhere(try ringing Andrew Turner for a comparison price?)
They are simplicity themselves to overhaul- do it yourself. The feeling of acheivement as well is far more rewarding than merely bolting on a new pair.

[Spitfire1500]

[quote by=GT6boy link=Blah.pl?b=spit,m=1175351904,s=13 date=1175369772] Couple of quid for a bolt extractor will very easily sort your broken bolt.
If you really feel the need to buy new carbs, i'm sure you could get them cheaper elsewhere(try ringing Andrew Turner for a comparison price?)
They are simplicity themselves to overhaul- do it yourself. The feeling of acheivement as well is far more rewarding than merely bolting on a new pair.
[/quote]

Thanks GT6Boy,

You're right about the overhauling, more rewarding to do myself...plus that £227.50 would much better be spent on a few brand new panels...my carburettors do work fine...well, they were working fine, so it is probably a bit wasteful buying new ones!

I'm just annoyed about this waxstat to solid conversion...was wanting it to be easier!

David

[Deleted User]

i know chic doig does cheap refurb su's, i use petrol to clean the carbs.

[ferny]

Hmm... I have no idea what's actually happened or what's left without seeing it in person. I can come around at some point next week and pick them up from yours or you can drop them around mine if you like. Dropping them at mine isn't a problem any time. But I'm busy all tomorrow so can't visit you. No promises but if it can come out it will come out...

[Spitfire1500]

[quote by=Jony5 link=Blah.pl?b=spit,m=1175351904,s=9 date=1175368546]were you drunk mate when putting the drivers side dashboard together ;) sterring wheel and both dials look wonky ;) hehe[/quote]

Haha,

I think they are not tight enough. I'll have another go tomorrow!

[quote by=ferny link=Blah.pl?b=spit,m=1175351904,s=16 date=1175373719]Hmm... I have no idea what's actually happened or what's left without seeing it in person. I can come around at some point next week and pick them up from yours or you can drop them around mine if you like. Dropping them at mine isn't a problem any time. But I'm busy all tomorrow so can't visit you. No promises but if it can come out it will come out...[/quote]

I'm cool about you coming over, after 6 Monday-Friday and all day Saturday/Sunday - just give me a bell and we can make arrangements!

[Spitfire1500]

Hi everyone,

Well, I gave in, I'm getting some new HS4 1 1/2" with early solid jets ready to bolt on, a new tacho and a new speedometer is coming my way! Can't wait, going to be a busy weekend!

Thanks,

David

[neilnaz]

That depends. You have shelled out for the fixed jet conversion kit and have a set of perfectly functioning HS4s just with the waxstat jets in at the moment. You have a bolt that has sheared that should be straightforward to remove.

If those things are true then I think you are wasting your money.

Have you not been able to remove the bolt?
Have you tried the bolt extractor?

It sounds like you are giving up way to easily. Get a bolt extractor gizmo and give it a go. Go carefully with what you are doing. Be methodical.

It sounds to me like you lose your patience easily. Walk away from the car and have a cup of tea/coffee. Try again. You willbe amazed how satisfying the process can be. Fixing and sorting stuff is nearly as satisfying as driving the car! Well nowehere near but the satisfaction of it going well and having achieved it yourself will be immense.

If you get some other carbs you may well need to overhaul them and rejet them or re-spindle them so you may not be any further down the track.

Best of luck David,

Neil

[Spitfire1500]

[quote by=neilnaz link=Blah.pl?b=spit,m=1175351904,s=19 date=1175691665]That depends. You have shelled out for the fixed jet conversion kit and have a set of perfectly functioning HS4s just with the waxstat jets in at the moment. You have a bolt that has sheared that should be straightforward to remove.

If those things are true then I think you are wasting your money.

Have you not been able to remove the bolt?
Have you tried the bolt extractor?

It sounds like you are giving up way to easily. Get a bolt extractor gizmo and give it a go. Go carefully with what you are doing. Be methodical.

It sounds to me like you lose your patience easily. Walk away from the car and have a cup of tea/coffee. Try again. You willbe amazed how satisfying the process can be. Fixing and sorting stuff is nearly as satisfying as driving the car! Well nowehere near but the satisfaction of it going well and having achieved it yourself will be immense.

If you get some other carbs you may well need to overhaul them and rejet them or re-spindle them so you may not be any further down the track.

Best of luck David,

Neil[/quote]

Hi Neil,

You make some fair points, I probably have been impatient (a bad trait of mine!) and may have wasted my money!

The solid jets don't seem to be a perfect fit...but I'm going to see how these carburettors are when I receive them. The consolation is I have got a bunch of things really cheap, so just awaiting their delivery and I could probably mix and match my carburettors and then go from there.

If I find I don't need the replacement carburettors, I could probably flog them for more money then I paid for them ;D

Thanks again,

David

[neilnaz]

(David sorry I didn't mean to cause any offence. Hope I did not!)

That might be true David. Carbs are always handy as spares or will fetch some money. They need to be in good condition and tidy to fetch some money and people like to know that they work (etc) so to sell yours on you need to ensure that they are in good working order which means sorting the bolt issue out.

Its up to you David. I am a stubborn b****r so would tend to persevere and not take the easy route but we are all different. It is your money.

I am doing a refurb of my bulkhead at the moment and have taken off the master cylinder brackets that are hellishly rusty. I thought about getting replacements from Canleys (etc) at around £12 a pop or £18ish for stainless (ooh shiney shiney) I decided to sand them down, prime and paint black. It has taken me 2 nights to get one sanded and rust-converted ready for prime and paint.

I have spent £5 on sundries (sandpaper, primer, paint (already had some of this)) so am only saving £30 or so. The job might or should look as good as an off the shelf replacement item but I will have done the job totally myself. Kaye also on occasions questions whether I really need to spend the money. I suppose the answer is no in most cases. I mean rusty brackets don't matter. They just don't look nice. If I want shiney black ones then I will do it myself.

I think the same thing applies here. I have been where you are now and have spent money along the way where I could have done the work myself. My attitude now is I will have a go and will resort to buying when I cannot manage a job. It is just a journey that I know well.

Best of luck,

[Spitfire1500]

[quote by=neilnaz link=Blah.pl?b=spit,m=1175351904,s=21 date=1175693466](David sorry I didn't mean to cause any offence. Hope I did not!)

That might be true David. Carbs are always handy as spares or will fetch some money. They need to be in good condition and tidy to fetch some money and people like to know that they work (etc) so to sell yours on you need to ensure that they are in good working order which means sorting the bolt issue out.

Its up to you David. I am a stubborn b****r so would tend to persevere and not take the easy route but we are all different. It is your money.

I am doing a refurb of my bulkhead at the moment and have taken off the master cylinder brackets that are hellishly rusty. I thought about getting replacements from Canleys (etc) at around £12 a pop or £18ish for stainless (ooh shiney shiney) I decided to sand them down, prime and paint black. It has taken me 2 nights to get one sanded and rust-converted ready for prime and paint.

I have spent £5 on sundries (sandpaper, primer, paint (already had some of this)) so am only saving £30 or so. The job might or should look as good as an off the shelf replacement item but I will have done the job totally myself. Kaye also on occasions questions whether I really need to spend the money. I suppose the answer is no in most cases. I mean rusty brackets don't matter. They just don't look nice. If I want shiney black ones then I will do it myself.

I think the same thing applies here. I have been where you are now and have spent money along the way where I could have done the work myself. My attitude now is I will have a go and will resort to buying when I cannot manage a job. It is just a journey that I know well.

Best of luck, [/quote]

Hi Neil,

Don't worry, you didn't cause me any offence!

Opened my eyes a little - I suppose I'm at the young age where I think "I'll just replace that, can't be bothered going the hard route"

I'll be damned if I am like that in a few years time - I'll have much less in my pockets if I continued to be like that!

My current carburettors are in quite a bad way - apart from the bolt that snapped, the bolt where the jets go to the float chamber is stuck on hard and that won't come off, I'll probably have to drown it in WD40 and wait a day or so before trying to get it out again.

The replacement carburettors claim to be in "perfect order and ready to bolt on" but I guess I'll only know when I receive them. Looking forward to see what I am up against when they do arrive!

The cheap speedometer and tachometer I also picked up are quick fixes for my dodgy ones just so I have a perfectly working dashboard when it goes for an MOT then I can repair my current ones and flog them for some money.

That's my intention with my doors - I'm getting some fibre-glass ones but in the long term, I am going to recondition my steel doors so I have them for if I ever sell my Spitfire, I can't justify around £500 for a pair of new steel doors which are going to go the same way as mine, when I can fix mine up to look the same!

I still have plenty to learn though!

Thanks again,

David

[Spitfire1500]

Hey everyone,

I didn't actually need the speedometer  ::) Good thing I didn't pay a penny for it!

So today, I tried to get my speedometer light working - I did as I was meant to - I put a ring connector on the end of my black cable so this could be put under the knurled nut and I tried again with the bullet connector and the red cable on the back of my speedometer. I also took the opportunity to put a ring connector on the end of my tacho earth lead - believe it or not, one of the previous owners simply got the silver wire, made it into a circle and screwed it on...all right in practice but not that great, so my ring connector is more permanent and stronger too.

Although the light did work (momentarily) when I put the black lead on the body of it, I didn't seem to get the same luck when I put my connected the speedometer up again and then connected the black cable (with ring connector) to the underneath of one of the knurled nuts that hold the speedometer in place.

I'm just taking a break so I can eat and clean up a bit, I'm guessing the bulb has gone (what luck!) or the red cable might have disconnected itself slightly.

Anyway, I know the above doesnt' have anything to do with my carburettors but I just thought I'd mention it  :)

With regard to the carburettors...I don't know if I will get them this weekend, due to it being easter and all that but if I do get it Saturday, I will be bolting them on as well as replacing my broken tacho with the one coming in the post.

I'll see if I can extract the two dodgy bolts from my current waxstat carbs but otherwise, the main thing is my car will be running again and when the speedo light is working again, I can then tune my carburettors and then look at getting my car in one piece ready for it's MOT ;D

David

[Spitfire1500]

Hey everyone!

Well my carburettors arrived this morning. For some reason though, my car won't start...I've bolted the carburettors on, I have connected the emissions pipe from the rocker cover, the breather pipes and the carburettor to carburettor pipe as well as the throttle and it's linkage and the choke and it's linkage.

I also put £5 of petrol in (fuel pipe seems fine, not leaking or anything) so I reckon it might be the battery being a bit flat - I have since put it on quick charge in the hope that it will be fully charged in not too long at all! I guess I'll really know when I reconnect the battery and then try again!

The only thing missing is the air filters, which I'll put on when I have tuned the carburettors with my synchrometer and screw driver ;D

In other news, I reckon my car may fail it's MOT - because the rear wings have sharp edges on the wheel arches and the front wings also have sharp edges (on the front wheel arches) but I'll be able to confirm that soon enough when I give my car a good once over.

I don't see anything else that could fail the MOT - just a shame the bonnet assembly = expensive and the rear wings, if the inner wings and arches are damaged as well...are going to be expensive and definitely a welding job to fix, so it might take me a month or two to save that money!

Anyway, that's all for now folks!

David