Okay that's it ! This thread has gone too far !
I've been mildly tolerating this business of "lets replace everything with
Asian or American parts to make it better" BUT:
"IT DOES NOT MAKE THAT ANNOYING TICKING SOUND" is treading on sacred
ground !
I consider the ticking of an SU fuel pump to be an integral part of the
experience of owning and driving a British car. One of the joys of lighting
up my BN 6 is waiting for the blub, blub,
blub......blub...................blub to tell me that all is well with the
fuel system. The rate of ticking is an indicator of vapour lock or an air
leak. I even listen for it while driving- the regular ticking is reassuring
and is as much a part of the experience as the musical "whoom" of the exhaust,
the faint whine as the overdrive kicks in, and the wind noise around the
sidescreens.
This venerable old Skinners Union product has given me 50,000 miles of
trouble-free motoring, ( apart from an initial vapour lock problem caused by
the brilliant Austin design department locating the poor pump directly over
the exhaust pipes- completely cured by fitting a heat shield ), despite and
maybe because of, always carrying a spare in the trunk.
Amongst the hundreds of motorcycles and three-wheelers on display at the
1934 Olympia Show in London was one vehicle- the Raleigh Safety Seven- which
was equipped with an electric fuel pump. The very latest in high tech, the
pump needed a note in the driver's handbook that told the owner not to be
alarmed by the ticking sound. This car, presently sitting in my driveway,
has had its wonderful brass and brown bakelite-capped six-volt SU fuel pump
ticking away under the bonnet for some SEVENTY-ONE YEARS.
Surely a timeless classic, and a British car institution.
Best regards
Peter
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