To Chad, who posted the very good "before" shots (I rarely see photos that
are that detailed, yet identifiable), answers where I can and some
comments/advice if I may are embedded.
>Ok in R1 (Row 1) C1 (Column 1) is a picture of my Weber Carb with the
>filter off. I believe this is a DGV Carb? Can anyone recommend a good
>reference manual/book/website on tuning these boys... my spit has a >slight
>backfire problem and I am assuming its a function of either the >carb being
>incorrectly adjusted or the muffler which has seen better >days (rust).
>Though I have noticed that the backfire only happens when >depressing the
>clutch ???
I doubt your muffler is causing your backfire, though replacing it will go a
long way to making your car look and sound a whole lot better. This is
indeed a DGV. There are a number of good Weber books out there, check the
Vic-Brit catalog for one. They are on-line if you don't have a catalog yet.
I'd also recommend you pick up a Moss Motors catalog and a Roadster
Factory catalog. British Parts Northwest is also a good source for parts
and possibly the most reasonably priced. Back in the mid-80's, I got a DGV
and a header for about $300 delivered to my door (OR to NY) from them.
By the way, it appears that your fuel feed to the carb is running close to
your header. I'd recommend insulating and moving away from the header asap.
>In R2 C3, there is a picture of my Left Front Suspension, if you look
>closely you can see that the Rack Boot is severely decrepit. What >would
>be the best way to go about replacing this boot?
Already answered better than I could.
>Ohhh boy R4 has problems :) in picture R4 C2, better seen in R5 C1, >there
>is an open tube which has apparently deposited some material over >the
>years on the exhaust headers .. this looks abnormal to me .. any >ideas?
I believe you're right that it's a breather tube, I'm guessing from the
bottom air cleaner plate. You need to trace its source and that should give
you some clue.
>The next picture R4 C3 shows a close up of the exhaust headers with a
>threaded tube attachment?? I have no idea what this could be used for.
This would be the air pump inlet for cars whose air pump pumps into the
exhaust, as mine did. There is almost visible another one of these at the
top of the header, near the mounting flange, in between #2 and 3 cylinders -
this is where the EGR valve would mount. These threaded bosses are
non-functional on this header (more than likely, or you'd have tremendous
noise and other problems from the holes in the header), but I suppose could
be made functional. The question is, why?? ;-)
It also appears that your air pump is still in place. Hopefully the belt
has at least been removed. Unless you're in a strictly emmission-controlled
area of the country, I'd recommend removal of the air pump also.
On second look, I'll let another comment on that. It appears that your air
pump is pumping into the intake in the head, vice into the exhaust as mine
did. Disconnecting this without removing the air ports and plugging the
holes in the head may lead to other problems of which I'm not aware.
>The fourth image in R4 C4 shows the overflow bottle for the coolant
>system. If you look closely you'll see that there is no sealant so there
>can be no vacuum ? Is this a problem, and should I seal this up air >tight?
Already answered.
Other unsolicited comments: Looks like you've got a decent car on which to
build. When I removed the air pump and installed the DGV/header, the power
difference was surprisingly noticeable. Once you figure out what you want
the car to be (bone stock, slightly modified for more "fun", or radically
modified for max hp, or whatever else), you can go from there. A good
steam-cleaning will probably go a long way to making the engine bay of this
car look a lot better. Be careful of the electrical connections, though.
Also, be careful of your battery. The PO of my car went to Sears and asked
for a Die-Hard for a Spitfire. Well, Sears' book was wrong (they had the
Spit/TR-7 batteries reversed) and one of the posts was too tall and rubbed
on one of the brace bars under the bonnet. I found a more correct battery
shortly after and have since always bought by dimension (because the batter
box is small) and configuration (where the + and - posts are located) rather
than application. I now have that brace out of the car awaiting
refurbishment.
If you have your alternator rebuilt, beware. Apparently, that alternator
was used for different applications and with different applications came
different voltage regulators. The wrong one can cause more problems than
you care for. Yes, this is the voice of experience talking. :-) Since I'm
not an electrical genious, someone else will have to explain the hows and
whys.
Since I now live in VA, which is a much warmer climate than upstate NY
(where I bought the car, btw), I removed the pressboard valances on each
side of the engine. If you're in a warmer climate, you may want to consider
this. Helps the engine run much cooler. But if you're in a colder
climate....
Anyway, that's all the comments I have for now. Hope you enjoy your
Spitfire, they really are fun cars.
Good Luck,
George Parker
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