The Prince of Darkness (Page 3): I used a piece of 1/8" vacuum hose. Placed one end at the edge of each carb. successively, in the exact same place & listened to the hissing sound &...

Muddyvalley Loc: McMinnville, Oregon

Burtzy wrote:

I had twin SU carbs. Getting them balanced was like reeling in one fish while trying to let another one go.

I used a piece of 1/8" vacuum hose. Placed one end at the edge of each carb. successively, in the exact same place & listened to the hissing sound & adjusted them to sound the same.

oregon don

UTMike wrote:

Spot on - from a former Austin-Healy owner!

I had a MGA-1600 never had a problem and I really abused it!

llamb Loc: Northeast Ohio

I had a '66 Datsun sports car that had Japanese knock-off SU carbs - they never gave me a lick of trouble during the 179,000 miles I drove it. The only thing I upgraded was the coil; I put on a Lucas Sportscoil. My neighbor swore he could hear me shift and wind within a half mile on his TV. I really miss it and my little British sports cars.

1963mca

TR-3, TR4, MGA, E-Type Roadster, Mini 1275, AH Bugeye, AC Ace, AC Aceca Bristol, MGB Roadster.

Still have the two AC's for over 50 years, and the MGB for the last 20. The all still run, no thanks to Lucas, Girling etc. Lot's of spare parts in the garage, just in case.

cdayton

Let’s see - Morris Minor, AH Sprite, TR250, XK150, 2 XKEs, 3 XJ sedans, TR7, XK8, Mini Cooper, XF and never had a problem (Ha Ha).

Rich2236 Loc: E. Hampstead, New Hampshire

Everybody, forget about all your English sports cars. The worst British auto was the "Hillman Minx," made by Rootes Moters. I had ring and pinion gear problems along with carb, valves, head gasket....you name it. I needed a part and had to write to Rootes in England and they said they would send it very quickly. I also asked who they hired as "quality control engineers," One paragraph summed up EVERYTHING. They asked:
"What is a quality control engineer?" Now that sums it alllllll up.
Rich...

Tinkwmobile

I had a midget that followed every one of those rules! Great fun to drive, but spend at least 8 hrs a week keeping it running. Had a Spitfire that was much better, had some strange problems but no where near as many as the midget.

Now I have two Miatas. A true sports car that is exceptionally reliable, despite all the changes I make :)

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

1963mca wrote:

TR-3, TR4, MGA, E-Type Roadster, Mini 1275, AH Bugeye, AC Ace, AC Aceca Bristol, MGB Roadster.

Still have the two AC's for over 50 years, and the MGB for the last 20. The all still run, no thanks to Lucas, Girling etc. Lot's of spare parts in the garage, just in case.

The AC Ace and Aceca are becoming very rare, and I’m so glad you’re preserving them. Some may remember the AC Bristol as the British car that Carol Shelby shoehorned a Ford 289 V8 into, creating the famous AC Cobra 289.

pendennis

Ahhhhh! Such nightmares revisited! I owned a 57 MG-A, with Lucas electrics. Every day was an adventure, especially when the humidity rose above 40%. You never knew if the car would start. And heaven help you if it rained.

A friend of mine worked for an auto electric company, and we tried everything imaginable to improve the reliability. We tried rubber gaskets around the coil and distributor cap. We tried sealers, tape, you name it! Nothing ever solved the problem. We tried putting liquid rubber on the battery terminals.

Fortunately, I totaled the thing during a road rally when the brakes locked up in a tight turn. Insurance company paid off, and I replaced it with a very reliable 53 Mercedes 220 sedan.

Derryg

This is the best/saddest topic I've read here !
I blame my experieces on my fathers influence. He went thru the whole MG series, then an Austin Healy 3000 which I really liked, then some Jags.
Of the ones others have listed the one I always wanted and never owned was a Sunbeam Tiger.
I also had a Datsun 240 Z that I had a lot of work done on by a guy in San Diego, suspension upgrade, engine bored out, upgraded carbs, imron paint job.
They just did not handle hard corners well. We'd autocross at the San Diego stadium parking lot periodically.
I replaced it with a Chevy Z-28 which I traded for a pickup so I could pull a horse trailer.

jsmangis Loc: Peoria, IL

I agree with your post and am familiar with Lucas electrics. My father bought an Austin America from his friend who was a BMC dealer in Peoria, IL. After six months things started going wrong, and it wouldn’t start during the winter if it was not housed in a heated garage overnight. We finally traded it for a Renault after a year and a half.

Testie Loc: Armidale NSW Australia

Muddyvalley wrote:

I used a piece of 1/8" vacuum hose. Placed one end at the edge of each carb. successively, in the exact same place & listened to the hissing sound & adjusted them to sound the same.

I soon worked out that you need to use the same ear!

Kuzano

HOHIMER wrote:

"Btw, is that louvered hood the jar is on an XKE, a Heally LeMans or???"
Looks like XKE to me.

That's a Jag hood. The bulge is between the louvers on each side. The Healey LeMans that I owned did not have a bulge on the centerline of the hood. Flat between the louvers. I restored many british cars for a number of years and then moved to Alfa. More costly AND more reliable.

Geezer1

LUCAS = Loose Unsoldered Connections And Shorts

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Kuzano wrote:

That's a Jag hood. The bulge is between the louvers on each side. The Healey LeMans that I owned did not have a bulge on the centerline of the hood. Flat between the louvers. I restored many british cars for a number of years and then moved to Alfa. More costly AND more reliable.

Yep, Alfa’s are cool, but I’ll bet you wish you still had that Healey Le Mans, if just to sell it - they are getting very rare.