man_mark_7

What is the dry ice pellet trick?!?

Something like below. Used is, of course, fine.

Good rule with some caveats. I get the most joy out of the continuous improvement of my '73 base model w/ a 5 speed. It's a solid shell with lots of surface rust, but the only rust-through being in the spare tire well. I look forward to thinking about what to fix next. Rebuild & re-jet carb w/ sync-link, install 123ignition dizzy, make the turn signals work, fix the horn, repair the seat belts, replace the exhaust, strip & rebuild the door hardware, electric fuel pump, rebuild the seats, install additional gauges in console, the list goes on and on. For me it was about finding a solid-enough car that I could drive while enjoying the improvement process. I made sure my brakes were in good shape and that the car wouldn't die in the middle of traffic, or some part of the body and/or suspension collapse. I'm never going to turn a profit, or even come near to breaking even on this car, but that's not what it is about for me. I also get a good feeling knowing I've kept a perhaps marginal car from going to the graveyard. I don't think I'll ever paint the car, just continue to improve the performance, reliability and comfort. I get many comments about all the patina (yes I know that word is over-used). Numerous people have said something along the lines of "thanks for keeping that on the road!" or "wow - I had one like that!". People seem more willing to strike up a conversation about a car that is not pristine for some reason. These are great, easy cars to work on, a fantastic first classic car experience. Do what makes sense for you! M

Bummer. I'm thinking of doing a sidedraft install too. Where did you get your carbs & why did you need to return them? Not looking forward to the hassles that I've heard of.

Similar taste in cars. I had a '70 TR6 before the family came along. My current '73 2002 is my re-entry into the vintage world. I did manage to squeeze a '70 Triumph Daytona (motorcycle) into my garage with all the kids bikes and toys over the last few years. Enjoy the 1600-2, it looks like a beauty.

Thanks Zinz. I took a look and there are a few choices. I think I'll wait until I get the old one out and apart to make sure I get the right one. I always wondered why it looked like there were some stacked gaskets / under the pump. Found this on a VW site. Totally makes sense. I think I'll rebuild the old one to keep in the trunk as a backup for those long road trips. I wonder how long it would take for the diaphragm to dry out sitting in the trunk.... fuel pumps are self regulated for pressure, but you have to know how to do it! This is accomplished by putting the pump further away from the push rod, lessening the pump stroke. You do this by stacking pump gaskets between the pump and spacer. We have seen the stock pump output pressure exceed 12psi, often due to aftermarket pump spacers being too short. Either stack a ton of gaskets, or use a properly built spacer.

Installed the anti-drainback check valve I had been hesitating to install to fix my "doesn't want to start after sitting for a few days issue". I thought all was good, then I noticed that fuel was leaking from the fuel pump gasket after shutting the car off. I assume the check valve had trapped pressure in the line and that heat from the warm engine was expanding whatever air might have been in the line and therefore pressurizing it enough to leak. I tried cinching down the screws on the fuel pump, but it was still leaking. Unable to find a rebuild kit for the pump, and reading about all the horror stories about NLA pumps and different length pushrods, I opted to try and future-proof the car and ordered an electric fuel pump..... It looked good for the 10 minutes it was in the car.

I once again chickened out on the check-valve install. 2psi of suction required to crack it that far from the mechanical pump, and on the pump inlet side makes me nervous. I did, however pull the fuel line off the tank and lo' - no sleeve! I put a sleeve on and she seemed to catch quicker than normal. Of course, this is with the fuel line mostly drained to the pump since I had the line off so that's a good sign. I'll report back after starting her when she has sat for a few days. If the sleeve doesn't work I'll resort to the check valve. On another note, I know my gas cap is sealing, when I leaned on the tank to reposition the hoses temporarily, fuel came squirting out of the pickup tube as I compressed the tank! Now that I think of it, this probably isn't a good thing. The pump is pulling against a closed system. Is the fuel cap supposed to have an internal vent? M

That was the first thing I did, replaced old slow cranking starter with the Bosch SR441X starter. Cranks like a dream now, just doesn't catch unless I crank a long time or give it some ether. I'll try the check valve and report back.

I bought an non return valve (check valve) a month or so ago but got spooked and didn't install it after I read that it had about a 2psi crack pressure. Did you notice any similar spec on the one you installed? Is it working OK for you? My symptom is lots of cranking required after car has sat for a couple days and fuel filter looks mostly empty. I'm puzzled though since I would have thought it would take more than a couple days for fuel to evaporate enough from the float bowl to cause an issue, but maybe my Weber 32/36 is really sensitive for fuel level and only a millimeter or two drop is enough to cause a problem? I'm guessing I need to crank so much because the fuel pump has lost its prime? If I hit it with a shot of ether the car fires right up then runs great.