cliff.b

Can't imagine why anyone would want to dim them 😎 At least I can read them in the dark now I have fitted LEDs 👍

Maybe considered too "luxurious" for a Spitfire. Was it illuminated as standard in a GT6? Or was the same bezel used in any more upmarket saloons?

LOL. I used a green led to illuminate the heater controls.

Some of my Spitfire gauges suffered from this but only in the evening which may have been the humidity level or may have been due to heat from the instrument bulbs. When I refurbished the dash, I removed the gauges and left them on top of a radiator for a week to try and remove any moisture. Also, I replaced all the bulbs with LEDs while doing so and noticed that the green dome over the lamp on each gauge experiencing the issue had melted to some extent, so clearly they weren't sealed. Anyway, the problem has now gone, I just don't know if it was the thorough drying out or replacing the bulbs which has done it.

Think that's the obvious thing to look at first. Will be added to my Winter "to do" list.

That, by definition, must be something to look at lol

Hmm, rattle or sizzle? I'm not sure. Its not a loud rattle, is that a sizzle🤔 I notice it if I am at a constant speed and if I hold the lever with my hand it goes away until I let go again.

I have seen repair kits for noisy gear levers on the earlier boxes but not for single rails. Any idea what I need to be replacing?

So maybe best to choose an average, moderately warmish day to set up you carbs 🤔

This thread has become far more interesting and educational than I expected 🙂

Yes, that makes sense, but raises a further question. Is a "slippy" replacement optimal or is the original rubber under a shear force a design feature which contributes beneficially to the performance of the spring 🤔 Not that it really matters as the new rubber ones all appear to be rubbish so the only issue is what the best replacement is.

Also, I presume that sort of setup wouldn't be able to compensate for ambient temperatures above 70f. So maybe the idea was to just limit the range of inlet temperatures that the carb had to cope with. Perhaps to allow a weaker mixture on the basis it would never have to deal with very cold inlet air 🤔

I was just thinking about that myself. I splashed the cash on the penny trick with mine lol

This is all interesting stuff so many thanks for the responses. One thought, it makes sense to me that it is an advantage for these to be "slippy" but I'm thinking the original rubber ones probably weren't. Doesn't rubber grip? Or does it depend on the compound?

Hmm, interesting. I will check it again next Summer when it is hot, if I remember to do it that far in the distant future 🤔

Drove my 1500 Spitty about 130 miles on Tuesday and used the opportunity to coast onto a layby and take the plugs out after driving at speed for a good few miles. They were too white for my liking so I richened the mixture one flat on each carb and the performance was noticeably better. Checked again later and colour was improved but still lighter than I would like so a little richer still and further improvement to performance observed. So, to my question. I was previously happy with the mixture but that was set in the summer when temperatures were hitting over 30C. On Tues it was about 14C so I was wondering, as cold air is denser, is that enough to change the mixture to a noticeable degree, or will it be due to something else?

I had jobs to do today, but the sun was out, the sky was cloudless and blue and it was reasonably warm. Who knows how many days like this before Winter so jobs abandoned and decided to take the Spitty to see my Mother, 65 miles away near Colchester. In more mundane transport, this would be a blast down the M11 and across the A120 but this called for a drive across country through the glorious Suffolk/Essex borders, following the old trunk road route that would have taken lorries from the Midlands to the east coast ports before the current A14 & M11 were built. Great roads from Duxford through Haverhill, Halstead, Earls Colne. Must have been a nightmare in a truck but great fun in a Spitfire and not much traffic. Back to the jobs tomorrow 😒

I saw these ones offered from the same company that did the red ones. These appear to just be a disk whereas the red ones are more shaped to fit. Not sure if that matters or not.

Ahh, those are ones I saw previously but couldn't find again. Must depend what you search for.

Has anyone had experience of any material other than polyurethane? I'm sure I read somewhere about teflon buttons, but can't find it now.

Ok, thanks 👍

Where did you get something thick enough from?

Yes, I saw those ones. If you fit them then let me know how you get on lol

Fitted rubber buttons twice now and they just don't last. Does anyone have any experience of the "enhanced" ones, what are best to fit and where from?

Sticking pistons in my new calipers caused exactly this issue on my Spitfire. I removed the pads one at a time, depressed the pedal to push the pistons further out then levered them back as far as they would go, repeating this several times until they moved freely. After this the noise stopped. Some time later I had the same problem on the other side and did the same thing, which worked again.