4000 revs : is that a maximum for GT6 mk 3 ?

[Royston W]

6 hours ago, Pete Lewis said:

7 hours ago, Pete Lewis said:

clockwise advances and  speeds up ...  anticlockwise  retards and  slows it down

 

Thank you all so much for all the ideas and advice, I've been playing with classic cars all my life and thought I understood the insides of a distributer, but somehow I've got confused about advance, retard , and which of these is before TDC and yes the crankshaft timing markings are well away from where they should be too. Pete's comments made me realise that the small anticlockwise adjustments I was making were in the wrong direction and a large move back clockwise , despite bringing the dizzy vacuum pipe virtually touching the engine, and the timing marks viewed with the Strobe disappearing into the distance, have made a massive improvement in power. Top banana also made me stop playing and be more organised , so thanks for that. Had to stop for the day with family visits and will carry on tmrw. Perhaps the rev limit still is there , but the pulling power greatly improved, it's beginning to feel like a real sports car at last.

engine hasn't run for years, the carb are CD150, new diaphragms and ultrasound clean, with new float chamber inlet valves, needles not adjusted as no tool for it, ...it seems to me that hopefully, timing is likely to solve the issue

cheers to all.

Royston

[NonMember]

2 hours ago, Royston W said:

the carb are CD150, ..., needles not adjusted as no tool for it

If they're CD150 - the original type - then they don't use a tool for adjusting the needle, they have a thumb-screw on the bottom to adjust the jet. The ones with the adjustment on the needle are the later 150CDSE or 150CD3 types (which are what I'd expect on a Mk3 GT6)

[Pete Lewis]

if its a cdse with the adjuster down the dashpot  you can use a long allen key but need to remove the air piston or you might tear the diaphragm 

setting is simple the needle has a small delrin washer fitted to the head of the needle  you turn the adjuster to get this washer flush with the base of the piston  thats the basic setting point

they are likely to have temperature compensators on the side   small unit with plastic cover  

undo the two fixing screws , the body should be sealed to the carb by two o rings

you need to remove the   TC plastic cover  another two screws  and turn the small nut to fully close its small plunger 

these have quite complicated settings  but in essence they must be closed at normal temperatures  in fact just screw the blasted thing to close it for good

why , this is an air bleed you cannot set the idle mixture if the sodding thingds are open 

but the basics are easy to set up 

Pete

[thescrapman]

12 hours ago, clive said:

Re number plates. 

Any new car sold from teh late 60's on would have had yellow and white plates, nobody would have used the old fashioned silver on black. 

I like this ype, just looks right

However, if you want pressed ali ones, avoid the cheaper type that look just that. Tipper plates are very good, but not budget friendly. (My dolly has tipper plates from 1980 when the car was made, lovely patina)

My 69 2000 had (and still has the original dealer fitted) black and white plates.

No idea why it didn’t get the new tangled reflective ones.

[johny]

Google says the black plates went out in 72 so your car should have been registered well before the change. Doubt customers could chose the type of plate they had around that time as the dealers probably just used up their stock and when gone started with the new style...

[Clive]

Seems reflective plates were introduced in 1968.

It could be that the dealerships took a while to sort the new style plates, and I think back then you got charged extra for number plates, seat belts etc so the old style may have been a smidge cheaper? Who knows!

[johny]

Is that when they were available or a legal requirement though? I think the DVLC(?) would have done it so that stocks of the old black plates at the dealers could be used up first...

[Clive]

both were legal until the end of 1972. 

(until a few years ago when somebody cocked up and allowed any historic vehicle to display black plates, but they finally closed that loophole so now pre 1980 vehicles can legally display black plates)

But as always I bet the dealers etc all knew the change was coming, but waited until the actual date before doing anything. Nothing changed on that front!

[johny]

Think thats a bit unfair! The dealers would have just ordered the next batch of blank plates in the new style but even when they received them not opened the first pack until all the black ones had been used - cant see there would have been or was any problem. The alternative would have been to have a set date and throw away all unused black plates....

[Clive]

I think it would have been a poor decision by the dealer to fit the old plates. When you buy a new car, you expect it to look new, and that would have included the new style number plates. After all you want everybody to know you have a brand new car.

But in all honesty, I don't worry about it. 

[Pete Lewis]

dont forget the reflective plates do have some safety features that are useful in the dark 

i used Tippers for age related  raised black on  reflective on the  74  2000   but the 64 Vit 6 had silver pressed on black  

both look correct for the ages 

Pete

[ahebron]

23 hours ago, Top Banana said:

When I got my GT6 it wouldnt do more than 35mph completely gutless and I felt heartbroken, how can a 2 litre 95Bhp on a car only weighing 840 odd Kg be so slow. There is a solution and you will find it. I doubted the carbs and the electronic ignition as you are. I worked on the carbs when there was probably no issues with them in reality (but boy you learn a lot). Finally with mine it was the timing it was badly off, but stupidly it started well and idled okay which gave me a false sense of security thinking it cant be the timing.

I cant believe it your electronic ignition - its not intelligent enough and as others have said check the timing with a strobe or before doing that  keep advancing the timing if you have a micrometer advance/retard adjuster on the dizzy. That was the solution to mine in the end, not enough advance even after I timmed it with a strobe - the car would flat spot  and not rev or go any faster. Now it bloody a responsive and different beast and it going to sound stupid but the engine tone has changed and I have an understanding of what "Good Sounds Like". The slightest movement of the throttle and the car is responsive.

All the things I did in desperation and panic were: 

1. Changed fuel pump

2. Checked the Tappets

3. Checked the compression (burnt valve scenario or worn engine)

4. Rebalanced the carbs and checked the throtlle range and adjusted the choke

5. Made the carbs richer

6. Doubted the my Electronic Ingnition - even when and purchased a set of points.

7. Thought it was fuel quality and not having octane boost 

8. Prayed to the god of cars and watched YouTube on how to use a Strobe (Bought an expensive one with as many options as the Wife washing machine) 

The thing i learnt is dont change too many things at once, go for a test run after a change then reflect. 

John

 

Had a similar experince fitting Amal Conventric carbs to a vintage car, the oe SUs seemed to have gone porous not surprising at nearly 90 years old.
We jumped in all guns blazing and flooded the carbs even with the pump dialled back to 2 psi.
Then it was fit an SU float bowl between the carbs but that didnt work it kept running out of fuel. Forgot the Amals had there own floats.
Next it was remove the Amal floats and set the float height of the SU bowl at the same as the Amals, still didnt work under load.
Played with the jetting of the Amal but again under load no luck.
In the end it was to treat it like a motorbike and gravity feed the carbs and revert everything back to standard.
This was done by building a header tank that used a SU float to set it level and gravity feed the carbs from the bottom of the tank.
Tank is supported on the radiator brace rod and the bulkhead support so easily removable to revert the car back to normal SUs
Car runs a treat

[johny]

2 hours ago, clive said:

I think it would have been a poor decision by the dealer to fit the old plates. When you buy a new car, you expect it to look new, and that would have included the new style number plates. After all you want everybody to know you have a brand new car.

But in all honesty, I don't worry about it. 

In those days you were lucky to be able to choose the colour of your new car let alone what style of number plates you got!

[Badwolf]

1 hour ago, johny said:

In those days you were lucky to be able to choose the colour of your new car let alone what style of number plates you got!

Any colour you like as long as it's black!

[Wagger]

OK, here is my car's rear end as delivered one year ago. I has not changed much. (Has a silencer now though) The plate is aluminium with solid ally letters with the name 'Hills' (Probably Hills of Hove). I do not intend changing these as the car is as original as any. The brightwork is good, so is the chassis but there are loads of scabs (part of its history). I am told by other owners of classics in my road that is worth almost as much as it is than it would be if restored. I don't quite believe that.

I do not have time anyway, so I'll continue to preserve it.

[Colin Lindsay]

8 hours ago, Pete Lewis said:

dont forget the reflective plates do have some safety features that are useful in the dark 

i used Tippers for age related  raised black on  reflective on the  74  2000   but the 64 Vit 6 had silver pressed on black  

both look correct for the ages 

Pete

Spotted this one this morning.... jewelled sparkly letters. Things are just going too far...

[Pete Lewis]

That looks more like some idiots atempt to foil a speed camera 

Pete

[daverclasper]

On 29/07/2022 at 18:04, Wagger said:

OK, here is my car's rear end as delivered one year ago. I has not changed much. (Has a silencer now though) The plate is aluminium with solid ally letters with the name 'Hills' (Probably Hills of Hove). I do not intend changing these as the car is as original as any. The brightwork is good, so is the chassis but there are loads of scabs (part of its history). I am told by other owners of classics in my road that is worth almost as much as it is than it would be if restored. I don't quite believe that.

 

I have a 67, F reg Vitesse. my plates just have have a "hills" label on the lower, center section of plates. The plates are black, with separate lettering/no's, which are quite chunky, white, plastic affairs, fastened at the rear of plate. I didn't have time to read all of thread, to see if this combination has been discussed?.

Anyway, just getting my anorak on, for a bit of train spotting. Don't quite mean that, though do worry about myself a bit!.

X

[Wagger]

1 minute ago, daverclasper said:

I have a 67, F reg Vitesse. my plates just have have a "hills" label on the lower, center section of plates. The plates are black, with separate lettering/no's, which are quite chunky, plastic affairs, fastened at the rear of plate. I didn't have time to read all of thread, to see if this combination has been discussed?.

Anyway, just getting my anorak on, for a bit of train spotting. Don't quite mean that, though do worry about myself a bit!.

X

Not yet checked if the letters are plastic, ally or mazak. I may carefully matt black he bits worn through to the metal. Might ask a policeman first as I'd rather just leave it as is. It's an 'Honest' car. What you see is what you get. My son will inherit it.

[Wagger]

40 minutes ago, Wagger said:

Not yet checked if the letters are plastic, ally or mazak. I may carefully matt black he bits worn through to the metal. Might ask a policeman first as I'd rather just leave it as is. It's an 'Honest' car. What you see is what you get. My son will inherit it.

Letters are metal, hollow at the rear.

[HeebieGeebie]

Nice car! Personally i'm a fan of the black plates...

[Royston W]

Black plates and no Chrome bumpers....nice look