Mark Seniac Posted July 9, 2020 Report Share Posted July 9, 2020 Hi everyone I’m based in Swadlincote Derbyshire and I need a very clever honest mechanic too have a look at my timing and carburettors!!! vitesse straight 6 Mk1 1966 saloon. any help with this would be very much appreciated and contact details IMG_4475.mov obviously would be paid for time and a bacon butty + tea or coffee supplied thanks for taking the time too read this all the very best too you all mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougbgt6 Posted July 9, 2020 Report Share Posted July 9, 2020 Doesn’t sound much wrong with that. A bit tappety maybe? Doug 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted July 9, 2020 Report Share Posted July 9, 2020 Depending on what your complaint is and whether the engine also has (or may have) a non-standard cam, it might be worth seeking out a rolling road with an old school operator who knows his SUs. I say this because you have three visible deviations from standard. K & N airfilters, SU carbs (HS4s I assume) and some sort of tubular manifold. All of which mean that picking the right needles for the carbs is going to involve guesswork as there never was a Mk1 2L engine fitted with SUs even without the other factors. While it should be possible to get things right at idle, it won't necessarily follow that they will then be right elsewhere in the rev/load range. Don't know who to recommend in your area as I'm much further south. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted July 10, 2020 Report Share Posted July 10, 2020 bit too far from sunny Luton, but i agree with Nick , you have all the components away from standard for a headache , Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixasStandard Posted July 10, 2020 Report Share Posted July 10, 2020 Is there any chance that the TSSC would consider maintaining a list of recommended rolling road tuning shops, perhaps based on feedback from the local area clubs? I'm going to need a RR session for my Vitesse at some stage, and will probably just have to rely on a general web search. It would be good to have a list of TSSC accredited sites around the country where you know that the technicians have the experience of working with classic Triumphs. I have identified this business in North Lincolnshire, and would be interested to hear from anyone who has previous experience of them: Dennis Vessey - Carburettor setup, service and repair Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RogerH Posted July 10, 2020 Report Share Posted July 10, 2020 Hi Mark, TR Enterprise are in Mansfield and are well respected for their work, usually on the TR range but anything else out there. I have no connection with them other than reading TRR members feedback on the forum. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted July 10, 2020 Report Share Posted July 10, 2020 Dennis Vessey is very well respected in the Triumph tuning world, as are TR Enterprises. Also Peter Baldwin. Though he has nominally retired I did find mention on the web that he still works part time out two workshops; one in Cambridge and one in Lincoln. No idea whether this is still the case. Nick 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted July 10, 2020 Report Share Posted July 10, 2020 2 hours ago, SixasStandard said: Is there any chance that the TSSC would consider maintaining a list of recommended rolling road tuning shops, perhaps based on feedback from the local area clubs? I'm going to need a RR session for my Vitesse at some stage, and will probably just have to rely on a general web search. Why don't you ask the local area members? Not much point in the TSSC as a club holding records of services if the local members don't have any to supply; but conversely if they can tell the club, they can also tell local members? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixasStandard Posted July 10, 2020 Report Share Posted July 10, 2020 37 minutes ago, Colin Lindsay said: Why don't you ask the local area members? Not much point in the TSSC as a club holding records of services if the local members don't have any to supply; but conversely if they can tell the club, they can also tell local members? Fair comment Colin. I suppose I was coming at it from the angle of TSSC accredited businesses giving members preferential rates, or else providing services tailored to our specific cars. All academic really, as Nick's comments regarding Dennis Vessey have given me the reassurance I needed. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted July 10, 2020 Report Share Posted July 10, 2020 16 minutes ago, SixasStandard said: Fair comment Colin. I suppose I was coming at it from the angle of TSSC accredited businesses giving members preferential rates, or else providing services tailored to our specific cars. All academic really, as Nick's comments regarding Dennis Vessey have given me the reassurance I needed. Ian Glad you're sorted; I kind of see the forum / club as a country-wide general thing but the local areas as the grass-roots on-the-ground part of it. They're the guys in the know! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Seniac Posted July 10, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2020 On 09/07/2020 at 20:30, dougbgt6 said: Doesn’t sound much wrong with that. A bit tappety maybe? Doug Thanks Doug she sounds great and your right the tappets do need a bit of attention I’ve had some great feed back regarding my post especially from Doug who noticed the air filters and carbs are not standard I think I need to replace them too standard as this could be part of my problem ? Some times she sounds and drives great then other times she becomes bubbly and lack of power as if timing is way out ?!!? cheers mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Seniac Posted July 10, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2020 11 hours ago, Nick Jones said: Dennis Vessey is very well respected in the Triumph tuning world, as are TR Enterprises. Also Peter Baldwin. Though he has nominally retired I did find mention on the web that he still works part time out two workshops; one in Cambridge and one in Lincoln. No idea whether this is still the case. Nick Thanks nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahebron Posted July 11, 2020 Report Share Posted July 11, 2020 Many will disagree with me but K & N filters and their ilk are one of my pet hates on vehicles. Especially in an engine bay like the Vitesse. Adrian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted July 11, 2020 Report Share Posted July 11, 2020 my view is any pancake arrangement will cause grief getting things set up, you need some depression to draw fuel and atomise from the back of the needle /jet , with less vacuum you just get a weak mixture , with few needles able to compensate the fact it makes more noise everyone thinks its better, the truth is .......its generally worse on the 0 to 60 , just sounds quicker same as free flow exhausts on an engine tune that relies on some backpressure we all like to do twiddling , KN cost a fortune that never gives a payback ,cheap pancakes just filter the green fly , and then what Triumph designed does 99% of all our needs without any headaches or complications well the suns out Pete 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyman Posted July 11, 2020 Report Share Posted July 11, 2020 Glad a few people think the same as me with that Pete. Tony. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougbgt6 Posted July 11, 2020 Report Share Posted July 11, 2020 I don't know much about SUs except there's a lorralorra different needles. I know a bit about Strombergs, there are only 3 needles and one of those is for pancake air filters. Which makes me think pancakes on SUs are a whole new world of pain. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkshire_spam Posted July 11, 2020 Report Share Posted July 11, 2020 IMHO K&N pancakes won't stop you getting it tuned, whether or not they offer any performance benefit or not is another question - but do make sure they are clean and free-flowing. I've been more than happy with the tune-ability of my 1500 engine on K&N filters over the years, all of this "not original, you won't get it tuned right" has a grain of truth, but anything that's not as per factory will cause just as much (if not more) trouble. eg. worn carbs, damaged/worn/tired carbs springs, leaking manifolds, leaking breather systems, etc etc. I think the bigger issue is the use of HS4/SU carbs. and the question of whether HS4 are "big enough" for that engine - and then choosing the right needle. I guess we need to start with "what's wrong with it right now?" The "sometimes good, sometimes bad" nature of the running issues suggest it's not something fundamentally wrong with your set-up but that you have an intermittent fault? Provided HS4s flow enough for the engine a good rolling road familiar with SU carbs should be able to grind a set of custom needles to give spot on tuning, but that's really not an "on the drive" DIY job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrapman Posted July 12, 2020 Report Share Posted July 12, 2020 Hs4 are big enough, as the are 1.5 inch, same as CD150 which was fitted to later Vitesse 6 Plenty of needles avail, but the rolling road I said where you would need to start as no idea of starting point for SU needles on a1600. Finding the correct HS4 airbox ( from a late T2000) is proving a pain for me at the moment, I keep being offered Stromberg ones, so I am stuck with 2 little chrome pancakes that are messing up the mixture. At least the bent needle has been replaced and the Stromberg gaskets swapped fir SU ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted July 12, 2020 Report Share Posted July 12, 2020 Think it's a 2L so shouldn't be too difficult to set up the SUs even with the manifold and filters. However it does sound more like an intermittent problem.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave.vitesse Posted July 12, 2020 Report Share Posted July 12, 2020 1 hour ago, johny said: Think it's a 2L so shouldn't be too difficult to set up the SUs even with the manifold and filters. However it does sound more like an intermittent problem.... If the needles on the SU's have been sorted then it this true. However, SU's on a standard manifold normally need a rolling road to sort out the needles. Yes SU's were used on the later 2000 Saloon, but this had a long reach inlet manifold, different head and cam than the Vitesse. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve P Posted July 12, 2020 Report Share Posted July 12, 2020 7 hours ago, johny said: Think it's a 2L so shouldn't be too difficult to set up the SUs even with the manifold and filters. However it does sound more like an intermittent problem.... I wondered that,IF it`s the original engine from 66 shouldn`t it be a 1600? Much more common for people to get rid of the Solex carbs?. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted July 12, 2020 Report Share Posted July 12, 2020 Think the change over was 66 so could be either but if called MK1 it should be 2L... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted July 12, 2020 Report Share Posted July 12, 2020 so do you have the engine number to settle the 1600/2ltr conundrum as 1600 and mk1 all look the same Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonMember Posted July 12, 2020 Report Share Posted July 12, 2020 58 minutes ago, Pete Lewis said: 1600 and mk1 all look the same ... apart from the badges. Although they're not reliable after all this time. My early Mk1 has the full set of 1600 badges. The video at the top of this thread appears to show a rectangular grille badge (which would be 2L) as well as a shield on the bonnet, which was a 1600 thing. Hey ho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpbarrett Posted July 12, 2020 Report Share Posted July 12, 2020 On 10/07/2020 at 10:09, Nick Jones said: Dennis Vessey is very well respected in the Triumph tuning world, as are TR Enterprises. Also Peter Baldwin. Though he has nominally retired I did find mention on the web that he still works part time out two workshops; one in Cambridge and one in Lincoln. No idea whether this is still the case. Nick peter Baldwin was working in Cambridge last year. The local TSSC club took a couple of cars to his rolling road for a tune up. mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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