Engine exhaust is the sole source of a vehicle’s carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrous oxides (NOx) emissions, and accounts for about 62% of a vehicle’s hydrocarbon (HC) emissions. Ina perfect situation, the only emissions from a gasoline engine would be carbon dioxide and water. However, the combustion process within an engine is never complete. This…
Midget Seat Fix Rose Whittle, Alberta, Canada Just thought that you might be interested in the technical tip that my husband discovered last year before our trip to California for the 1991 GOF. We were trying to (ind seat diaphragms to make the seats in my 1972 Midget more comfortable and give me a little…
Of all the systems that enable your British automobile to keep rattling down the road, fewer are more trouble prone than your ignition system. The main culprits are usually the contact breaker points and condenser. The usual scenarios are: 1: the points (after too many miles since the last replacement) finally wear out the rubbing…
The Secret Lies in the Moss Dynamic Coil-Over and Spax Shock Conversion In comparison to contemporary sports cars, the MGB is considered a little out of date. Regardless, enthusiasts such as myself have tried all sorts of tricks in hopes of improving the obsolete suspension. First there were competition valves for lever shocks, then…
The S.U. carburetor is one of the simplest “full function” carburetors ever put on modern cars. However, since they work so differently from most other carburetors, few people in the U.S.A. really understand them well. Many, if not most, problems attributed to these carbs being “out of tune” are really faults of the ignition system,…
In the last issue, we discussed the basics of ignition timing. Since quite a few readers commented on this article. I would like to address some of their comments here, for all to share. I make no apology for trying to make this Under the Bonnet column as simple and as basic as possible. It…
MGB Windshield Installation Tip Joe Coffman Cranbury, TX I would like to pass on a tip that might save some time and effort for others, as it has me. When replacing the windshield frame to the body on MGBs, the holes have to be in almost perfect alignment to install the four bolts that hold…
This is the first of a series of articles on basic tuning techniques to help you maintain your car to original factory specifications. Since the ignition system must be in good order before any other systems, such as the carburetor(s), can be properly adjusted, we will begin with a brief discussion on ignition timing procedures. These instructions…
Does your car let you down every time you try to a start it, or those wipers only work when it is not raining? Perhaps the indicators go dim every time you apply the brakes, and the horn only operates when the lights are off. Before you go out to buy new lights, horns, switch…
When I decided to restore a vintage race car. I had little idea what it would lead to—four months of late nights, early mornings and weekends, in a cold garage, an empty wallet and more fun and satisfaction than I thought possible. I first became interested in racing in the late ’50s, when my older…
