SU Throttle Shaft Tip Have you replaced a throttle shaft on your favorite British sports car lately and wondered how you were going to pin the idle adjustment lever and the throttle stop lever to the throttle shaft? Or better yet, how do you drill the hole for the mounting pin, and keep the concours…
SU carburetors are some of the simplest “full function” carburetors ever put on relatively modern cars. However, since they work so differently from most other carburetors, few people in the USA really understand them well. Many, if not most, problems attributed to these carbs’ being “out of tune” are really faults of the ignition system,…
Adjustment of most British brake systems is a simple operation which should be done regularly. The general method is to turn the adjusters clockwise until the shoe comes up against the drum, ‘clicking back’ until the wheel turns free. Most manuals recommend one click to free the drum, but two or more are usually needed….
I’ve never seen it recorded before, but it is a very common fault to find brake bleed nipples over-tightened (sometimes to the point where they shear or crack the alloy casting). Girling states that “a torque of 4 to 6 lb. ft. should be applied, which is sufficient to lock the bleed screws up without…
Brake Diagnostic Tips Symptom: Excessive Travel of Brake Pedal Problem Possible Cure Insufficient brake fluid in reservoir Top up Air in hydraulic system Bleed brakes Brakes out of adjustment Adjust Excessive lining wear Adjust or refit new Leaks at pipe unions Locate and rectify Leakage past seals in master cylinder, caliper or wheel cylinders…
When was the last time you changed your brake fluid? Yes, that’s right, your brake fluid. Not just topped it off, but changed it? If you answer “never” or “years ago”, you may wish to consider that failure to do so every couple of years can be an expensive oversight! The problem is twofold: conventional…
Restoring The Brake Servo Unit Vacuum Cylinder By Richard Strunk The internal surface of the brake servo vacuum cylinder is coated with a dry film lubricant that can wear off with age. This prevents the vacuum piston from moving freely resulting in erratic brake action. I suffered through several problems trying to restore the brake…
The Real Story: Conventional vs Silicone Brake Fluid Today’s current Lockheed “Universal”, Girling “LMA”, and silicone brake fluids are so vastly superior to the old Girling “Green” and “Crimson”, and Lockheed “Heavy Duty” fluids originally specified for most of our older British sports cars, that it would make no sense to use the older types…
Spring Brake Tune-up Freshly tuned carburetors, proper running adjustments, an oil and filter change; these are just the start of a successful driving season. Making sure that your car will stop is probably the most important part of the spring maintenance routine. This year, why not give your car a thorough brake safety check? Excessive…
The lights on your car have two important functions: allowing you to see the road and helping other motorists see you. While our British classics were built in a time that predates modern LED, HID and HIR lights, upgrades are available. And perhaps best of all, these upgrades can be made without spoiling the original…
