Got a call from the mechanic. The distributor collar was broken, and that’s why it wouldn’t tighten. They’ve welded it. The vacuum advance is inop, so I’ll have to rely on the mechanical advance. The carburettor is in good condition, but it needs a new gasket because it’s leaking. Shouldn’t be a problem. They’ll get to it this afternoon. The mech says that it should run fine after they’re done with it.
I heard from Nigel. He said I could put SU HS2s on it, but didn’t say anything about a new intake manifold. Maybe he meant that I could put a single SU on it? In any case, the mech said that he couldn’t see anything wrong with the carburettor so I wouldn’t have to get a new one.
I don’t really want to give the Herald a name. I’ve never named a car yet! (Well, except for my sister’s old early-60s Chevy wagon that she had when I was a kid. She called it Sheldon, so I had to call it Smedley.) If I must name it, then I’ll call it Harold. But if I do that, then I’ll have to buy a Mini and name it Maude (‘Mod’, get it? )
Dude, you don’t have a choice in the matter ithe name is Harold.
HS2 would give you more power, but will require a new manifold (robbed off an old spit MKI or II) MKIII spits had a different manifold and won’t work on your engine.
IIRC the HS2 won’t work on your existing manifold. stretch nothing is more fun that an LBC that runs right. I am just trying to keep Johnny from stepping into some of the piles of shit that I have over the years.
I talked to Nigel at SpitBits when I called to order door seals. (I need to measure the doors first, though.) He says he can get me dual SU HS2s and a manifold for them. I’ll try the original Solex for a while though, as dual SUs will cost about $700 with the manifold.
:smack: I wonder just how many kilobucks I have tossed out over the years? Seven yards for a set of used SUs? Damn, I am in the wrong business.
Again a word of warning, HS2 linkages for Spits used to wear and needed lots of little parts replaced. I am guessing that those parts have all gone GLNS for the last 20 years or so…
If you were throwing them away, I’d guess they weren’t worth the full price! AFAIK, the carburettors from SpitBits are new. They go for $600/pair, and the (used) manifold is around $50 or $70.
Moss Motors has new 1¾" dual SU HS6s for MGBs for $739. HS4s for MGBs run $479 to $495, and the '72 - '74 HIS set is $769. Webbers for the MGB run $500. (Webbers are not available for the Herald.)
Incidentally, it’s good to see someone using ‘kilobucks’. I started using it in the '80s. (I came up with it independently.)
Got the car back. There’s an internal vacuum leak in the carburettor. They did the best they could, but suggest I go for the dual SUs. The car ran fine today though, so I’ll live with it for now. I made 75 mph on the freeway.
It’s unbelievable, the amount of attention the little bugger gets. When I got off the freeway and crossed the railroad tracks, I saw a guy hitchhiking. He held his thumb out as people passed. When he saw the Herald, he started waving wildly and actually jumping a little. I threw my coffee at him as I passed.
No, that’s not how it happened. At least, not the coffee part. I pulled over and let him in. Old guy. 66 or 67. He was thrilled to be picked up in the Triumph. He said he owned a '62 (?) Midget at one time, and he later owned a '69 MGB. He currently has a TR8. No wonder he was hitchhiking! (Actually, I gathered he had a GM truck that broke down.) He loved the Herald! I drove him home, which was a little out of my way; but Birch Bay is small, so it was only a couple of miles.
Later I went for a drive along the shore. I passed by some little (pre-teen) girls selling lemonade or something by the side of their beach house. As the speed limit has been dropped to 20 mph for the summer, I was just idling by. One of them called out, ‘Nice car!’ I drove to the end of Birch Bay State Park and turned around. As I passed the girls on the way back she called out, ‘Nice car… again!’
I saw an ivory (Old English White) Austin Healey driving along the beach earlier.
)
(Actually, I gathered he had a GM truck that broke down.) He loved the Herald! I drove him home, which was a little out of my way; but Birch Bay is small, so it was only a couple of miles.