The Super Glue on the gasket is great. The gasket should also be cut at an angle to create an overlap. Love this as I have seen most of this with a 1954 MG TD.
Hi from Ontario. My first car in 1980 was a 66 Spitfire with twin SU's. I loved those carbs. I drove the car through 2 very bitter Ontario winters in 81 and 82. I worked a night shift and would come back to the car at 9:00 am after it had been sitting in the company parking lot (outdoor) for 12 hours. A few of those mornings were -30C. My co-workers would be concerned about me getting it started. Never a problem. Mixture full rich, crank a couple of times and off it would go. I ended up giving boosts to a couple of American and cars and VW rabbits that wouldn't start. The cabin heat was not so effective though.
Ivan I can listen to you for days let alone hours. You are so bloody knowledgeable we all want more from you. Plus you are such a laugh into the bargain sir! Keep 'em coming!
Hi Ivan, i am very glad to see a container of 3 in 1 oil on your shelf. As a boy I first used it on my bicycle, now i use it to lube the cables on my motorcycle. Very much enjoy your videos. Cheers from America
Thanks Ivan. Like you, I have collected a significant amount of rubber bits and hardware over the decades. I happen to have a TR4A with SU's. I have rebuilt the carburetors during the 40 years I have owned this machine. Simple carbs. We happen to have an Ariel Sq4 in the shop at the moment for a complete restoration. It also has an SU carburetor. You are smart in not taking on full restorations. One of the biggest issues is the necessary space to accommodate the projects. I restore antique, vintage, and classic motorcycles. I have a modest sized shop. A friend of mine has a restoration facility for automobiles. He has over 10 times the space to accomplish his tasks. (35,000 Sqft) We both have approximately the same number of projects in process. We utilize bakers racks and aluminum baking sheets to help organize projects. The larger pieces are on bigger racks. All of the racks are on wheels and can be moved from station to station. This system continues to work well for us. Thanks again for investing the time to educate all of us followers. Be good. Stay safe. Wishing you a deluxe day.
I restored a 1946 model 1000 cc Ariel Square Four about 1968-69, it had a single small Solex side draught carb. Didn't know they went to SU carbs. Nice old bike.
Don’t throw anything away you never know when you might need a bit ,that’s why we all have junk draws tins and buckets full of what folk other than us call tat great vid 👍👨🏻🏭
hello my name is Pepin from the netherlands. i am 21 years old and this summer I will be going to england in my first car a Saab 96 V4 from 1975. I love your video's and wish you the best of luck! maybe will meet :) I shall be atending the IntSaab 2023 in Gaydon (4th to 6th august) after that me and my girlfriend will tour around the country. I would love to show her what old race cars can look like and you have a awsome collection! Alot of love from the netherlands!♥
My lad use to have a box full of stuff when he was little, if my partner use to say what's all this junk in here, is answer was its usefull not junk, always made her smile. So I would say the drawers are the most important, handy, usefull part of any garage not junk more like a lifeline. Brilliant real privilege to watch. Mick.
Ivan, you passing down this knowledge is a bit like a video apprenticeship. It's invaluable for many of us. My dad taught me a lot of this stuff about SUs back when I had British cars but of course I had forgotten it. Thanks so much.
Thank you for the Junk Bin tour. I showed it to my wife with the words, "See, I told you it would come in useful", And you almost make me miss setting up SU Carbs. We had an AH 100-6 , lived on the coast and regularly drove up into the high desert. Finding a happy setup was taxing. Love your work, looking forward to seeing the TD on the road.
Haven't seen an SU carb since my budd had his bug-eyed Sprite. That was circa 1972. Loved the tour of the storage drawers. Every once in a while. I'll toss something out that's been collecting dust for years. Within a week, I regret it, because I'll finally think of a use for that item.
Such a breath of fresh air listening to you Ivan! I've been restoring and maintaining classics professionally for a long time and honestly I thought nobody else knew how to do simple stuff like set up SUs properly. Your suggestions for sorting out other people's restorations is right on the money too. Actually I think there should be some kind of requirement to have them checked professionally before allowing on the road. I'm sure you too have seen some really sketchy things! My new favourite channel!
thank you for ending the 45 year argument over SU dashpot damper oil, here in america it’s been automatic transmission fluid, 10 weight motor oil, shock oil, well now we know, 3 in 1, arguing ends now!
Oh this episode stirred the hearts and minds did'nt it? Ok, i think that we have a plethora of old mechanics on here and the SU tuning trials and tribulations. Anyone remember reducing the needle diameters in an electric drill with 1800 wet and dry? Or using brake fluid in the dashpots? The tuning tips when i was a lad, mostly came from magazines and pub mechanics. Now if only Shed Racing had been around then.
Oh those SUs! I've only work on one set, a Marina 1800 about 35 years ago. Got it idling perfectly smoothly but it wouldn't go for shit. Took it to a mate that worked at Leyland South Africa at the time. With a laugh, he fiddled about and had it idling like a camel walking on big rocks. Went like a dream after that...
The TD is my favourite MG of all, I used to do a little bit on a customers one, but it would be the MG in my garage (if the garage and bank account could accommodate such a thing!). Nice to be reminded of all the SU tricks, thanks chaps, keep up the good work.
This might interest you in Golden Arrow landspeeb car just before the run. The chief engineer actually managed to drop his false teeth into the fuel tank on her. Obviously the teeth must be made you something different in the modern day teeth dissolve in petrol, just a warning for you, but after the run when she got a record the teeth out of the fuel tank and yet the dinner after the run where she got her record with the same four teeth is crazy enough story I think you might quite like it. Enjoy your program Michael
3 in 1 oil was originally formulated in 1894 for use on bicycles, and remains a popular lubricant for their chains. Its name, given by inventor George W. Cole of New Jersey in 1894. Info found on Google.
Great to meet Ivan and Tanya at the Pomeroy Trophy last weekend and hope you have both thawed out! Silverstone in February is not for the faint hearted! Great content as always and always look forward to your videos. Keep up the good work 👍
Fabulous as usual. I’ve been playing with SU’S for a while myself, but have never known to lift the piston all the way up like that! Excellent hack - can’t wait to try it. Keep em coming please 👍🏻
Yup I remember 3 in 1 my Dad used it on everything, I remember the smell and the tin click clack when you squeezed it. Also Jubilee clips, most people don't know about them, they call them worm drive clamps now.......
Had friends who owned an MG workshop in the late 60's remember the TC, TD, TF and an MGY sedan, one of the owners had an MGA, they fitted a 6 cylinder from a Holden, 186 ci , had an overdrive manual gearbox, the business is still operating in Sydney
Imagine owning a bin of vintage Bugatti bits. Theoretically worth a fortune. The wisdom here is irreplaceable. Sad to think of the knowledge that will be lost when this generation moves on. How many people really know how to tune-up an SU like this? And sorting out that master cylinder with the mysterious cup jammed down there? Thank you for these videos and preserving this knowledge.
Did some fairly serious tuning work on my late lamented Morris 1000. (948 cc A series engine) I acquired a pair of inch and a quarter SU carbs,and a manifold,but the throttle didn’t seem to pick up as quickly as expected.These were later carbs,obviously,with return springs in the dash pots. Original springs were “red”;-standard strength.Replaced them with a pair of blue,softer ones,and changed the dash pot oil from SAE 30,as normal spec,to the ubiquitous 3 in1.,and got an immediate result! Coupled with 9.5/1 pistons,Sprite valve springs,double row timing gear,and a somewhat hairier camshaft,the speedo needle went past the indicated 80 mph max on the dial,and continued past the fuel gauge until it hit the back of the zero pin! No GPS back then,but we figured it had to be doing up around a 100+ ! Unfortunately,the brakes weren’t really up to the job,and adding a servo was bit of a nightmare,so it went to a new owner,with a deeper wallet.
Looking forward to seeing if the rubber seal works on the rocker cover. It’s a nightmare to get a cork gasket to seal those aftermarket alloy covers!! Keep up the good work and yes my can of 3 in 1 was inherited 😂
Good Morning Ivan and Team. Thank You for sharing Your understanding and experiences, over the many years of rebuilding Race Cars. Regards from WLG NZL.
when i served my tme as a mechanic 48 years ago there was a guy who was freddie dixons apretice in middlesbrough what ron knew about su carbs wasnt worth knowing right down to the3in 1 oil still use it now.
Great stuff Ivan a wealth of knowledge on the older cars, you brought back some happy memories. I was an apprentice in a BMC dealership in the 60's and went on a SU (Skinner Union) training couse and I still have my mixture adjusting spanner that everyone who attended the couse received.
Lovely! Takes me back to my apprenticeship days on BMC. 3 in1 was standard for dashpots, and you could sometimes improve acceleration by putting 20/50 in them.
@@pashakdescilly7517 The grade of oil determines how the piston rises. Working on newish cars in the 1970s, we used 3 in 1, but thicker oil (like engine oil) would give a richer mixture on acceleration. My memory could be playing tricks after all these years.
Another great video, its amazing that a restoration that seemed well executed had so many silly/simple errors. I Still have my copy of the SU manual......ah to simpler times, now a retired (mechanic), still working out in my 'Shed' on my restoration project's, I am 69y old, but you make me feel like a spring chicken. till next time, cheers from Australia
I was doing a bit of a sort out of my late father's garage last summer and besides an unopened gallon can of Duckhams I found a small blue can with long nozzle of “dash pot oil” ….. I think that was for my dad's strombergs on his viva tc.
I stopped to talk to a guy here in the U.S. with a TD that had quit. He had just finished restoring it and believed the problem was a bad fuel pump. The odd thing was he was really upset that it had broken down. I told him that after all the work he had done that a bad fuel pump wasn't a big deal but he was having none of it.
now there are some cracking su carb tips there thanks ivan , played with many a set of su carbs and know how to get away with lots but that centering the seat trick i didnt know or checking the drop rate between them cracking , keep it the great work
It's the difference between a restoration done for profit, and a restoration done for personal satisfaction. Everything requires money, and money ruins everything.
Hard to blame Parnelli Jones’s guys for the little stuff.. 40 years is a long time for you Britt’s to get in there and “make it better “ haha.. just teasing, what a beautiful find…
Ivan with that SU jet adjustment at the bottom of the carb I used to have an su spanner that was really small (about 2inches long) and was only about 1/8 inch thick, that was made specially for them, I think it was either was stamped out of plate or cast, not sure where it is now. I’m 71 so had tools from years ago and Loved seeing you fixing the MG up.Played with many twin SU setups on various cars in the past. Used to use 3 in 1 too!😅👍🇬🇧🇦🇺😎
I've got the same little spanner. - It's marked "Speedwell" which is an added delight - especially when using it on my AH Sprite. I'm sure it helps the car go faster:-)
Great video... illustrates the difference between the cometics and the engineering! I love the.... "oh, there's a story to that....". My boxes of junk aren't as good as yours... but I do have great stash of off-cuts of wood (I make bows and arrows... proper wooden ones)
the gearing IS too low for traveling at over 50mph. but the way to fix it is to swap out the crown ring and pinion in the differential. you won't need a new gearbox. the standard differential ratio is 5.125 to 1 and WAY to low. fortunately, there was originally an option of ordering a 4.55 to 1 crown ring and pinion kit. and new ones are currently available for purchase through Moss.
Ivan, when sorting out the SU carbs I noticed you didn't mention anything about the damper springs in the dash pots. I am more or less self taught and my experience has been that the springs seem to have a color coding painted on them at the small end and I wonder if you checked to see if they were of similar color (which I assume indicates their strength) As I mentioned, self taught so I could be well off the mark but just thought i'd mention it. I love the work you and John do. Cheers.
I expect the MG-TC had the rear ratio of 5.25 (if I remember the exact number correctly) with a 19 inch wheel. When they kept the same ratio with the TD 15 inch wheel it is far too low geared. Especially for a relatively long stroke engine. I put a 3.9 axle from an MGB in mine but it was too high geared for the strength of the motor. I think the 4.3 differential from the MGA would be a happy marriage. Also the wire wheels returned the look the car was supposed to have before the bean counters got to it. Unfortunately that car went the way of things as life got in the way. But it makes for a good memory. Ronn
Me again. When you do dual brake circuit conversions do you set them up diagonally opposed, or the old way with front/rear split? I seem to remember seeing on Jags (D-Types? E's) 2 single master cylinders side by side with a centre link connected to the pedal. By adjusting where the pedal connected to the centre link the front/rear bias could be trimmed.
Got that backwards, matey. Vast majority of T Series MG's in the the States have original type engines. V8 swaps are the exception, and AT's are extremely rare.
Fantastic video. Another great example for those buying 'restored' cars. Just because they look good doesn't mean that they are. Great idea to improve the safety of the brakes with a double master cylinder. How is the unique 2 stroke Mini engine going?
