Triumph Repair: 74tr6 w/webers, vacuum leaks, manifold vacuum

Question
Hi,
Twin Webers are installed on my TR6.
I have tried many options to try %26 remedy the hesitation issue when first accelerating.
I'm now convinced its the lack of advancement of the distributor. since it is set up for vacuum retard the lines have been removed, there are no vacuum leaks.
The timing has been advanced to 10BDC %26 It still isn't responding. I've been looking for a distributor with a vacuum advance system or fully mechanical which still has a tach hookup, no luck, can you help?   Keith

Answer
Hi Keith,
All BLM cars went through a lot of pain and suffering trying to meet emission standards for several years. (most of the pain and suffering was experienced by the car owners)

Ignition timing can be a cause of a hesitation but if you advanced the timing and seen no change I would look more at the accelerator pumps in the Webers. (a more common cause of a hesitation) As for a vacuum retard unit, they used manifold vacuum not ported vacuum off of a carburetor. Straight manifold vacuum directly to the vacuum retard unit will work it normally. The TR-6 went through several changes trying to meet emission standards and had a pile of extra junk to do that and they even had a distributor with both retard and advance units on it and then left it on the car and blocked off the retard unit and used the advance unit only. Not counting all of the thermal valves and delay valves in the vacuum lines.

I found that if a hesitation was caused by timing advance, you should have seen some change in the hesitation when you changed the timing. It should have either gotten better or worse when you made the change.

Howard