Triumph Repair: leaking carb, throttle linkage, transmission valves

Question
Thank you for all your help.  I fixed the leaking carb with a new float, needle, and gasket.  The needle was no longer shutting off supply and the bowl was flooding and leaking out the overflow hole.

The car seems ready for some serious driving, but I was wondering if you could give me some genral advice about what to watch out for.  It's a 65 Spitfire so I assume there are some more things ready to fail.

I replaced the rear shocks, tires, and fuel pump, and fixed the carb.  I changed the oil and gear oil, as well as flushing the radiator and adding new coolant.  Most of the rubber lines have been replaced and I fixed the fan and pulley on the generator.  I also set the timing and checked the plug and point gaps. In your opinion, what should I be most wary of as I drive the car - transmission?, valves?, electrical?  If I have most of the mechanical under control, I'll start the cosmetic repairs =- nothing serious just some new carpet and a new dashboard.

Thanks

Jeff

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Followup To

Question -
Thanks.  It's a stock fuel pump, but the folks where I bought it call it a reproduction.  Should I check the gasket under the dashpot?  How can I tell if the float or float needle are sticking?  The smoke from around the shaft that runs from the throtle linkage worries me.  I assume that shaft connects to the butterfly, but I don't know why it would have smoke coming out.  Last, since this is a fuel problem, should I move the car from my garage.  The last thing I need is a house fire.

Thanks

Jeff
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Followup To

Question -
Thanks.  The fan is fixed, and I installed a new fuel pump.  Now I seem to have a leak in the front carb.  Leaking around the fuel bowl and the bottom of the dashpots.  I even saw smoke coming from the place where the throttle linkage passes though the carb.  Any ideas?  Could the pressure from the fuel pump be too high.  It's only the front carb.

Thanks

Jeff
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Followup To

Question -
My generator has a fan just behind the pulley that seems to be loose.  It turns independent of the pulley and makes a bad rattling noise when I'm driving the car.  Can this be tightened or do I have to replace the generator?

Thanks

Jeff


Answer -
Jeff,

It's been a few years since I pulled one of those apart... as memory serves the fan was keyed to generator shaft but as it's just thin sheetmetal it's easily damaged.

You might try removing the nut that holds the pulley in place and seeing if the fan can be "tweaked" back.  Another idea would be to epoxy the fan to the back of the pulley, taking care not to get any epoxy on the generator shaft.


Cheers,

Jim

Answer -
did you replace the fuel pump with a stock unit or did you convert to an electric pump?

If it's only the front carb it's more likely that either the gasket has dried out/failed or maybe the float needle is sticking.

What would help would be to figure out where exactly the gas is leaking from.  


Cheers,

Jim

Answer -
Jeff,

Which carb, HS2 or HS4s?  

If you're getting smoke from around the throttle shaft it sounds like the shaft or the carb body are worn.  If that's the case, then it'll be hard to get the carbs to work right with an air leak.

Run the car for a few minutes, shut it down and let it cool off.  Pull both dashpot covers and compare the fuel levels.  If the front is higher and the floats are at the same relative "height" from the lid when pushed up then it's likely that the needle is stuck open, or there's debris keeping it from seating properly.

Cheers,

Jim

Answer
Jeff,

There's one item I didn't see in your "fixed" list.. the brakes.  The Spitfire does have a reasonably decent set of brakes...  but potentially the ones on your car are 41 years old.

Check the condition of the rubber hoses going to each wheel.  Look at the fluid in the master cylinder, is it clearish or dark murky black?  Maybe pull the wheels and check pad thickness in front and shoe lining in the rear?  And keep an eye out for leaks at the rear wheel cylinders, they'll weep fluid long before the front calipers will.

And maybe a quick brake test... do they pull evenly?  Try it at low speed on a stretch of gravel or dirt road and see if all 4 tires lockup.

Other than that, just be ready to be baffled occasionally and possibly stranded at the roadside once or twice.  

All in all they're fun cars to drive.


Cheers,

Jim