I seem to be experiencing the early stages of the onset of Shipwrights
disease. After doing absolutely nothing on the Daimler this summer
other than starting it up occasionally, I installed a carb rebuild kit a
few weeks ago. I tried adjusting the carbs by ear and it runs like dog
waste. So I thought I'd start with something simple like balancing the
carbs.
I borrowed Jean Hertberg's Uni-Syn and Color-Tune to set the mixture and
balance. But first the valves should be adjusted and the timing set.
1.5 hours by her estimate. But I pulled off the dirty aluminum valve
covers and, as I am wont to do, I cleaned the grime off of one corner
and hit it with some polishing compound. I find that working on a clean
engine is much more enjoyable than working on a dirty one; leaks are
easier to spot, I pay closer attention and just plain do a better job.
What a mistake that was, the cloudy, grey surface turned into a
beautiful molten silver. Naturally, I couldn't leave something like
that alone. So I spent the rest of day polishing it out. And another
evening on the 2 aluminum plenums between the strange dual-snouted air
cleaner and the dual SU's. Now I've got to do the other valve-cover and
once they're back in, they'll make the other grungy parts look even
grungier. And I know that all that shiny aluminum will just start
oxidizing again. Worse, there's ALOT of aluminum in this engine; the
heads, a wonderful spidery intake manifold and various covers and pipes.
Maybe I should just smear dirty grease back over it all and quit before
I'm in too deep. I haven't even started on the bodywork yet. Chris
Kent Kaj?????vi was kind enough to place two GIF's of the Daimler in
hoosier archive if anyone wants to see what this beast looks like.
And all these other fun diversions keep popping up... A Jag MkII that a
friend of a friend has had sitting up in a storage yard for over 10
years that he might be disposing of, the project Moto-Guzzi that I'm
going to check out tonight and that beautiful '85 XJ-6 Sovereign that we
are still bargaining on with a local dealer. We're $500 apart, I won't
go higher and he won't go lower. Time to send Anne in to finish him
off....
/\ Lawrence Buja Climate and Global Dynamics Division
\_][ southern@ncar.ucar.edu National Center for Atmospheric Research
\_________________________Boulder,_Colorado___80307-3000__________
P.S. Anne picked me up a copy of "M.G. Midget and Austin-Healey Sprite:
Guide to Purchase & Restoration" by Lindsay Porter from one of the used
book stores in town. I already had a copy, so before I take it back, I
thought I'd see if anyone wanted it for the $16 that she paid for it (it
goes for $29 new).
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