Given that you're running a Weber, I'd bet that the problem is simply that the
float bowl is boiling/leaking/evaporating out. Next time you expect to have
this problem (that is, after it's been sitting a while) take off the float
cover and see just how much fuel is in there. I'll bet it's pretty dry.
Webers have pretty large float bowls, so it takes quite a number of cranks of
the engine to get the mechanical pump to fill it so there is adequate mixture
to start the engine. Many Italian cars have auxiliary electric pumps to fill
the float bowl before starting, but run off a mechanical one afterwards!
I've used two different kinds of electric pumps on my Triumphs. The small Facet
pumps are reliable, cheap, and easy to install - but a bit noisy. Get a low
pressure one and put it on the left hand frame rail below the axle. Make sure
you use the recommended in-line filter that screws into the pump.
Mount a pressure regulator (and an optional see-through filter) somewhere in
the engine compartment. Webers want to see 3psi max or they'll flood out. I
used a Holley regulator and installed a pressure gauge on one of the ports; you
can get away with the cheaper dial-style, but use a gauge you can trust to set
it (don't believe the numbers on the housing).
That's probably the easiest and least expensive way to go. I have also used a
Bendix-style pump (much larger), mounted in the rear, with the regulator/filter
assembly taken from a Weber-powered ALFA mounted on a custom plate on the block
where the fuel pump had been. It was a lot more work, but I'm rather fond of
the way it came out.
Dave Bean Engineering sells some pump blanking plates, but they're designed for
Ford block, not Triumph. Get some sheet aluminum from a hardware store and make
your own.
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