Today's Drive

Well, it was warm up here today and I finally got the TR out for a drive on the country roads south of Woodland. And everything worked, for a while. Then I hit a bump and the horn came on, non-stop. Pulled over and pulled some wires and quieted things down. People were waving with smiles on their faces. Meanwhile I had a big smile on my face as the original temperature gauge I purchased from TR3aguy and had rebuilt by Mo-Ma stayed locked below 180 degrees throughout. When I got back I referenced a BCF discussion on horn wiring where Randall solved my problems, fixed the horns, tightened the steering peg, and am all set to go to continue getting this little beast in fighting trim. Life is good.

Hey - congrats on the victories!

I remember one of my first drives after getting my TR. Hit a bump and the glass of the oil gauge popped off. I just happened to be reaching for the choke knob, and caught the glass as it flew by.

Never get bored with a Little British Car.

Say, was the temp gauge correct? Mine wouldnt' go above 180 either - until I cleaned it.

Tom

JP,

Gauge worked perfectly. Thanks again.

Right on Mike!

After about three weeks of on-again, off-again rain here in the Shenandoah Valley (sorry, mid-west and Texas guys), the skies cleared up yesterday and I took another ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

At one point, some guy was tail-gating me, and there was a car behind him. As usual, someone didn't like doing the speed limit of 40-45 mph behind a little sports car. I finally found a pull-off to let these guys get around me. One sped off, but the other one followed me on the pull-off and drew up beside me. I figured I was about to get a "lecture" on holding up progress. But... no... a woman leaned out of her window and said "We just want to know what kind of a car that is. It's beautiful." You never know...


But... I have a (dumb?) question. The car ran really well up there (about 3000 ft altitude)... even seemed to run better than down in the valley (1033 feet altitude). Could that little change in altitude have an effect? (Back in 1967, while crossng the Rockies in my 1967 Volkswagen, I remember that I had to tinker with the engine from time to time as I ascended and descended. But, then, the altitude was much, much higher.)

LexTR3 said:

The car ran really well up there (about 3000 ft altitude)... even seemed to run better than down in the valley (1033 feet altitude). Could that little change in altitude have an effect?

Click to expand...

It's possible it could have some effect; but IMO for it to be enough to notice, the mixture would have had to be pretty badly off before. The variable venturi SU carbs seem to compensate for altitude much better than fixed venturi carbs do.

I frequently drive from sea level to 5000 feet or more, and any changes in how the engine runs seem to be more related to underhood temperature than altitude. Few years back, I drove the TR3A from sea level to over 11,000 feet (Hoosier pass south of Breckenridge CO). The power loss at higher altitude was noticeable, but the carbs held the mixture very well. I tried touching them up the next day in Breckenridge, but wound up almost exactly where I started.

The changes have also become a lot less noticeable since I installed one of Joe Alexanders heat shields. I think the heat from the exhaust was heating the float bowls to almost boiling (for fuel) and the fumes were driving the mixture way rich.

Here's a shot of the car parked at 5340 feet on a recent club run.


(Photo courtesy Julius https://videosbyjulius.com/abelsach630.html)

The Dashpots in SU Carbs compensate for atmospheric pressure.

The weather has finally improved in the UK after seemingly months of relentless rain, worst it's been for decades. So out I went in my 3A, only a local trip and coming up the hill home, the bloody crank broke, so I'm out in the garage, sweating profusely in the heat and dismantling the engine!

I expect by the time it's fixed, the rain will be back.

Ash

Randall: I'm certain the mixture was set properly, so it very likely was just my imagination because the air temperture was about 10 degrees cooler up there and the ride was, therefore, much more enjoyable than down in the hot valley. When the driver is happy.... the car seems to run better (just like when the hub caps on old cars are polished, the cars run smoother!)

Great shot of the club cars!