doing right thing for margret

[Margret's custodian]

i am the latest custodian of a 1959 ex RAF staff car that has received all sensible upgrades you can do on a 2 door no discs but fine with that i have had her for about 6 weeks and totally enjoyed every moment from solving my hot start problem fitting new lock barrel to the door and window winder i am not a mechanic but i know my limitations having said this the carb desperately needs some attention probably a full rebuild by the time i ordered every available parts and get it all back together in the right order or do i just buy a new/reconditioned carb
i got a feeling carb is not a original part if it is then at a later date with more experience rebuild it and put it back on Margret i know this is not a cost effective way to do it but cost effectiveness does not come into it looking after one these old girls i am starting to find out

[svenedin]

You can buy new SU carburettors but they are very expensive.

An alternative is to have your carburettor professionally overhauled by a specialist. I highly recommend Glen Watson https://www.sucarbs.co.uk. He rebuilt my SU HS2 and he did a superb job. I remarked to him that he has the attention to detail of a watchmaker and funnily enough watchmaking is his hobby.

It is possible to refurbish a carburettor at home but it needs the ability to deal with lots of small parts and it must be done with care and precision. Sometimes a less than complete strip down is needed and this is much easier.

What engine does your 1959 car have? The original would be 949cc with an SU H2 (not HS2) carburettor. The H2 carbs are fiddlier and there are more parts than the HS2. Both are 1 1/4". You may still have the metal tag on the float bowl (they are frequently lost). H2 is AUD924. HS2 is AUD13

If in doubt post a photograph and we can help identify your carb.


Stephen

[philthehill]

The SU carb whether it be a H2 or HS2 is not difficult to overhaul if care and a methodical process is undertaken.
There are plenty of 'You Tube' videos available to guide you on the way.
The specific SU carb carb currently fitted to the Minor should have a identification tag attached to the float chamber. From that details of the main jet, the needle, damper spring etc can be cross referenced to the Burlen Fuels website which has details of the carb parts and part numbers.
I would suggest that you take pictures of the carb before and during dismantling so that you know where the part go on re-assembly.
A picture of the carb currently fitted would be helpful.
https://burlen.co.uk/

https://sucarb.co.uk/carbfinder/vehicle ... icle=Minor

Below is the link to the correct carb for a 1959 Minor.
https://sucarb.co.uk/carbspec/carburett ... s/id/1905/

I suspect that you have a HS2 carb with tag AUD13.
https://sucarb.co.uk/carbspec/carburett ... s/id/1907/

The Minor traveller we had as a REME staff car was a 1098cc vehicle. I do not remember any 948cc Minor Travellers being used. The staff car before the 1098cc traveller was a Hillman Huskey estate and after the Minor a Ford Escort estate.

[mrs.smith2012]

Following this with interest as I suspect my carb needs a bit of an overhaul. Looks like it hasn’t been touched or cleaned in years.
Not sure what the rules are regarding sharing YT links on here so I won’t… but I can recommend BlindManMorris on YT. His videos are excellent, and he does have one on dismantling and cleaning a HS2 carburettor- which I’ll be watching a bit later!
I’m thankful that I have an experienced friend to help me as I think it’s a bit of a fiddly job, but not impossible

[King Kenny]

Half the delight of owning a Minor is the ability to do most repairs yourself. I bought my Traveller in 1979 and learned to do all the repairs myself. The whole point of classic cars is how easy they are to work on. A good workshop manual and a few tools and you will surprise yourself on how much you can do. An SU carburettor is a simple device that needs very little in the way of replacement parts. Have a go, what have you to lose? If it goes wrong (it won't) then you can always replace it with a working model. It is a pity that there are no old fashioned scrap yards any more. They were ideal for getting second hand parts to practice on. Good luck if you do decide to have a go yourself.

[Margret's custodian]

king kenny yeah i totally agree with you but i should know my limitations you have to remember my custodianship only a few months old and with that in mind i decided to get a reconditioned shiny hs2 su carb arriving today ? i do not have a garage and don't have a garage full of hand me down or inherited tools to do the carb change over i even had to buy feeler gage timing gun got to start someware some time in the future i will have a go at rebuilding the carb that coming off but i am fitting the orignal air box back on working on that just etched it my only problem is the finish black but matt shiny or crinkle paint i think i am more excited about by tiding up the bodywork new rubbers & cleaning up engine bay and stopping any sign of rust most of these have to wait till spring we all have strengths and weaknesses

[mrs.smith2012]

king kenny yeah i totally agree with you but i should know my limitations you have to remember my custodianship only a few months old and with that in mind i decided to get a reconditioned shiny hs2 su carb arriving today ? i do not have a garage and don't have a garage full of hand me down or inherited tools to do the carb change over i even had to buy feeler gage timing gun got to start someware some time in the future i will have a go at rebuilding the carb that coming off but i am fitting the orignal air box back on working on that just etched it my only problem is the finish black but matt shiny or crinkle paint i think i am more excited about by tiding up the bodywork new rubbers & cleaning up engine bay and stopping any sign of rust most of these have to wait till spring we all have strengths and weaknesses

Have you joined a local club? If there are any members near you, you will often find people willing to offer advice, and assist you with basic repairs. Before I bought Nell I made a point joining my local MMOC as well as integrating myself with a few local classic owners - it helps that I volunteer at my local heritage society as many of the guys there are classic car owners. I’ve been very blessed so far in that I’ve not had to buy a single tool or undertake a repair without guidance because I’ve got to know a little circle of enthusiasts who are more than happy to offer their expertise (and their old tools that their wives are always on at them to clear out )

[Margret's custodian]

obliviously joined this but will find local club but at the moment i am on my own i live NW London any suggestions anyone ?

[svenedin]

obliviously joined this but will find local club but at the moment i am on my own i live NW London any suggestions anyone ?

Have a look in the branch news section which is in every edition of Minor Matters. There is a North London and Middlesex Branch which meets at Whitewebbs Motor Museum in Enfield. If you have joined MMOC very recently and you don't have a paper copy of the magazine yet, you can view the current edition of the magazine and back issues by logging on to the members area of MMOC.org.uk

As club nights change sometimes, do get in touch with the branch contact before making a journey.

Stephen

[Margret's custodian]

so i decided today was going to be the day i changed the key barrel on the boot after already doing the door and ignition and all the fluff that involved was presently surprised all came off with no problem got the file out took it all apart cleaned it copper greased it all put it all together locked it down by hitting the corners and put it all together closed the lid it locked i unlocked i turned the handle and it came out (this where you all start nodding your heads knowing whats coming)i thought no problem obviously got something wrong i didn't flange it enough and that dome shaped thing had totally disappeared i suspect its in the boot lid frame spent time checking then i checked all usual suspects/retailers couldn't find it unless i buy a completely new one so tried ebay got a handle without a barrel and no chrome lots of deep pitting but its got the bit i need for £12 and it was free post
this goes to show me i made the right decision if i can lose this bit what mess am i going to get myself in rebuilding Margret`s carb and i will be reinstating original airbox i think i am already to go everything painted that has to be got everything i need going to put a fuel filter between the pump and carb all funny how i am willing to splash the cash on shiny bits but quite prepared to go cheap and see whats in the shed on other bits like the card glove boxs were in terrible shape i repaired with some resin which stabilised it but looked crap so i then covered it in red vinyl for first time having a go it turned out ok sorry if i am rambling on family are not as enthusiastic as me which i think is par for the course need to let it out

[mrs.smith2012]

Haha you sound like me… my family are supportive but they don’t quite get the enthusiasm

I admire the way you’re just getting stuck into it and learning as you go! That’s the best way! Definitely look at joining a local club. I met some lovely people at mine, apparently a few members are in my actual town but I’m yet to meet them. Hopefully I will at some stage, then I can meet up with them and talk their heads off about this stuff

[Margret's custodian]

update everything is is running fine after carb swap not so scared of it anymore and not so scared that margret will catch fire with petrol dripping from her old carb next project on Margret is getting rid of her hideous front indicators