He he the wife got there before me, was just about to post an update!
The engine issues were becoming very very deceptive, after the carb rebuild, new plugs etc the engine was still running like a total bag of shite, and the garage was starting to get worried it could be something very very seriously wrong..... i went over yesterday so he could give me a proper face to face update and we decided we had two choices.....redo the valve lash and put it all back together and see if that cured it (most obvious issue and most likely) or go down the full strip down route......we decided on valve lash...... on doing it he found it was TOTALLY wrong and was causing valves not to open and close properly..... steve did it all meticulously and put a differnet dizzy, different leads and a new plugs in and then we tested it again......we were both OVER THE MOON when he fired up, running on all 8 cylinders, and was purring like a kitten
the diagnosis was correct, when my mate fucked the valve lash 6 months ago, it was reset completely wrong and that was combining with the other issues to ruin the running..... so now a new dizzy correct for the car, brand new correct plugs and leads, are all on order, and once they arrive he can get them on, do a full service of the car and we should be on the home straight!
While he is waiting for the parts to arrive he is cracking on with the other bits on my massive list, today he is making a custom exhaust hanger for the centre section, and cleaning up and repairing the little rust patch we had missed on the inner cill...... both me and him are still BUZZING that a) the engine issue is solved and b) that is was nothing seriously fubard!
All going to plan he should be back with me with a clean bill of health and 12 months MOT by the beginning of march
