WEEKEND WORKSHOP
Ed Hughes shows you the oftenoverlooked secret of asuccessful classic relaunch
START DAY 1
The fuel system
Just revived a car from long storage? It ticks over sweetly, revs smoothly – but beware! None of this requires much fuel supply. It needs much more if it's to accelerate smoothly, haul itself up hills and drive at speed for any length of time. This is where the fuel system – tank, pickup, pipework and pump – have to work the hardest, and it's where many people experience their first problems.
FUEL TANK
Check tank
Start from the beginning. Look inside the fuel tank, either through the filler or by withdrawing the pickup and/or sender units. The tank should be reasonably clean and shiny, not crusty like this.
Take action
If it's crusty, this may be varnish deposits from old fuel – not necessarily terminal rust. In any case, drain the fuel, remove the tank, and collect a few handfuls of sharp gravel. Throw them inside.
Fuel pickup
Examine the fuel pickup. It should have a brass or nylon filter gauze. This may have worn thin (gets sucked against the end of the pickup) be blocked with varnish or have rotted away. Replace it…
Make agauze1
… or make another (PC, February 2020). Obtain brass mesh size 100 (100 holes per sq. in.) Use an 80W+ soldering iron and standard electrical solder. Use the iron to remove old gauze.
Symptoms
Drawing fuel against a blockage, or pumping insufficient fuel, leads to a breakdown. While you rummage under the bonnet, everything slowly collects itself and the car will often restart and run. Obviously, the thing you fiddled with last will be your number one suspect, but a subsequent stoppage may leave you baffled. You changed the condenser, cleaned the carburettor, etc, but no joy.
Checklist
Don't go round in circles: if you assumed the fuel system was OK, you may have been hoodwinked. Here's how to carry out this vital step on the road to a successful recommissioning job.
