Realistic expectations.

After rebushing the carbs, I'd gotten to a point where the Amazon was in pretty good order mechanically. The body on the other hand... well, a trailer queen she is not.



For a variety of reasons, I've been putting off body work for a while. First off, body work involves a lot of dusty sanding, noisy grinding and banging, and spraying of smelly, noxious chemicals. Work that isn't terribly conducive to being performed in a backyard.

In Absentia.

I've been averaging about one post per year as of late. Not great, but here's my excuse:



I bought a fixer-upper about two years ago which has become the focus of my time, energy, and money. The Amazon has taken a backseat to- oh, you know- functional plumbing.

One of the reasons I wanted to move to a house was so I'd have the space and freedom to work on the Volvo.  (In fact, the place we ended up in doesn't even have a garage.)  Ah, the irony.

Anyway, I've been inexplicably moved to work on the Amazon as of late, so some updates may be forthcoming!

Carbs, Part II.

As I mentioned in my last post about carbs, I threw caution to the wind and decided to rebush my SU's at home after discovering my throttle shafts were leaky.

Before I go any further, I should note that there are professionals out there that do this for a living, charge a modest fee for the service, and do a much better job than a shadetree mechanic. Prominent figures in the world of SU ressurection include: Rhys Kent of Island Automation, Advanced Performance Technology, Joe Curto in New York, Chester Gillings, Paltech, and Z-Therapy. Prices and individual experiences vary; I can say that I've spoken with Rhys Kent on the phone, read his posts on Brickboard, and would send him my carbs in a second.

That is, if I weren't a total cheapskate. As my friends and relatives will attest, I am a true cheapskate, and in true cheapskate spirit, I forged ahead with the work myself.

Clutch slave.

Back in August last year, my clutch slave sprung a leak. It happened after I topped off the fluid - maybe the new fluid reacted with the old and eroded the seals? Perhaps some sediment got forced through the system?



Replacing the slave cylinder seals was a pretty straightforward task. The hardest part was getting the right rebuild kit: there are two cylinder bore sizes common to Amazons - 3/4" and 13/16". Both are available from Swedish Treasures.

I ended up ordering the wrong kit the first time around. Lesson learned: I should have removed the slave and measured the bore before ordering parts.

Carbs.

The carbs on my Amazon have given me grief since I got the car. After trying a multitude of fixes, I finally decided to heed some sound advice: tune up the rest of the motor before touching the carbs. I could have saved myself a good deal of frustration if I'd taken that simple advice.

That being said, there was still a good amount work to be done on my tired old SU's. Luckily, there is a wealth of information and tech advice on SU's on the web - much of it from the MG and Jaguar community. (I've linked to helpful sites below.)