Can the carbs be mounted on the engine as a complete assembly? I have the whole thing built-up but it doesn't appear to clear the manifold studs.
The carbs are just sitting on top of the studs in the picture...
Carb question
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Gary Schulz
- 1275 Cooper S
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iain1967s
- 1275 Cooper S
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Re: Carb question
Yes. You can mount the carbs, spacers and heat shield onto the manifold, and then mount the manifold with carbs onto the head as one complete assembly.
It looks like you’re using carb locator rings - make sure holes in the manifold gasket are large enough for those to pass through into the head. I find it easier to fit the rings to the head, rather than to the manifold.
To get to the two center studs, don’t connect the three throttle return springs yet - easiest is thread some thread or string through the last couple of turns of the springs before fitting the whole assembly and then use that to hold the springs out of the way while you fit the manifold nuts. I usually tie both ends of the thread to the bonnet hinges.
Put the thick manifold washers on first by hand, again with thin cotton thread through the holes so that If I miss the stud they won’t disappear forever down the gap between the front subframe and bulkhead, forever to rattle as you drive along...
Then use a 1/4” drive deep socket and 3 inch extension to fit the two center manifold nuts. If you’re using the long type nuts that ST first developed, this is trivial but if you’re using regular nuts, a trick is to jam them into the end of the socket using some paper against one of the flats, to hold them in place.
Once the nuts are started, pull the cotton through the washer so it’s free. And once the center studs are tight, you can hook the throttle return springs in and remove the final cotton threads.
The clutch end stud is trivial to fit with a box spanner/wrench as there’s lots of access. But the one at the radiator end can be a pain, especially on an S due to the oil separation canniser in close proximity to the exhaust manifold. It’s a case of 1/8 of a turn with a thin open ended spanner then flip it over and do another 1/8 turn. Quite tedious.
By the way, I use plain steel washers for the two end-most studs, but short type brass nuts. I know Rover came out with combined nuts and captured washers but I prefer the old school style...
It looks like you’re using carb locator rings - make sure holes in the manifold gasket are large enough for those to pass through into the head. I find it easier to fit the rings to the head, rather than to the manifold.
To get to the two center studs, don’t connect the three throttle return springs yet - easiest is thread some thread or string through the last couple of turns of the springs before fitting the whole assembly and then use that to hold the springs out of the way while you fit the manifold nuts. I usually tie both ends of the thread to the bonnet hinges.
Put the thick manifold washers on first by hand, again with thin cotton thread through the holes so that If I miss the stud they won’t disappear forever down the gap between the front subframe and bulkhead, forever to rattle as you drive along...
Then use a 1/4” drive deep socket and 3 inch extension to fit the two center manifold nuts. If you’re using the long type nuts that ST first developed, this is trivial but if you’re using regular nuts, a trick is to jam them into the end of the socket using some paper against one of the flats, to hold them in place.
Once the nuts are started, pull the cotton through the washer so it’s free. And once the center studs are tight, you can hook the throttle return springs in and remove the final cotton threads.
The clutch end stud is trivial to fit with a box spanner/wrench as there’s lots of access. But the one at the radiator end can be a pain, especially on an S due to the oil separation canniser in close proximity to the exhaust manifold. It’s a case of 1/8 of a turn with a thin open ended spanner then flip it over and do another 1/8 turn. Quite tedious.
By the way, I use plain steel washers for the two end-most studs, but short type brass nuts. I know Rover came out with combined nuts and captured washers but I prefer the old school style...
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jayare
- 998 Cooper
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Re: Carb question
To make it easier to get the manifold over the studs, it's best to disconnect the engine steady to allow the engine to tilt forward slightly. If you have a remote gearbox, you may need to loosen the extension as well,
JR
JR