Anyone know where I can get a carb balancer

Evenin' all,

I'm going to attempt to try and set up the quad SU's on my Rover V8
next week. Can anyone recommend where I can get one from. I've seen
them for about 30quid but could do without spending that much if
possible. Answers on a postcard please...........

Dave

On 20 Jul 2006 10:00:36 -0700, "Dave R" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Evenin' all,
>
>I'm going to attempt to try and set up the quad SU's on my Rover V8
>next week. Can anyone recommend where I can get one from. I've seen
>them for about 30quid but could do without spending that much if
>possible. Answers on a postcard please...........

halfords sell the gunsons range of stuff, and gunsons do a carb
balancer so you might actually be able to get one there!

"Dave R" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Evenin' all,
>
> I'm going to attempt to try and set up the quad SU's on my Rover V8
> next week. Can anyone recommend where I can get one from. I've seen
> them for about 30quid but could do without spending that much if
> possible. Answers on a postcard please...........
>
> Dave
>

Balancing airflow on SU's is very easy now I've discovered how! I have
an Austin Healey 3000 with twin SU's and the classic 'remove the air
filters and listen to the hiss' doesn't cut the mustard as the filters
are a b****r to get off and back on so....

Take two identical lengths of stiff copper (or preferably brass *)
wire and bend them into 'L' shapes. Remove the screw in damper thingy
from the dash pots and place an 'L' in each one - crinkle the bottom
of the wire to grip the bore so it sits firmly.and point the wires at
each other so that they are at the same level. Now start the engine
and gently open the throttle. If the carbs are balanced the dash pots
will rise together and the two pointers will remain pointing at each
other. If not one will lead the other and needs tweaking. This takes
advantage of the feedback loop on the SU where the piston servo
adjusts to maintain correct pressure.

(* I use bronze welding wire)

AWEM

Andrew Mawson <andrew@no_spam_please_mawson.org.uk> uttered summat
worrerz funny about:
> Balancing airflow on SU's is very easy now I've discovered how! I have
> an Austin Healey 3000 with twin SU's and the classic 'remove the air
> filters and listen to the hiss' doesn't cut the mustard as the filters
> are a b****r to get off and back on so....
>
> Take two identical lengths of stiff copper (or preferably brass *)
> wire and bend them into 'L' shapes. Remove the screw in damper thingy
> from the dash pots and place an 'L' in each one - crinkle the bottom
> of the wire to grip the bore so it sits firmly.and point the wires at
> each other so that they are at the same level. Now start the engine
> and gently open the throttle. If the carbs are balanced the dash pots
> will rise together and the two pointers will remain pointing at each
> other. If not one will lead the other and needs tweaking. This takes
> advantage of the feedback loop on the SU where the piston servo
> adjusts to maintain correct pressure.
>
> (* I use bronze welding wire)
>
> AWEM

Nice trick but what happens when the carbs are not pointing straight up but
as fitted on a V8?

The other alternative is a bit of see through hose bent in a U and half full
of coloured water... then hover on end in front of one carb and the other in
front of another.

May help if the U shape is stapled on to a length of wood and fairly long.
Provided both hoses are the same relative distance from the inlet the fluid
in the U should sit level on both sides of the U if you see what I mean.

Quite how you would do it on four I don't know.

Halfords for a Gunsons one.

Ebay they pop along once in a while.

Failing that look up a carb specialist they will probably point you the
right way. If you have real trouble let me know I'll dig out the number of
the chap that refurbed Morphs Carbs.

Lee

On Thursday 20 July 2006 18:00, Dave R [[email protected]] wrote in
message <[email protected]>

> Evenin' all,
>
> I'm going to attempt to try and set up the quad SU's on my Rover V8
> next week. Can anyone recommend where I can get one from. I've seen
> them for about 30quid but could do without spending that much if
> possible. Answers on a postcard please...........

Personally I think cheap carb balancers are only fit for the bin and £30 is
cheap. This link is for a motorbike carb balancer but I think you get the
idea. http://www.mandp.co.uk/productInfo.aspx?catRef=533341

Unless you plan on tuning V8s regularly I'd just take it to a garage where
they have proper expensive test equipment, know what they are doing
(hopefully) and can balance the carbs as well as setting the fuelling
properly. A garage should be able to balance the carbs for less than a
cheap set of gauges.

A properly set-up V8 is a thing of beauty. It's not worth skimping on this
seeing as a badly set-up V8 can guzzle so much fuel and just sounds wrong.

Oh now look what you've done! You've got me going on V8s again. I'm going to
have to look for a Rover P6 on eBay now. Thanks a bunch!

Perhaps I should elaborate. When I say that I will be attempting to set
up the quad carbs I actually mean that I will be bringing it to my
father to do.

Now in his 70's, the ol' boy started his career in the RAF as a
engineer and when his time was up he spent many many years at Rolls
Royce aerospace as a combustion development engineer. After many other
similarly "oily" jobs he started up in business on his own, a part of
which involved the use of the Bosch diagnostic machine, to which people
came from up to 100 miles away for him to set up their engines,
including many V8s, because of his reputation.

More than 8 years after his retirement, people still try to track him
down to set up their engines. I suspect he knows what he's doing.

I'd rather give him a "cheap" carb balancer to set my engine up any
day...........

I'll keep looking then......................

Dave


PDannyD wrote:
> On Thursday 20 July 2006 18:00, Dave R [[email protected]] wrote in
> message <[email protected]>
>
> > Evenin' all,
> >
> > I'm going to attempt to try and set up the quad SU's on my Rover V8
> > next week. Can anyone recommend where I can get one from. I've seen
> > them for about 30quid but could do without spending that much if
> > possible. Answers on a postcard please...........
>
> Personally I think cheap carb balancers are only fit for the bin and £30 is
> cheap. This link is for a motorbike carb balancer but I think you get the
> idea. http://www.mandp.co.uk/productInfo.aspx?catRef=533341
>
> Unless you plan on tuning V8s regularly I'd just take it to a garage where
> they have proper expensive test equipment, know what they are doing
> (hopefully) and can balance the carbs as well as setting the fuelling
> properly. A garage should be able to balance the carbs for less than a
> cheap set of gauges.
>
> A properly set-up V8 is a thing of beauty. It's not worth skimping on this
> seeing as a badly set-up V8 can guzzle so much fuel and just sounds wrong.
>
> Oh now look what you've done! You've got me going on V8s again. I'm goingto
> have to look for a Rover P6 on eBay now. Thanks a bunch!