V8 Column for November 2003
published in Safety Fast!, the award winning monthly magazine of the MG Car Club

This month we have a brief report on the last lunchtime V8 Gathering at the Shoulder of Mutton, news that HS Imports is downscaling to concentrate on RV8s, and another V8 Workshop Note on a cause for carburettor flooding and an advance notice of the V8 Curry Evening in February.

The V8 Gathering at the Shoulder of Mutton on Hazeley Heath on Sunday 17th August organised by Bryan Ditchman proved as popular as ever. Over lunch in the garden, several members were discussing how the RV8 spot lamps were the same unit as on a racy Ford Fiesta model when just by chance an example of that model parked alongside! Quite extraordinary!

HS Imports has become known as one of the leading reimporters of specialist cars from Japan run by Chris Watkins who decided to downscale its activities to deal exclusively with RV8s direct to enthusiasts. Chris now operates from his home in Street in Somerset and be contacted on 01458 441543 (tel) or 07773 726968 (mob) or you can visit www.HSimports.com where his stock is regularly updated. In September Chris had two first grade RV8s in Oxford Blue - a popular colour.

Oxford Blue 0761, a good quality RV8 secured at auction in Japan by HS Imports in September and due to reach the UK in mid November

The annual V8 Curry evening on Saturday 13th February 2004 is the next V8 Register event. It will at the Moghal Tandoori Restaurant, Warwick Road in Beaconsfield

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at 7.00pm. There is a useful location map and directions on the V8 Website. Contact David Biddle for reservations on 01753 892714.

Cause for carburettor flooding
Dr Gavin Bailey (Glacier White V8 0199 & BRG RV8 0766) from Surrey has identified a strange cause for a carburettor flooding on his V8 which will prove helpful to fellow members who come across similar symptoms. This is V8 Workshop Note 294 issued in September 2003.

Following a number of breakdowns recently in my MGBGTV8 where the float valve failed to close the supply of fuel to the offside carburettor which then resulted in fuel being discharged via the overflow pipe from the carburettor, I finally traced the fault. I found small pieces of rubber were blocking the float valve seating in the offside carburettor and preventing it from closing. A few years earlier, I had replaced the short length of armoured fuel hose and the short piece of hose that connects the two carburettors - and they were certified fuel hose. It seems however that the short length of new hose I had fitted between the carburettors had started to break down on the internal surfaces of the hose, shedding small pieces of rubber into the fuel stream which reached the offside carburettor causing flooding.

I have since spoken with a friend who has a vintage BSA motorbike which suffered a similar fault. I do not have any solutions at this stage but this issue may be worth bearing in mind if you suffer a similar fault with your V8.

A V8 Roadster Conversion which leaves little to doubt over its identity! (Photo: Gavin Bailey)