Having just entered our first season in our newly refurbished bus we have immediately found that more power is needed. Not to go fast - quite happy at 55-60 mph but I'd quite like to at least manage at least 40 on all but the steepest of hills. Currently running a rebuilt type 1 1600cc with single Solex, standard exhaust. As the motor is fresh I feel loathed to bin it and start again with a different power plant. Having read a little I was thinking twin 40's with 28mm venturies, 1:4 ratio rockers and an exhaust with a rolling road tune up seems to be a well tested route. Any advice? It's more torque than outright power I'm looking for.
Getting to Bleneau Ffestiniog for instance I was 2nd gear and 25 mph Max up the hill. Coming out of the slate mine tour back up the hill I couldn't get out of first. Not good!
Yes - mine's exactly as yours is - fine on the flat and cruises at 55 Ok - but it runs out of "steam" on hills. I have no history on the age of the engine but there is 125k on the clock and no end float so must have been refurbished at some time
are you fully loaded ?? 50hp ish dont forget , all part of the fun of owning a classic init look on the bright side if you get up a hill you can come down faster
Check the 12v solanoid thing that screws into the carb I replaced mine when it started feeling sluggish and it seemed to make it a lot better, they're never particularly good up hills though haha
Please guys - in no way do I think it's in any way unusual or in any way broken. 50hp and the best part of 2 tonnes shaped like a hovis loaf is never going to be a recipe for rapid progress. However I do want to see what can be done to extract a little more go out of the old girl. 1st gear hill climbs are somewhat annoying. I have skin like a rhino so care not about the seithing masses in their modern machines behind, however when attempting to change into second causes a full stop and hill start again in first that seems like something that perhaps for the safety of me and my passengers I should work on. Yes that's pretty much fully loaded - although not quite.
Cheers it's new, and gives a nice clean strong click with 12v...... it should be a on / off thing when working with no facility for anything in between.
If you get everybody to lean forward on the hills, it seems to make it go a bit faster up. (Remember to lean back on the way down, to compensate)
The easiest way to boost a stock 1600 is a nitrous oxide kit. The injection of a recently liquid gas gives a super cool running engine and double the oxygen and therefore double the engine capacity, 3.2 litres just when you need it at the touch of a button. I am neither a scientist nor an engineer, but I've seen enough fast n furious to know what I'm talking about innit.
I myself have avoided that franchise of cinematic delight in favour of spending equal amounts of time pushing my head against a band sander......
Twin carbs will help but 40 s are a bit big .. Ratio rockers won't help much without cam change ... Bigger jugs and better flowing heads and exhaust + twin carbs
