1972 - 2012 -- CELEBRATING 40 YEARS - Rroc-sandiego.org

Partetsy’s sagaStory by Tyrone Flower2Being in the loving hands of a trained Rolls Royce mechanic is like beingin the hands of an expert Plastic Surgeon! First, the examination, then thediagnosis, and fi nally the Joan Rivers.Before Lady Betsy could be fi red up after all these years, we needed toexamine a few very important, personal systems, starting with the fueldistribution system which we will discuss in this article.12Lady Betsy’s fuel tank, much like our mid sections, needed to be removed,cleaned, de-rusted, washed and sealed inside (Sounds glorious!). Due toher age, most of the nuts and bolts were stubborn and rusted into place.We were able to remove the old rusted bolts in two different ways. Thefi rst way was to spray with a de-rust penetrating oil and when that wasn’tenough, we carefully heated up the nuts and bolts and slowly worked themloose with the correct size wrenches. Once we removed her gas tank,we focused on treating all the fuel lines that fl owed from the tank to thecarburetors with a cleaning solution to remove any old debris to keep thenew, updated SU fuel pump from getting clogged. Lady Betsy’s tank was reinstalledin the car and fi lled with new gas to make sure there were no leaksin the fuel system.technical topicsNow we were able to focus on Betsy’s twin Skinner’s Union (SU)carburetors. Both were removed along with the air intake manifold, totallystripped down and cleaned with a carburetor dip cleaner and a specifi cbrush to assess the condition of the pieces. Whatever you do, never use apolishing paste or other abrasive compound as this can affect the surfacecoatings and leave undetected scratches. We re-assembled the carbs withnew bushings, seals, gaskets and shafts. Lady Betsy also needed a new jetand needle, as they were old and worn. Her Ladyship is very tender, sowhen we installed the new needle we were very careful to make surethe needle shoulder was fl ush with the under face of the piston, good asnew! Once this was completed we inspected and replaced the diaphragmsbecause of wear. It is very important to secure the four bolts on thediaphragm to stop leaking between the diaphragm casing and the mainjet well. Last but not least, we checked to make sure the hydraulic pistonrod in the top of the suction chamber was not bent, and then re-fi lledthe damper with an approved oil of viscosity SAE20. Remember, eithercontrolled or uncontrolled seepage is not good!We discussed removing her manifold and the reason for this was to inspectthe Automatic Choke Device, which was installed between the two carbson the center air tube of the manifold. Thereare fi ve main features of the device, after unseizing and resetting internal linkages to Rolls Royce specshowever; the main function is to assist Lady Betsy in starting her engine when she is cold. Wonder if theywill install something like that on me?January - February 2012Volume 40 Issue 1Tyrone FlowerNow we are getting to the good part, the recovery! Once all the pieces were re-assembled we lovinglypushed Lady Betsy outside for her opening number! All of us at Carlsbad British held our breath, asRichard sat behind the wheel and Tyrone stood and watched with anticipation (hammer and chisel inhand) as Richard slowly turned the key with wide eyes, and yes, Lady Betsy started to purr!!!! BloodyMarvelous!! The anticipation had been so intense; it was fi nally time to walk away for a well-deservedcup of English tea as Lady Betsy continued to enjoy the fi rst step in a long journey back.1972 - 2012 -- CELEBRATING 40 YEARS