11. Fuel System

Heatshield & Carburettor Blocks

There is apparently insufficient room under the NG bonnet for the carburettors and air filters to be fitted with the standard spacer blocks. NG supply (in the fuel system kit) cut down blocks (8.5mm instead of 29mm), shorter carb fixing studs and pancake style air filters. Because of this the carbs are nearer to the heatshield which needs to be modified so that the throttle controls clear it. Unfortunately, I found that the throttle control lever was too near the exhaust manifold so I have made up some slightly thicker (11mm) carb spacer blocks which just provide enough clearance for the throttle. The accelerator and choke cables were fitted later.

Fuel Supply

I opted for the stainless steel fuel tank which I primed with Hammerite Special Metals Primer. The tank support straps were "lined" with strips of rubber supplied. I purchased a new SU AZX1307 fuel pump and mounted it in the standard MGB bracket which is fixed to the SVA cross member (near the seat belt holes). A flexible fuel hose connects the tank outlet to the pump and another connects the pump outlet to the fuel pipe. The latter is fitted with some difficulty through various parts of the chassis to the front end where it connects to a filter and then on to the carburettors via more flexible hoses.

After obtaining the body shell, I found I had to re-route the fuel pipe slightly in the area by the rear offside chassis member. Although warned in the build manual, it is difficult to determine the clearance needed without knowing the exact shape of the body. Also, once the body was positioned, I was able to make holes for the fuel tank filler and filler cap.