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wouldn`t it put the revs up?

Today - usual 10-15 mins running then engine stopped and would not restart. HOWEVER - NO bubbles in the fuel filter. Yesterday I did re-route the fuel flexible as far from the exhaust area as possible and mounted the filter vertical rather than horizontal. No idea what those steps will have achieved.

Difficult to judge spark in daylight. I tried a hot wire direct from the battery to coil +ve but no difference to starting. Anyway, I did not have enough time to investigate properly

Turnip, I will sort-of follow your suggestion. What I will do is blank off the fuel from the pump but feed fuel direct by gravity from a bottle on the car roof - stationary of course. If the engine still fails as it gets hot then that will more or less have eliminated a fuel issue and I can concentrate on electrics.

Snod

Update
Over the weekend I found a weak/ rusty bit under the car and THAT is a priority for attention. "I can easy sort that" says the man I visited.

Starting problem. More or less as Turnip suggested I blanked off the fuel flow from the pump and gravity fed the engine with fuel from a bottle on the car roof. As usual it faltered/ stopped after 10 mins when it became hot and then refused to start.

OK, so looks like it is definitely NOT a fuel problem

This morning (AFTER the rain) I was examining "things" and found that the tube from the carb to the vac advance system on the dizzy had been blanked off. A sawn off screw had been put into one end of the tube. I have no idea by whom or when. I took this out and started the engine with vac connected.

SOME success. Well, at least the engine now ran on tick over (with periodic blips on the throttle) for about 35 mins. Previously it had "died" when hot after 10 mins. The engine was still running well when I stopped it deliberately at 35 mins. I suspect it would have continued running if I had not stopped it. Sounded fine. However - the hot engine would not restart. It NEARLY "caught" once or twice but never actually made it.

I call this progress even if not yet a solution.

I have also found a small leak at the joint between the exhaust manifold and the exhaust. Nothing major but it does blow a bit.

Snod

The vacuum pipe is to advance the ignition I think? Since it seems to run better with it re-connected, I wonder if the ignition timing is just well off, such that when hot, it's just too far off, to re-start? Anyone got a Timing (strobe) light?

I have a xenon strobe! Took a while to find it but did eventually. I also found my compression tester so with a HOT engine I took out all plugs and measured the pressures in the cylinders (a) pressures say 125psi so gauge says (b) importantly same for all cylinders - so valves are ok

Timing. Would love to meed the ***** from Brit Leyland who decided that timing could be done with a mirror looking through that hole in the bell casting on the side of the engine -- with the battery right in front of it!!!

Did it eventually and timing at 8deg before TDC seems correct. Vac advance certainly works ok.

Tonight I took the car for a drive - 25 miles. Can you imagine driving 25 miles just up & down the Wallasey - New Brighton prom?? Talk about boring. Anyway, the engine ran perfectly all the way with no hesitations etc. Then I drove home, stopped the engine and - of course it would not restart. Left it 5 mins - still no. Left it 10 - still no. Engine needs to be cooler then I KNOW it will restart.

Do we have a Smiley for "banging your head on the wall"?

Snod

125psi is a bit on the low side, did you do it on wide open throttle?

The throttle was open but maybe not wide open - it was ****** down on Monday morning and I was not at my best! Anyway, I do not think 125psi is that bad for a 42 year old car. Actually the pointer on the gauge is sloped and I quoted 125psi as the pressure where the slope begins. The tip of the pointer was at about 155psi. To me the main point is that all the pressures were even

Snod

Went to see "a man" today who has knowledge of older engines. His logic was impeccable ie you have fuel, you have spark, timing seems reasonable and is anyway not critical on these engines - so it must be carb.

He fiddled with the lifter pin on the SU carb and weakened the mix with the jet adjuster (I had forgotten about those). Still would not restart when hot so did some more jet fiddling myself. Finally went for a 5 mile drive this afternoon - and the hot engine DID restart . . . 5 times. OK it coughed ba k to life rather than came totally willingly but it LOOKS LIKE nearly there . . . maybe

Watch this space

Snod

I've been following this, good job Snod.

Just a thought but could there perhaps be an issue with the Choke? If it's still in operation or not working right, that might make it hard or even impossible to start, when hot?
(I know Many of us have forgotten what the choke is, since most cars today have automatic ones! LOL)
Maybe have a look here?
Click

Yes, I well remember manual chokes. Got one on the Pinz. When the dashboard "Choke" knob was fully pulled out, it made an ideal hook for women to hang their handbags on ! The same women who moaned about only getting 7mpg from their Moggy Minor !

I know the choke problem well - Years ago I have had several Minis, a Ford Anglia and a Metro. The choke mechanism on the 1300 works fine both applying choke and taking it full off.

From '72 I had a VW camper and that had an electric choke ie a bi-metal coil operated the choke way back in the engine compartment and the coil unwound/ removed choke action once the ignition was on and current flowed through the bi-metal. NOT the best system and prone to coil breakage - but a 16ft long choke cable would have been even more iffy. The 16ft throttle linkage was bad enough!

Giving the 1300 a rest for tonight - I'm knackered

Snod

what carb is on it?

SU HS4

Single carb - real basic. One jet with tapered needle. You can adjust the mix by moving the jet up or down relative to the needle using a screw motion ie can do one nut flat at a time for fine adjustment. Jet orifice is likely a bit worn after 40K miles but that would not explain the starting problem - and anyway apart from the starting problem the engine runs very well

Snod

unlikely to be the cause but have you checked the spindle for play? also is it a waxstat jet?