The most basic thing will sometimes get you. My 356 restoration/rebuild is done, the only thing I hadn't done to date was start the engine which had been rebuilt quite a few years back by Tuthill and Co. I had heard and seen it run on a workshop stand so I knew it was all 100% but due to the car having no wiring in it for quite some time, it was a job I had been putting off for a while, there was no chance to fire it up. One of the last wiring jobs to do was fit a MSD CDI ignition box. I am quite a fan of these ignition systems because they guarantee great starting performance and power all the way up the rev range. And it's an easy hook up too. So everything is connected, all wires going to where they should, deep breath, turn the key, nothing. Oh God. So you go back through all the wiring. checking feeds and correct power, make sure all earths are good. Still nothing, and it was this week when all this stuff was happening, temperature in the garage was a balmy 93 degrees. After two days of checking I decided to contact MSD in the States and after explaining my situation the response was 'yer distributor's bad buddy, it's screwing yerup someswhere down the line'. Well thankyou America but he was right, the CDI wasn't getting any trigger to activate it. I got out my multimeter set it on continuity and checked both sides of the points and there it was - no continuity through the points. Now I'm going back to the first car I ever owned, scratching the points gap with a bit of 240 wet and dry. It did the trick though, turn the key, flick on the fuel pump and away we go, it lives and breathes, first time in quite a few years.
Next job is down to Cridfords for the MOT, get some insurance arranged then send everything off to the DVLA with a V whatever form and my C of A and try and get a V5 for it. And this might be a tale in itself.
Next job is down to Cridfords for the MOT, get some insurance arranged then send everything off to the DVLA with a V whatever form and my C of A and try and get a V5 for it. And this might be a tale in itself.