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4 VS 6 cylinders, or car repair by Bozo

To: "'triumphs'" <triumphs@Autox.Team.Net>
Subject: 4 VS 6 cylinders, or car repair by Bozo
From: "Theis, Karl J" <karl.j.theis@lmco.com>
Date: Thu, 02 Apr 1998 11:50:19 -0700
This thread brought to mind a distant memory...
        In 1984 the Lucas electronic ignition died in my 1979 Spitfire.  Not
knowing (at that time) anything beyond the basics on Triumph repair, I towed
the car to the local garage.  After a week I picked up the car and boy, did
it run rough.  They had replaced the Lucas with a Piranha aftermarket
ignition, which I guess is the optical sensor type.  The shop  attributed
the rough idle to a faulty carburetor.  Since the car ran fine before the
electronic ignition problem I declined their offer to rebuild the carb and
drove off.  I made an appointment with another repair shop and proceeded to
drive the 20 miles to their locale.  After 10 miles of the engine stumbling,
missing and altogether cutting out, it died.  Towed the car the remaining
ten miles.  To make a long story not-so-long, here is what the second garage
found:  The optical wheel (the part of the electronic ignition that sits
where the rotor is located) had six radial slots in it.  The Bozos had
installed an ignition system for a six cylinder car!  How they got the Spit
to run at all is anyone's guess.  

        2nd Bozo story (short)
                I once autocrossed a bone-stock GT6+ in C Prepared class
because the Bozo tech inspector thought It was hardtop Spitfire with a
transplanted TR6 engine . 
        Later,
        Karl

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