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MG MGA - SU Needle Doctoring

Very interesting letter in the latest MGCC magazine. I hope that the author, Michael Bryan, does not mind me reproducing the content as it has a historic interest for us SU carburettor users.

“Part of my apprenticeship with Nuffield was time spent in the Service and Experimental departments of S.U. At S.U. there was an elderly engineer named Harry Pannell who was a whiz with needles, you tell him what you wanted and he would do it. He was a nice gentleman.

Sometimes engines would have a flat spot just at the lower revs, but alternative needles did not necessarily solve the problem as they would have an unacceptable profile lower down. The answer was to go to Harry. He would take your needle and, with a very very fine file, remove a little metal from that part of the needle (probably positons 2 and/or3). Having done this he would check it carefully with his micrometer then, at the top of the needle’s shank, he would file a bevel so that you would know that the needle had been doctored. This worked very well and overcame the problem for that particular engine.

If you come across a needle which has that bevel on the shank you will know it has been doctored. There may not be many of those around now but at least you are in the picture and this may answer a query as to why the readings for that needle are not in the book.”

Steve
Steve Gyles

Steve - Thank you for sharing this with us, it is indeed interesting. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

This thread was discussed between 02/06/2005 and 03/06/2005

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