BASH repair adventure.

I started out getting ready to post this on Stock Alpine, but this became so long and so BASH oriented, I’ve decided to break it up. Events that happened primarily around BASH and Tiger Tom and his generosity are here. Events centered around mechanical problems, when I left I’ll post on a different forum. Probably Tech Tips.

I’ve had my SV running for a good 3 yrs, have wanted to attend BASH for 4 and really wanted to come to this one. So, was not happy that a week before I started having problems w/warm up as well as a new habit. She would just die, when rpms dropped, like at a light, stop sign or slow traffic. Sometimes I’d have to use a battery "power pack" to get it restarted. It would be fine on highway and idled well, stationary, after difficult starting and warmup. If I could keep momentum, a bumpstart would bring her back to life. Sometimes it would come back and be fine, sometimes I had to keep the rpms way up, to get home. But, it was intermittent. Sometimes it would drive fine, sometimes it would be a b-witch. Anyway, dispite the obvious signs, I set out, in the Alpine w/my wife, Linda, driving her modern Mini, for the 100 and some miles of mostly interstate. I was hoping to find out the problems at the BASH fix-in. Driving up was no problem, didn’t have a single issue, except maybe thinking I was being blown around, by the wind and big trucks, on 83. Arrived at the BASH, and Linda and I had a very good time, good people, good food. I was telling Tiger Tom about the problems and we put it up on his lift. Absolutly beautiful garage. :). After a bit of consultation, and some testing we found 1 culprit to be a corroded contact, on the battery lug. I cleaned that up and there was a definite improvement in startup. We then talked about possible causes of the dying @ low rpms. After looking in the tank, it was suggested it was probably the dreaded interior tank paint. But I’d never had any indication of crap from the tank, in the mechanical FP glass bowl or the extra inline glass, pre-carb filter. I blew out the electric fuel pumps pre-filter, which I hadn’t checked, but nothing came out of that, either. Well, I was happy about fixing 1 problem and a solid suggestion for the other. After more BASH and things were breaking up. I asked Tom if I could leave it at his place. We were staying at the B&B across the road from Tom’s. The Chocolate Cottage, very nice place, but seemed limited on parking. Since it seemed like rain, Tom suggested he bring it into his garage, of which I was most appreciative, as it leaks like a sieve and I had a cheap cover.
The next morning, Linda and I came over, to retrieve the car. I guessed we were a bit early, no one was home. The door to garage was open and some lights were on. Thought I’d get it out and save Tom the trouble, but the obvious door open button wouldn’t open the door??? After poking around w/a few less obvious "door" buttons, and looking for a manual release. I figured he had some kind of main cut-off switch installed. Waited around a bit longer, and decided to go back home, and call Tom, then.
When we got home I called Tom and told him what happened. He was unaware that something was wrong w/the garage doors and wondered what had happened to me, but had noticed a light on, that shouldn’t have been. Remember I mentioned pushing a couple of "door" buttons. 😳 So, after checking he called me back and said there had been an electric blackout during the night, and somehow effected the door electricals.
After calling a recently retired friend, Steve, I made arrangements w/Tom to come up on Wednesday to pick it up. When we got there, Tom, Steve and I went to the garage and got it started, Tom noticed it cranked fine, but just had a hard time starting. Tom verified something I’d been thinking for awhile, but couldn’t find the cause. There was something wrong w/the choke. After a little expert poking around Tom noticed a linkage, I’d missed, disconnected. After a bit of fiddling, Tom got that fixed, and another problem solved. Steve and I then got the tour of the garage and I got a lesson on fixing a low oil pressure problem w/the oil release valve mod. After a bit more chatting, Steve and I let Tom get back to what he was doing, and we got down the road. Many thanks Tom and Joann, for all the help you gave me, for keeping my baby safe and as dry as you kept Eric’s beautiful example of an Alpine and hosting the BASH.
(to be continued)