Back to my carb adjustments (still). I tried different screwdrivers to get to the idle adjustment screw for the right front carb, but I couldn't find something to work. My buddy SL had a great idea -- take something like a welding rod and just flatten the end into blade. I didn't have any welding rod, but I did have some 1/4" all-thread rod. A few minutes with a ball peen hammer and file and voila! A long thin screwdriver.
It works amazingly well. As you can see, that screw is waaaaay in there and is barely visible. I had to wait, but this was finally the day to take to the road and dial in the idle mixture.
The 308's been sitting a while and I foolishly disconnected my batter tender. The battery didn't quite have enough juice so I needed to use the booster to start the engine. As it turns out, I made the idle mixture a little too lean and it was really hard to start. After making the mixture a little richer, the engine fired right up.
What a great day for a drive. I didn't really have a destination in mind, so I just drove North with the snow covered North Cascades in the distance. After the engine oil was up to temperature, I was able to put my foot to the firewall and let the engine wail. It did stumble just a bit so I made a stop in a parking lot to richen the mixture a little more. The engine runs great now, although I don't know if all my tinkering actually had any affect. The exhaust is still a bit smelly, but it does seem a little better than before. Winter's almost over so I guess I'll need to put off the other projects like suspension bushings until next Winter. Let the driving season begin!
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