Abingdon Spares hosts Joe Curto, "The Carburetor King"

Abingdon Spares hosted a tech session with British Carburetor expert Joe Curto on Saturday, May 14th. The session was very well attended with over 60 British Car enthusiasts gathered at our warehouse in Deep River, CT. Folks met and chatted over coffee and donuts as we got ready for the main event. Once we got started, Joe explained in depth the workings of the SU and Stromberg carburetors. He went over the various types of carburetors and their applications to British sports cars, mentioning their good and bad points. He explained the reasons for the continuous changes in the SU carbs, as emissions standards continued to tighten. There was also much discussion with the audience about adjusting, tuning, rebuilding and of course the many mistakes that can be made when working on them. Joe also gave many examples of problems with tuning and adjusting them and how it is not always a carburetor problem!   He also spent some time discussing the area of replacement parts, both good and bad, and what to look for when selecting replacement parts. Beyond the technical details, Joe filled the morning with many interesting stories of his many years of working with British cars. All of these stories led to many tips and tricks that he had discovered over the years, all very good and very informative to the folks in attendance. We are very grateful to Joe for coming up to Connecticut and sharing his tremendous knowledge of these often frustrating and confusing little devices. I think everyone in attendance learned something, and most of us learned a lot! Joe can be reached thru his website, www.britishsuperior.com, and his YouTube videos. 

In the usual Abingdon Spares style, at the conclusion of the talk, attendees were treated to a pizza lunch. This gave everyone a chance to rehash what Joe had talked about and of course an opportunity to ask Joe some more specific questions. An informal "tune up" session broke out in the parking lot, with Joe checking out a car that needed a bit of fettling (of course it was a Triumph, MGs never need fettling!) Overall it was a great time for all, technical knowledge, amusing stories, car talk and food! What better way to spend a spring Saturday.

Here are a few photos of the day.