lockman69 wrote:Any updates on this kit?...there must be a few fully run in and set up by now.
Only 18 miles on mine so far but it feels great

The build was very easy, the most time consuming issue was tidying up the AF inlet manifold, opening it out to match the Avanti inlet was to be expected but the inlet path was positively 'D' shaped where the nearest stup passed through. I spent about an hour with a rasp, dremel and electric drill before I was happy with it. Mind you, it was only £19, half the price of the MB one but onlya fraction of the quality.....that'll teach me

I was using a 58mm crank with a 110mm rod and the best I could get the squish to was 1.42mmwith no gaskets used. Not as close as I would have liked and would have maybe changed the packer to a thinner (2mm) one and played with the gaskets if family issues hadn't intervened

. I'm using a JL3 expansion and managed to get it to fit after putting a few washers behind the main bracket on the crank case and bending the bracket on the expansion box out a little. No grinding of the barrel fins necessary at all. It did need a slight 'ding' with a hammer though to clear the cowling around the cylinder head. Jetted it in accordance with Ron's recommendations i.e.
30 PHBH
40 slide
X7 2nd clip down
AV266
125 main
55 pilot
Timing is 22 degrees with a August 6000 fitted. Started after a few prods of the kickstart despite the fact that the clutch was slipping and the engine was hardly turning over and soon settled into a regular tickover. After adjusting the clutch out (I had rebuilt it as it HAD been binding

) I took it for a shake down bimble through Thetford forest sticking to the 45 mph recommended....very frustrating as it does as others have commented, pull like a train and can't wait to get back on it and put in some more miles
As for the spitback issue, mine seems to have very little, certainly less that my Mk1 Muggy 186, I was running withoiut the pannels fitted though but with the muggy there was a visible 'cloud' of atomised fuel, not so on the Avanti as far as I could tell.