Then set to checking my compression—most heartening thing that I have done in a long while:
compression of 110 lb in⁻² is considered excellent, as opposed to 50 poor, but mine was 175,
which would seem to indicate a cr. [compression ratio] of about 12,5:1. I am still
trying to puzzle this one out, but think it might have been the temperature. Then set to
torque the heads down—as I suspected, they had not touched them. Torqued them both down to
2,5 mkg, and then started the thing up—was somewhat astonished to find that the thing did
not blow by, though of course it was the obvious cause. Also found that they had stripped
the thread of one of the inlet manifold bolts, which is an equally obvious reason why the
thing had been stalling—must do something about that soon.
Looking at this month-long tale of woe, I'm left wondering what Criterion did to the
car. I delivered it to them with the engine partially dismantled, and about all they did
was to stop it from spitting back through the carburettor, presumably by changing the
contact breaker and condenser. But that took them 2½ weeks!
