Thanks Fer.
I've just looked up prices, £100, I can buy a cheap road atlas for £2.00, luckily Daisy is literate .

Great...

Phased retirement they call it...so I'm on a 4 day week now.

P1020507 by Robndaisy, on Flickr

P1020506 by Robndaisy, on Flickr
Today I serviced the van, getting it ready for the trip to Coventry.
Changed the engine oil (adjusted the valve clearances) and the gearbox oil, first time since its been back on the road: greased everything I could,adjusted the front brakes, so far so good.

P1020510 by Robndaisy, on Flickr
The plugs (Eyquem) are sooty. I have not adjusted the carb. apart from taking it's lid off , cleaning and blowing through the various orifices before it was run for the bench test. That's not true, I did adjust the stop screw that alters the tickover rpm's. The van always starts easily and doesn't need much choke.
Timing tomorrow with a strobe and the 12 volt battery.
Any thoughts, tips welcomed. I don't want to make it any worse but it shouldn't be that rich should it

Check the float height!

Mixture screw, maybe it's a bit to rich hence you don't need much choke. But the old ones start easier normally.

Thanks lads!
Well i've cleaned the cooker and all the pans, hoovered, I guess I'm going to have to go outside and try and find out what's happening to it. I'll start with points setting and timing.

Timing showed retardation so it was advanced a little to find a happy place.
Warmed engine up(no problem with this great weather)and screwed the idling correction screw in until faltering was encountered, 3 turns in, then back out 1...then some setting of the idling stop screw, then a bit more messing with the idling mixture.
Took it to Builth Wells 32 kms, good road, plenty of ups and downs, so fast and not so fast .

P1020512 by Robndaisy, on Flickr

That looks better to me.
The van seemed to run better, I can't hear any pinking but then my hearing isn't what it used to be .
I'll keep my eye on it, feel a lot happier now, carb. is a Solex 26 BCI.
Look out Vettel...I'm coming through .

P1020514 by Robndaisy, on Flickr

Don't need the heater for now, there's no way to dump the hot air in the felt tubes so this is the awful result
There is a better way ...I just haven't sussed it yet.

Just close the flaps, the heat should come out on top of the cylinders.

No need for these then https://www.decathlon.co.uk/french-open ... 74443.html