A gentleman does not motor about after dark. Ha!
The smokey logic seems watertight.
Never had an English car or bike with Lucas bits - just other vintage stuff, either Italian or Japanese...
Since I started the topic as Cancuck wrenching I dug up a couple of other pics:
I had a great (and totally unsafe) two-stroke 1978 Vespa Super 150 (with a clutch and four speeds switched by rotating the whole left hand grip):
I changed the jug and increased it to 180cc. I also changed the wheels/tires from perilous 8" split rims with inner tubes to 10" tubeless rims.
I ended up blowing up the clutch when it flowered because I was putting too much power/rpms through it after having the top end ported and polished. Replaced it with a banded clutch and sold it. It was fun and I rode it daily as a commuter more than double the distance I drive the Spider to work now...
I got rid of the points and went to an electronic distrubutor with a hall sensor. That ride was a kick start, but the whole engine (single piston) and transmission was in a lump above and to the right of rear wheel...
Then I had a 1972 Honda CL350 that I modded into a cafe racer style with clubman bars and eventually rearsets:
Damn I miss that bike. It was right where I wanted it. That had a ring let go (very smokey in traffic one day!) so I brought it to a machinist and had the cylinders honed and rings replaced. Kept the points (pain in the ass to gap).
I did get rid of the electric starter on it, though, and always kicked it.
Now it's the current 1974 Spider.
Note the affinity for working with snow outside and futzing around too much and never leaving anything stock.
My problems are not normally electrical, but often top end based.
The pattern continues... Never had a problem dog me year after year like this one, though... The previous owner told me he had had the head gasket replaced, and I know the head isn't original to the car. I suspect previous owners never really had it sorted out, either...
I'll keep plugging away and eventually get it right. First I'll wait for the new sockets, then a bit of warmer weather...
Cheers,
phaetn