3.8 Carburetor needles

[Kurtuffler]

Hi gang,

Finally got my ‘63 in a good place to start fiddling on upgrades. Standard 3.8 triple-SUs, original air filter has been battling me for years so I picked up the Mangoletsi air filter the second I saw it online. True to form the engine is now running a little off so I think I need to sort out some better needles.
Have some UE’s coming through SNG, but as it’s been about a decade since I worked on the Carbs beyond tuning, I thought I’d ask if there is any other parts else one needs to swap out the needles.
From what I remember it’s not super laborious, but I can’t for the life of me find a video on the internet regarding removing the needles, so any tips would be appreciated.

[Simonpfhc]

It’s just a slotted screw in the side of the puston that holds the needle. Loosen it and it should be relatively easy to pull out with careful use of pliers.

Refitting is a simple reverse procedure, but make sure all three needles are fitted to the exact same depth. They should be inserted so the notch just disappears into the piston.

[bitsobrits]

I would never use bare pliers on the needles. They are precision machined relatively soft brass. I've always been able to remove the needles with my fingers, sometimes via twisting while pulling.