Since my last update I've done quite little to the car, in fact getting a little put off by the number of time-consuming jobs waiting to be done - heater refurb, wiper mech service, front top links and springs, all UJs and the oil leak. Add to that thoughts of replacing my noisy, clunky diff and I've made myself a mountain.
So, I diverted attention. Refitted the old black Koni Classic shocks to the front on a high setting, and that made a world of difference to how the car takes bumps, how it rolls, steers and the rest of it. Superb results. Discovered in the process that the Koni Reds I had fitted were somehow valved the wrong way round despite having the same part number.
Then, following Rich "rockdemon"'s SU needle recommendations, I fitted BCG needles and springs, put 10W40 in the dashpots and fiddled the settings a bit. That was also a success. Engine now has significantly better low-end torque, is quite a lot quicker overall and just feels better fuelled. The exhaust smells a bit richer which makes sense. The change is also felt on the open road, in that I don't pay quite as much attention to compensating with the throttle maintaining speed up slight inclines as before. So, thanks Rich!
Only one setback. On a road trip yesterday to pick up parts for my E36 the cheapskate fuel pump I fitted last autumn decided to develop an aversion to its own operating temperature and left me sucking air half-way up a nice, long hill on the single-lane highway. Stacks of lorries and SUVs thundering past a misguided old P6 hugging the barrier as I started to count the real-life blessings of cutting costs with old cars. Fifteen minutes later it worked again, and I had to abandon said trip to limp home. Proper Huco fuel pump on order.