Side mounted engines work better than upright mounted ones. True, some
upright ones work fine, but as in your case....they can be difficult. Possibly
your muffler pressure system isn't providing enough pressure for ease of
starting, and correct flow for operation.

There are some things than can be done to improve the pressure. Make sure
the hole in the muffler fitting is open. Sometimes the hole can be enlarged to
improve the air flow to the tank. If the muffler baffle is missing, the pressure
may be reduced, also hindering pressure. If the hole in the tank clunk is too
small, it will restrict flow. Any pinhole leak in the lines can mess up the whole
delivery of fuel.

The lines should be kept short. If you have a filter in the line, make sure it is
clean, and not restricting the flow. Opening the low end needle a bit, and
running the engine a bit rich on the low end can make fuel flow a bit easier
into the carb.

If all else fails, a Perry pump/regulator will cure all the problems, including
leaning out in a climb or just raising the nose makes it much harder to get
fuel up to the carb. Also the engine can run too rich in a negative "G" loop
for instance....but it isn't normally a problem.

I have a Dragon Lady too....with a Magnum 1.20 mounted inverted. I really
like the plane. [sm=thumbup.gif]

Dave.