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Both sides, though without the drum on it maybe that the pistons react to whichever side offers least resistance and only one will come out. Be careful operating the pedal when the drums are off, it is possible to pop the pistons right out. You can tell if you have a seized piston by comparing how much wear you are getting on each shoe. "Jeremy Cogman" 13393... MORE


Today I jacked the rear end of my Midget as high as I could get it. Squeezing under my car, I see the slave cylinder pointing in a downward direction... the bleeder valve in the back being the highest point... cool! My 5 year old daughter is becoming an expert "press the pedal and hold... now release slow..." helper. Air bubbles gushed out of the slave cylinder... until soon... only pure break fluid would return when the pedal was pressed/bleeder valve cracked open. Out from under the car... press clutch in and hold... transmission in 1st... turn the starter... MORE


Steve, I am actually going to try the opposite... I did have the front end jacked up... but that put the bleed end down hill (I.E. Air bubble rises). I am going to jack up the rear end, pointing the transmission and slave cylindar down, so that the bleed hole is at the top... Fluid flows down, pushing air out. Getting ready for garage sale today... will try it Saturday Afternoon and see if it works. -Brett "Brett LaCroix" 13348... MORE


Last time I had to bleed the clutch, used an Easibleed to get most of the air out of the system. That didn't work, so got a piece of wood and wedged the clutch pedal down and left it down overnight. In theory, this allows the air in the system to rise up and takes advantage of the fact that the master cylinder is way above the slave. This also gave time to go away and think about the problem. By the time I returned the follwing day, theory and fact had met and the clutch has worked fine... MORE


Air in the slave sylinder can certainly cause the problem you're having- the slave cylinder moves, but the moment it encounters any resistance (like a clutch plate, for example) the air just compresses. Does your pedal feel 'springy'? The other alternative is mechanical problems- worn clevis pins, a pushrod which is too short, worn pivot in the pedal box can all reduce the amount of available travel. Midget clutch hydraulics are a nightmare to bleed because the slave cylinder is so far below the master cylinder. Your best bet is to buy a Mityvac or similar bleeding device, or... MORE


Master clutch cylinder seems to work fine... the slave cylinder sounds like it is moving... but pushing in the clutch pedal in isn't disengaging the clutch plate. I rebuilt the slave cylinder myself... Can air in the slave cylinder cause this? Should the bleeder valve be in the top most hole... or does it matter? I thought I put it in just like it was... feeder pipe in the top, bleeder in the bottom... but now that I think of it... air would rise to the top.. The slave cylinder can be removed from the trans while it is... MORE


The Tach gear box in my MK1 had gasped its last tooth and I was replacing it with a Smith electronic tach I had bought from a parted out 64 Midget. Much to my dismay the used Tach did not work and I was feeling down about that and the money lost . . . it was a "good buy," beautiful cosmetic condition, and on the front plate marked "positive ground," just what I had needed. A little thought pops up . . . I remembered reading a web page about switching to a negative ground system and the... MORE


Pretty much right in the centre of the 'flexible' part of the handbrake cable. (the bit which goes from the body to the axle) HTH Growler "Grant Bowyer" 13210... MORE


Or try and get a small cold chisel between the seal and the hub and collaspe the seal. Bear in mind that the seal has a steel core. I've resorted to fire in the past! "Jeremy Cogman" 13216... MORE


Shane- At 61K you are just about prime for a front end rebuild, in most cases. It depends to a great extent on how the car was driven and maintained during that period. A guy who lubes the front end religiously every 3,000 miles and drives sanely on rough surfaces will get many more good miles out of a front end than the "other" type of driver, obviously. Of course, there is the "pothole" that sneaks up on even the best of us to cause "mechanical" damage (also caused by collision of front end with objects, be these curbs... MORE


hi Dear anyone have any hints for removing rear hub oil seals from the hubs? Hubs are off, bearings out, but the seals just will not budge. Yours in desperation Chris Howes '58 Frogeye "howes" 13212... MORE


Find a deep 1/2" drive socket just small enough to slip through the opening of the hub from the opposite side. Beat the livin bahjeeziz out of it with a large hammer. One should note that it is virtually impossible to remove the seal without destroying it. David A. Stevens Jr. Utilities Engineer II NYS Office Of General Services Sheridan Avenue Steam Plant 79 Sheridan Avenue Albany, NY 12210 "Stevens, David" 13214... MORE


Oil gun for rack and pinion "grease" nipple.....can be purchased at Marine supply shops!! :) Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 13197... MORE


Stanley: The only thing adjustable about the Spridget's front suspension is "toe". There are, however, "offset" bushes that can be bought, including lower fulcrum types (MiniMania) which will allow for camber adustment - about $270 for a set, plus installation. Your problem however might be due to mechanical damage. How many miles on the front end? Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 13190... MORE


My 62 Midget's mechanical tachometer has a stripped gear box and I am going to install a 64 Smith electronic tach. I want to switch the hands as the center of the hand style is different and I want the speedometer and tach hands to match. Is it safe to carefully pull the hands off the mechanical and the Smith and switch them without risk of damage? Don "cowcat_db" 13152... MORE


Don, Also, earliest smoothcase trannies had a wide spacing between 2nd and 3rd gear. There was an optional close ratio box available in early Bugeyes, and later that close ratio smoothcase box became standard. So, if you want a smoothcase, look for a close ratio box. (You can see the difference in the size of gears after you pull off the side plate...) WST "Wm. Severin Thompson" 13153... MORE


Hi Gary I do my greasing points about once a month since the front suspension is a weak point in the Sprite's design and keeping it well lubricated can only help. The grease points are as follows;- One on inner end of lower wishbone at pivot point (some people put one at each end which is quite a good idea) One on lower part of stub axle / king pin assembly One on upper part of stub axle / king pin assembly One on the track rod end (unless it has been replaced with a later sealed for life... MORE


Ref. the July 4th no LBC in case we're sensitive , and no fireworks in the UK on July fourth. As I said before, Funny lot over here, we are. The main time we let off fireworks in the UK is on November the 5th. And that's to celebrate a guy that FAILED . (contact me offline if you need an explanation) ..........''Kinda like driving a VW in a Veterans day parade.''...................... Also on the same vein, like putting a Japanese motor / tranny into a LBC.and driving ..................... (I've just been watching the film Pearl Harbour) Serious note... MORE


ambiguity)....took these apart in my earlier days. These "little" teeth take a terrible beating (in the non-synchro boxi, anyway). I have heard from some that the non- synchro first gear was never meant to do anything but get you on your way. In other words, it was never meant to be revved but I've no idea of the validity of this. By the time I got back into LBC's after leaving them to devote my time strictly to my job in NYC and flight training, I was leaving this work to the pro's and lost my "hands on" touch... MORE


I installed the Rivergate conversion two months ago. It is great. It uses a late 1979-1981 Datsun 210 5 spd transmission. No cutting on the Spridget body or frame. I had to bang on the heater duct a bit. The kit comes with adapter plate, rear main oil seal, front u joint, rear motor (transmission) mount. I had to grind a bit on the transmission housing and cut a hoel for the starter. I used the original clutch slave cylinder and had to re-route the hydraulic tubing. Took me a few hours, but what a difference! The car drives... MORE


Jeremy- How do I know what? Please be specific. I was talking about teeth missing on the small gear of the laygear of a standard Sprite, or "non-synchro first" MGA or B type gearbox which has attained many miles or might have been "abused", whether intentionally or not. What are you talking about? Nothing unusual at all about this as I have found same in at least 4 our of 4 cases. There is no dogleg first on the Datsun box. The tunnel hump stays. If there is a "downside" to this conversion (or cutting etc. required with the... MORE


How do you know? Is the Datsun conversion really no cutting whatsoever? I reem to recall that the box has a dogleg first, is that true? Does one retain the tunnel hump or is this discarded. What's the down side, there's always a downside. Jeremy "Jeremy Cogman" 13007... MORE


I've just stripped down the ribcase box that I broke about five years ago (prompting me to go Toyota). The only damage appears to be 4 1/2 teeth stripped off the smallest but one gear on the laygear. Is this a common failure? The gearbox leaked like a sieve (that'll teach me to buy on price) and I suspect it was running with virtually no oil at the time. Moss lists new laygears at 100 pounds and as a secondhand box could be had for that I guess that writes off this gearbox. Anyone need any gearbox bits, apart... MORE


Cap'n. Bob, Is 5th. gear step-up or 1:1 in this box? If step-up, what ratio? I was going to be happy to put my original box back in, but after reading all of the good news about the Datsun box, I'm getting tempted. In which years/vehicle models was this box used? I'd like to start looking. I know that there was a lot of info given our recently on this site re necessary mods to enable the Datsun box to go in, but I discarded the message(s). I can't recall anything major other than adapter plate, but could you... MORE


Is this a common failure? YES!! Ask me how I know! Ask me if I am happy with my Datsun "bulletproof" 5 speed! And better yet, my "new" (rebuilt) Rivergate type has a little (British) gear "whine". I have the best of all worlds!! :) Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 13000... MORE