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I work for a plating job shop. At one time we did a good bit of replating of car parts, but no longer do that type of work. We still get many inquiries, and so have investigated other platers we can recommend to people who inquire about replating. The two shops we recommend are: Tri-Cities Plating in Elizabethen, TN (bumpers only, good prices), and Advanced Plating in Nashville (gorgeous work). We have no financial interest in these companies, we simply recommend them because we have seen their work. Someone mentioned sending parts to Mexico for replating. I haven't seen... MORE
Sorry, need to ask due to my poor english, sender unit is the floating unit inside gas tank?? Im asking cos had take the tank about 5 times, repair the unit, reasembly, then works for about a week or so, and then gauge at empty again......... any idea ??? Jorge 73 Midget no fuel gauge working Chris, One wire, a green/black wire from the rear harness. Sending unit is grounded to the tank/body. Biff Jones '59 Bugeye 'Kermit' '61 Sprite 'Ole Gray' in "The Healey Book" '71 Midget 'Freebie' under restoration "Jorge Dimitrakis" 19588... MORE
Chris, One wire, a green/black wire from the rear harness. Sending unit is grounded to the tank/body. Biff Jones '59 Bugeye 'Kermit' '61 Sprite 'Ole Gray' in "The Healey Book" '71 Midget 'Freebie' under restoration http://sprites2.homestead.com/ Sprite Spree '03 http://www.justbrits.com/spreefront.html "Biff Jones" 19586... MORE
Dear list, Last night I did some measurements at the inlet-manifold (as I was trying to identify the by Vizard suggested optimisations) and found the diameter on the carb side to be 1.5". I did expect the Carb-side of the manifold to be the same as the carbs (so 1.25"). Could this be the standard (factory fitted) inlet manifold? Could this be a manifold from another A-series engine? It looks the same as pictures / photographs of the standard item, but the large step from Carbs to Inlet manifold doesn't seem right to me...I always thought that transitions ought... MORE
eeg... Now this is interesting. Looks like you might have an already modified manifold ripe for a pair of 1.5 SU's! Come to think of it, I have never separated a pair of 1.25's from their intake manifold....so I don't have a clue, really. Answers from those that "know" should be interesting. Going from a smaller to larger bore normally presents no problem in flow in cases where the flow is being "drawn" rather than "pushed" (as in exhaust gas "reversion"). Looking forward (along with you eeg) to answers! :) Cap'n. Bob (Ret'd) '60 Frog PilotRob@... 19533... MORE
What's worse, my wife and I actually drug our dog with us yesterday to couple of classic car dealers. They had some nice ones but none had what I'd consider show quality paint jobs. Even one that had a $40k price tag on looked OK, not great. They painted the car without taking the trims and such off, definitely a no no. Kim Yuchol 19517... MORE
Don I'm about 95 % sure that was not an option but an aftertought. I have never seen anything but vinyl or leather in anything B- A- or midget my 74 is viynl. And I dont think leather came in the midget from the factory. But not sure. Don "Don " 19489... MORE
From previous Emails re. carbs Would it be ok to fit a pair of 1 3/4" SUs to my bog standard 998cc head ? I think it would look real cool. What size needles and springs should I use ? Regards Alan 8o) "Jones, Alan" 19483... MORE
Would someone be kind enough to go and measure the width of the body at its widest point for me? My Sprite is at a sandblaster and I ran across couple of engine stands cheap that might work as rotisserie stand. I'm trying to figure out how high the pivot points have to be to clear the stand legs or the floor. Thanks in advance. Yuchol Kim Yuchol 19505... MORE
Don, Unless someone changed it, they should be the same, ie, 3.9 . The change to 3.7 didn't take place until 1977. Biff Jones '59 Bugeye 'Kermit' '61 Sprite 'Ole Gray' in "The Healey Book" '71 Midget 'Freebie' under restoration http://sprites2.homestead.com/ Sprite Spree '03 http://www.justbrits.com/spreefront.html "Biff Jones" 19491... MORE
Did the 74 rwa come with an option, or stock, combination cloth/vinyl seats and door trim? My new rwa (black interior) has velour cloth center sections on seat and back and the door panels have the same matching material in their middle sections? The guy who sold it to me only had it for a few years and did not install any of this. Don "Don May" 19488... MORE
My head is from a standard Metro (the 'Jet Black' special edition), rather than the MG. Losing the bypass hose is a definite bonus though I still have the failure of my plug in the waterpump failing. I run an 82C 'stat but have never had cooling problems even on the hotest of English and Northern French summer days. "Jeremy Cogman" 19436... MORE
Watch it, Don May..... My Mom's maiden name is Onofrio and I was bought up eyetralian....you're skating on very thin ice, here...VERY thin. Let's see... 1. unofficial color identification to begin with 2. possible discriminatory remarks towards people of Itralian descent All within a few hours..... It's not lookin' too good for, Don May.... not at all. BTW, you gonna catch the Soprano's rerun tonight? This IS "must see" stuff, ya' know and will allow you to redeem yourself with respect to the foregoing (though not completely, of course!:). Cap'n. Bob (Ret'd) '60 Frog PilotRob@... 19450... MORE
He, He, I knew that. Why do you think I said it? ;-) I never miss the Soprano's. Think I have seen every episode. That and Oz. The final episode is tonight. A main character was killed off last week, tonight I expect the whole prison to blow up. Now for this purple business..... Take a look http://www.mgcars.org.uk/pics/freimark74midg.jpg Every good Italian knows that is eggplant purple . . . How do they let color blind pilots fly? Don "Don May" 19461... MORE
There was a list member that mentioned that they restore old AM radios. Would you contact me offlist please? Brad Fornal Brad Fornal 19446... MORE
Gee, Don May... Looks decent! That color looks familiar. I repainted mine MAACO metallic signature blue after doing all the body and prep work, and most of the taping, too. Did the rockers in semi-gloss black, wheels in gloss black with "chrome" trim rings, chrome nuts. Looked pretty cool. RWA Midgets are good looking machines. Best of luck with your new addition, BTW!! My '74 also came with 9/16" factory bar and stock factory oil cooler. These are nice machines. Cap'n. Bob (Ret'd) '60 Frog PilotRob@... 19426... MORE
They were sold with a stock oil cooler and spin off filter? Never owned a later model one. The original factory color was deep purple. (inside of the trunk and under hood was not repainted) The front suspension needs some work. Above 50 it feels out of control. Always something new to learn. Where to begin . . I can remove all the smog stuff as the cut off year now in California for smog check is 1974. Not that I do not want to be politically correct, but for the amount I drive a single cow produces more... MORE
The casting is slightly different (an obvious external visual recognition point) - with better cooling passages, harder wearing valves and seats and I believe its supposed to be a bit stronger, though that may just be the A+ cylinder block. The valve sizes in the standard (non MG) Metro are the same as a 1275 Midget (the MG Metro has Cooper S size inlets) The compression ratios vary with the different specs of engine from 8.0 up to 10.5 to 1 for the MG and Vanden Plas ones, but I don't know if that's due to chamber volumes or... MORE
It's difficult to quantify these things but significant. When I first put it on I had a hand filed needle and even then the differen ce was noticeable, say somewhere between 15 and 25 percent. I probably gained another 10 percent once the car had been rolling roaded, my hand filed needle was a little lean at the top end. Engine is a 20 thou overbore 1275 with 9:1 pistons and a 276 camshaft with matched aldon distributor. Back then it had a standard midget head though these days it has a standard 1275 (not MG) Metro head. Carb... MORE
Thanx, Jeremy.... I do not know the difference(s) between the standard A series head and the standard Metro head... would they be valve sizes? Cap'n. Bob (Ret'd) '60 Frog PilotRob@... 19412... MORE
Since you may upgrade in the future, and looking at the specs on the pair of 1 1/4" versus the 1 3/4", with a single 1 1/2" on the side. I am running a pair of 1 1/2" SU's, and wondered if you have considered using a pair of 1 1/2" SU's. Being variable intake, you should be able to adjust them to handle the stock 1275 that you have now, and they will handle the upgraded 1275. You would probably not be able to fully open the 1 1/2" until you upgrade. The increased intake with a pair... MORE
Nigel states in part...."I think you'll agree the mildly tuned conversion (old BL Stage II Tuning Sheets) makes for a pretty nippy car!" Absolutely, Nigel... Yep, very peppy!! That flowed head has 19cc combustion chambers instead of the standard 21cc. Brings the CR up to about 9.75 to 1 I believe, more or less. Notice the difference in the top end acceleration in 4th despite no cam change, due to better "squeeze" and breathing, both in and out. Very impressive. And your 'lazy' remark? Exactly why I looking at the single 1.75 as well, Nigel, and thinking of selling... MORE
Bob Thanks for this - most interesting. I have also been looking at various carb setups to replace the existing 2 x 1 1/4, mainly I have to confess because a single carb is easier to set up, and tune and no need to balance the pesky thing - yeah I'm lazy ; ) I've looked at the Weber 45DCOE and 40DCOE, but for my application on a virtually stock 1275, I don't see the benefits. The setup I cam considering is the MG Metro carb - the SU 1.75 HIF on a decent manifold - that may well... MORE
Yep, Nigel, I did set it up on a chassis dyno in it's application on my PO'd '74 Vizardized RWA Midget which got 90hp at the rear wheels. God, I loved driving that car.....lowered, with flares for the Yoko 008R 60 Series 185's. Had a 2" exhaust from the large bore LCB through a "reversed" glass pack. Great sound and went like hell! Back then I was doing a lot of highway driving commuting to my domicile in LaGuardia from Stamford (60 mile round trip) at least once, and sometimes twice a week. With the stock ribcase and 3.7... MORE
Hi all, found this on the BBB list, someone out there in Yankee land might be interested. I am, but too far away !! It looks like this guy knows what he is doing, he's certainly got all the right parts IMHO regards alan Posted 17 February 2003 at 03:55:48 UK time Brust, Sacramento CA, roethler@... I am replacing the a-series MG with an A-series toyota (4age). This summer will be the big swapout and I'm wondering if anyone is in need of a complete 1275 driveline: 1275 +.030 8.8 pistons CAHT11 LCB Header ported head alloy valve cover... MORE
