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Olly..... Under normal circumstances, stock or "tuned" Spridgets don't "torque steer". Check all engine and driveline mounts for security, but I've got a funny feeling..... I'd check the rear springs, again...especially the attachment points. Cap'n. Bob (Ret'd) '60 Frog PilotRob@... 17402... MORE
I mentioned the package deal the other day, the cars are in north Texas!! The photos can now be seen in the Special Car & Special People section of http://www.justbrits.com/ Ed, Thank you for hosting the photos!! List members, check them out, they are pretty nice cars. The only rust I noticed on them was just barely on the lower "A" pillar. Brad Brad Fornal 17393... MORE
Don, being of UK origin with a 1275, I don't have a great deal of experience with dual master cylinders, but I DO have a factory manual (reprint) which has a cross section diagram that shows the front and rear piston 'cups' both immediately adjacent to their respective ports to the reservoir. If you can measure the port to port distance somehow (either with the reservoir removed or on a scrap one?), this will allow you to calculate the spacing for the pistons. Regards David PS if you want the diagram or instructions scanning, let me know. "David Jacobs"... MORE
One way that has worked for me is a torch. Melt/burn the nylon and rubber seals and the pistons can be knocked out. Rebuild kits have all the nylon and rubber seals and it doesn't damage the bore or the pistions. Bob, Portland, OR "Robert Webb " 17366... MORE
Bob, and all Have the nylon washer out now and have removed the pistons. The rear piston was not attached to the front by anything. The manuals I have do not show the wire, or what ever, that wraps around the pins at the end of the front piston to the front of the rear piston. There is what looks to be a cotter pin attached around the rear piston pin but loose. I have no idea how long it is suppose to be, the distance between the front and rear piston, or how compressed the spring is supposed... MORE
I am overhauling the dual cylinder master cylinder from the 69 midget. Having a problem here. I have removed the spriolox retaining ring and the outer spring then with some effort removed the circlip which should release the Nylon guide bearing and seal and allow me to remove the rest of the internal parts . . . can't get the nylon guide to come out Ahhhhhhh! cleaned around it, pushed in and quickly released the plunger so it would act as sort of a hammering effect on the rear of the nylon seal. Still cannot get it to come... MORE
Either way, Don... The '67's had the 1275 with the downflow while later models used the xflow which was a "closed" system with it's own overflow tank, through which the system is filled. I've had an alum. downflow for the past two years and my PO'd '67 Sprite had the stock downflow so I'm a little rusty in the xflow dept. I seem to recall the xflow's steering rack incorporating a crossflow tube whereas the downflow cars didn't. However, this facet of the installation can be easily attended to by other means I'm sure. There are those who feel... MORE
G"day all, and happy new year to you. According to Terry Horler's Original Sprite and Midget, the RWA cars were produced from October 1971, and all badged as Midgets. Anders Ditlev Clausager (Curator(?) of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust) agrees, in his book Sprites and Midgets. So all RWA cars are Midgets, right? So here's a conundrum. I own an Austin Sprite (AAN10/87699) which according to the BMIHT certificate was built on 4 June 1971, and it has round wheel arches. From personal inspection, and according to a few panelbeaters with Sprite/Midget experience, this is a genuine car... MORE
A happy new year to you Bob and everyone else. Thanks for the tips. Seeing that it is so easy to remove the gas tank and after my experience with the 63 tank and fuel lines I went ahead and took this one off to clean it. I have a background in electronics so play around with most electrical things but in the future will go with a solid state one. Points and contacts are a curse both in Sprigets and old radios which I restore. Would purchase one now but you know . . . retired, lots of... MORE
Ah, Allen me thinks you have made an assumption ;-) I did do that on my other midget that had last run 16 years ago and learned my gummy gas lesson well. A real trial by fire. I was not trying to start the car. I am removing various car parts to clean them and check them for correct operation. Also knowing from experience what the fuel lines are like after that long a sit I was not going to try starting the car before cleaning out the fuel lines and tank. The tank sounded completely empty so I... MORE
Thanks to all and have a Saftey Fast New Year!! And to Ed I do have a few shop manuals including the factory manual, and I do believe that this forum is here to assist others when they have a question otherwise this group would be pretty dead if we all had our own answers. Anyway I prefer to drive them every chance I get. I personally find that much more fun than reading!!! Thanks again to all. Don "Mg Don " 17273... MORE
Well for one thing...that engine prefix (FM) is a Triumph Spitfire prefix FP is Midget 1500cc FM is Spitfire The UE prefix is emissions equipped. The SS is a factory supplied spare engine. 7.2 was the head and piston (dished) 8.5 is dished pistons and the smaller chamber volume of the mid 70's head 9.1 is flat top pistons. ...no way to tell what you have just looking at the engine #;'s Paul Tegler ptegler@... www.teglerizer.com "ptegler@cablespeed" 17248... MORE
I can't tell which fulcrum pins you;re talking about, but if you are referring to the ones for the king pin, they are screwed in. You can't drive them out with a punch no matter how much heat you apply. The ones in the frame have rubber bushings with metal sleeves. Those frequently will rust onto the pins. A good penetrant and some patience is you best first shot. If that doesn't work, a torch will help, but you'll make a hell of a toxic sting from the burning rubber bushes. On the pistons, it would be a mistake... MORE
I am having a tough time getting the fulcrum pins out, and yes I did remove the pins that keep them from rotating. They were rusted in and it took a hammer and punch to get them out. I am reluctant to get out the torch and heat these up, but that looks like the last resort, any suggestions? Also, my car has a Spitfire engine in it, how does one differentiate between the 7.2, 8.5 and 9.1 compression pistons? I want the 9.1's when I am finished with the rebuild. The cylinder measures right on the money for... MORE
Thanks Harry, thats what I needed to know about the gas lines, its raining here in NC today so I hope to have time to find the MG keys so I can get into the trunk to get the scissors jack to see if the tires will inflate with wt off of them! I poured marvel mystery oil in the cylinders yesterday, I am going to look for an aeresol can with a small straw so I can get the oil spread around a 360 degree area. i will use wd 40 if i cant find the MMO in... MORE
Before family and friends start arriving I want to take this last quiet minute to wish all a happy holiday season. May all your days be merry, family & friends be safe, and your wishes come true. Thanks to all for an interesting year on the list(s). Biff & Mary Jane Jones '59 Bugeye 'Kermit' '61 Sprite 'Ole Gray' in "The Healey Book" '71 Midget 'Freebie' under restoration http://sprites2.homestead.com/ "Biff Jones" 17211... MORE
Hi, Don- www.daytonwirewheel.com Both my two PO'd MGA's had wire wheels along with my first MGB. Wire wheels look great but they must be kept up from new to keep spokes tight or "tuned" to prevent spokes from ultimately loosening, with attendant corrosion and rust thus originiating and the wheels beginning to run out of true, accordingly. Tubes are normally used within the tyres (tubeless or not) and there is a "tape" which goes over the spoke ends around the inner circumference of the wheel rim, between rim and tube. You've already found one without tape and loose spokes... MORE
Well, shes been sitting for 8 to 10 yrs, only my aging back caused me to quit driving! British Racing Green(originally mallard green)with tan seats. Heres my plan, Squirt marvel mystery oil down the spark plug holes to prepare the engine for a hand turnover via the fan blade bolt and a long ratchet(hope its not too hard to turn). I tried inflating to flat tires and only two inflated. I guess I will have to take the wheels off to get the other two to inflate as tubeless bead arent making a good seal, maybe I can just... MORE
jeff- While not qualified to say, it does seem that with modern digital electronics, auto-cam & ign. timing that without all that stuff they would still burn clean as a whistle when new. But as miles build, all that other stuff probably comes into play in keeping emissions to virtually "0" as wear and tear builds on engine mechanicals over time. My mech tells me that cat. convs. today are simply more of an additional clean-up device instead of THE primary clean-up device it used to be, so I'm sure there is a little more than something to what... MORE
Ok folks. If you were to purchase a ratchet wrench set. Such as the Crescent set that has a ratchet on one end and standard box on the other, keeping in mind working on a Spridget, would you buy the straight ones or the 15% offset ones? It's my Christmas present but I have yet to made up my mind to go with the straight ones or the offset ones. No pun intended. Don "Don May" 17122... MORE
Hi Don Moss in England have the slats part no.s ARA1208 =A32.50 ea rh side ARA1209 =A32.50 LH side ARA1210 =A32.00 center ARA1216 =A32.50 L H side, BUT just ARA1215 =A32.50 RH side no stock at this time you can cut down part no. ARA1210 center for a end one from Ashley Hinton my web www.mgcars.org.uk/ah/ "mgfvvc2002 " 17088... MORE
Don- Gotta be an "economy of scales" matter with respect to mfg. separate slats, Don. Quality also is not what is used to be because when you think of it, had it remained so (before the price of basic "power" (oil) went way up) we could not afford (nor would we be willing) to pay 4 times what we used to when oil was <US$15.00 per bbl. It pays today to build "assemblies" rather than individual pieces in many instances, I guess, rather than both. PITA, obviously! The chrome Frogeye chrome bumperettes are nowhere near the quality of what... MORE
The short answer is that they could both be correct - in slightly different circumstances. It depends on a variety of factors, including your mig welder and the thickness if the sheet. The only real answer, unless you know someone who can actually show you, and give the benefit of their experience, is to do some trial welds on scrap until you get it correct. (Always a good idea BEFORE starting on your priceless MG - sorry - Spridget) One more thing, DON'T work along the holes in order. Move backwards and forwards along the length in order to... MORE
1) Does it sound like nuts and bolts rattling in the cylinders? If so that's 'pinking' i.e. pre-ignition and this can wreck your engine because it will generate loads of heat that can melt pistons and burn valves. It can be caused by quite a few things but a likely source is excessively weak mixture. 2)Is the exhaust noise from the engine bay or somewhere along the pipe. 3) You are right, a standard 1275 should idle at 1000 or a bit less. No A-series however highly tuned idles at anywhere aprroaching 3500. Again fast idle can be a... MORE
Jukka- Now, here is a case where the pictures are worth at least a thousand words, and this is a good thing considering I don't speak or understand the language!! Nice job, Jukka! :) The 3/4" front bar will definitely change the handling characteristics to a far more neutral "feel". Of course, you'll be adding this "in combination" with other suspension changes so this may or may not be the case were this a change in and of itself. A 45DCOE with 38 or 40mm chokes should also make a difference in the "go" dept. as well my friend... MORE
