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The bugeye I just recently purchased for $1,350 runs great, decent body with only little interior work needed. I have already stripped it down to do a full restore. The car only has very little rust so keeping it full metal (not bondo) will not be too pricey. The engine and transmission are also in great shape, just needs some cleaning/painting. The interior needs new carpet and some paneling. Even looking at "new" interior kits and everything I meantioned, I won't be spending anywhere near the $13,000 price range for my restore. Seems a bit high. livelovegolf2@... 16169... MORE

One went at the last Barret Jackson Auciton last year for slightly over $9000.00 and it was supposed to be concors. ( I cried, have well over that in my restoration) Bob 60 AN5 Tampa MTGBRKR1@... 16154... MORE

Hmm- The local Volvo pre-owned lot had a 1959 restored Bugeye in Leaf Green (new Black Interior) for sale here last year. Car was totally restored, new paint and rust-free. Floors and undercarriage were solid. Had a retractable antenna in the trunk and new tires, new rubber and painted wire wheels in excellent condition. The windshield was new and frame in excellent used condition as was the grille and other chrome. The top and tonneau were new along with used side curtains in excellent condition. Everything was in excellent shape. The original engine was freshly rebuilt and ran strongly.... MORE

Just to let everyone know, Candy Wolfe, the dentist lady who was looking for a Spridget was contacted by someone who has a friend on the list and she is now the proud owner of a very nice '78 Midget! It has a rebuilt engine, new seat covers, carpets, and top. She got a decent price and is very happy. She came by yesterday to show me her prize and assured me she was going to be driving it to work almost daily! Robert B. Houston Santa Teresa, NM '74 Midget '63 TR4 '03 Beetle ... Men occasionally stumble... MORE

Ya' know... This ZS carb. sounds like a real PITA... really. I, of course, have no experience with it but it seems to come up pretty often as a source of problems for those who's machines have them installed. Are they really as problematic as they appear to be? If so..... Can't these be replaced with something reasonably priced, such as a rebuilt set of SU's or possibly a rebuilt single SU, on respective intake manifolds for the 1500 crowd? "Inquiring minds...." Cap'n. Bob (Ret'd) '60 Frog PilotRob@... 16128... MORE

I have been doing my homework trying to figure out where I went wrong on my ZS carb rebuild. I have come to the conclusion that the board is right. (duh!) There is something amiss with my water choke mechanism. I read that the Vaccum kick piston is not supposed to be lubricated. Without a small ammount of lube it seems to bind in its bore. I used three-in-one oil. Could this be where I went astray? Has the light oil caused a vaccum lock or something? Anyone try this before? Thoughts or suggestions? Might a brake hone be... MORE

I just recently purchased my first Sprite! A BRG 1959 "Bugeye" with a 948cc engine. It is in pretty decent body shape (needs some restoration) but runs great. Some of the electrical systems do not work, i.e., turn signals, horn, etc. The head/tail lights work just fine. The previous owner mentioned the system being positively grounded but after further inspection, it appears to be negatively grounded. How should this be grounded? Could this be my trouble? Any other electrical damage/problems I should be troubleshooting/looking for? Any tips/sugestions would be appreciated. Thanks! Rudy. "Excited New Sprite Owner" livelovegolf2@... 16093... MORE

Stanley, By the VIN # and Clausager's book it was probably produced in late Feb or early March of 1969. Biff Jones '59 Bugeye 'Kermit' '61 Sprite 'Ole Gray' in "The Healey Book" '71 Midget 'Freebie' under restoration http://sprites2.homestead.com/ "Biff Jones" 16089... MORE

I have a Zenith Stromberg mon my 78 Midget 1500. The engine was running a little rich, so I decided to rebuild it. Bad Idea! Nowit wont start without a screwdriver holding the plunger partially open. When it does choose to fire up it blows large quantities of black smoke and idles high. If you rev it up it doesn't idle down again. it will just keep revving up til it hits redline! (not that I have let that happen.) I have tried adjusting the needle depth, idle air adjustment screw, throttle bypass screw, and even put heavier oil... MORE

Anybody that can point me to free advertising sites (remember I'm doing this to help a friend who's not internet savvy) for the vintage race car, please send me some links of you favorite sites. Anybody interested in more details of the vintage racer can view this page. Feel free to pass it on to others that may be interested. http://www.gerardsgarage.com/GarageContent/forsale/canepa.htm THX GERARD Search for Low Airfares, Great Hotel Deals, Car Rental Discounts and Vacations and Cruises http://partner.onetravel.com/go/go.cfm?GoID=32421 G G Gerard Chateauvieux E A R R pixelsmith@... A A R G Pixelsmith on Duty D E S http://www.gerardsgarage.com Gerard... MORE

Dave, It is most definately a piece of the cylinder wall or sleeve. The Question I have is how did it get broken? and What else is broken that may have caused it? May be time for a rebuild! Beladona "beladona_13" 16027... MORE

A good friend of mine is selling his '68 Sprite vintage racer. This is a superbly prepared and very competitive racecar. It has a Huffaker built 130+HP engine and all the other goodies you'd expect. It is fast enough to be classed with the Mustangs and Corvettes last time it was raced at Buttonwillow. The car is in excellent condition and no expense was spared building the car. A few pix at http://www.gerardsgarage.com/GarageContent/Chuck2.htm Interested parties should contact me offlist at pixelsmith@... for more details. Gerard Gerard 16025... MORE

I just spent nine days on Maui on a combination business-and-pleasure trip. Throughout my stay I kept my eye out for Spridgets. I saw exactly ONE, parked on the front lawn of a house in Hana, right on the "road to Hana", in the rainforest. It looks like it's in the middle of a restoration, with half of the paint in primer. Seeing as it rains there at least part of every day, the owner is definately an optomist. Is the owner on the list? Here is a picture... http://www.geocities.com/my1978mgmidget/Maui_spridget.jpg Steve 78 Midget "Steven Michelsen" 15986... MORE

I was led to believe that the K series engine was a totally rover product, The 1.8 in our MGF goes like the clappers, and in true MG fashion they can be tweaked to go faster and handle better. Don't forget the first Morris Garage cars were 'only' souped up standard Herbert Austin cars, Which is exactly what MG Rover are doing now with the ZT, ZS etc. And boy do they go and handle. BTW The MGF would be a good car for the States. AS long as your legislation doesn't kill it off like the ill handling... MORE

"Wider tires giving better turning and stopping" but worse handling on a Midget. You lose the feedback and controllability enjoyed by drivers of sensibly-tyred Midgets. As someone who enjoys driving my Sprite (as opposed to merely operating it) I will not recommend any tyre wider than 155. (Maybe 165 if you've got a modified 1275) "Lower profile tyres have lower sidewalls and therefore less sidewall flex which results in better handling." Usually because the rubber is the heaviest part of the wheel- less rubber = less unsprung mass, meaning the suspension can do its job better. One caveat is... MORE

Hi Stan, That wasn't clear in your first message. Impression was a "disposable vehicle", which mine are not. Mine are all rust free cars that are nicely restored or in the rpocess of being restored and on the rarer side like my Morris Minor pickup. I insure 3 cars, FULL coverage, maximun liabilty limits, with stated values varying between 5k to 10K . for under $200 per year. Gerard "gerardchateau" 15955... MORE

Wider tires giving better turning and stopping. I'm running 13 X 5.5 rims and 13 X 185 60 tires. Stock is 155 78 13's and I can out turn and out accelerate them all day long. Bob, Portland, OR "Robert Webb" 15930... MORE

The cylinders are 4 years old, but without use, they needs to be rebuilt every couple of years. Without use, the seals swell and stick. Your letter reads like it isn't a daily driver, which those used daily, or at least more often that we drive them, the clutch and brake system work for many years but just sitting, they go bad. Bob, Portland, OR "Robert Webb" 15902... MORE

I have a pair of axles stamped 082. They have splines on both ends and the outter end goes into a flange similar to the standard flange on rear axles for the sprigets. Are they early axles, late axles, racing axles, or an inbetween axle for when they changed to wire wheels? Bob, Portland, OR "Robert Webb" 15899... MORE

Sounds like its time to rebuild the slave cylinder.....about $5.00 USD for the seal kit (if memory serves)....otherwise there might be something awry in the pivot for the throwout causing it to bind David A. Stevens Jr. Utilities Engineer II NYS Office Of General Services Sheridan Avenue Steam Plant 79 Sheridan Avenue Albany, NY 12210 "Stevens, David" 15900... MORE

My '68 Sprite is due to be painted either this week or early next week, so I'll need to make room in my garage to assemble it. That means either my Morris or the '72 Midget must go outdoors. Between street cleaning twice a week, my neighborhood vandalism problem, and the fact that my classic car insurance won't cover the car if it's not garaged combine to make this a major problem. If anyone in the Bay Area can provide me temporary shelter for one of these cars, I'd really appreciate it. My goal is to get the '68... MORE

There is a guy that I am emailing with that has a beautiful midget that has quite a bit of glass work done to it. I know that many of you have desires for Arkley's, Walker Bonnets (my favorite) as well as other kits, but this one here is quite nice. Steven is not a member of these lists, but I have given him instructions on how to join (BTW, with the cold months coming on, the off topic banter can get out of hand). He was kind enough to send a photo of his car, along with the... MORE

I need to replace the springs on my MK1. Moss Motors only carries the 10 spring rally spec. ones. My question is what is the difference other in number of springs between the stock 15 spring set and the rally 10 spring ones? What would the ride difference be? I drive mainly around town and the city streets here are awful so too stiff a suspension would become very tiresome. Don (bouncing about town in his merry MK-1) "Don May" 15830... MORE

A question for someone in the Austin Healey Sprite Drivers Club in Victoria Australia, I noticed on the web site that the club concourse is on this Sunday in association with the big Healey club but it doesn't mention where it is being held. Can anyone tell me where and what's the attendance of sprites/midgets usually like. Thanks Tim Trenwith 63 Mk2a EOM NOTICE - This message and any attached files may contain information that is confidential and/or subject of legal privilege intended only for use by the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient or the... MORE

just to remind UK listers (and visitors) The MG restoration show is on at Stoneleigh, Warwickshire this weekend. check the web for details Cars and donor parts for sale as well as new stuff and restoration equipment If you can't get it there , you can't get it any where! I have no involvement with the show, I just seem to spend money there. regards Alan "Jones, Alan" 15802... MORE