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Yes those seals for the spring boxes on QE cars have been NLA in the UK for as long as I've had the car 15 years. They are a bit of a double edged sword because anything that does get in is then going to be kept in. I just make sure the whole box is drenched in waxoyl. jeremy.cogman@... 18472... MORE
G'day guys Paul, did you really find no coins down there or are you just not prepared to admit it? Some of the nuts on the rear suspension of your Bugeye/Mk II are 5/8" Also the pivot bolt for the brake and clutch pedals. And lastly - they changed from 7/8" to 1" slave cylinder with the introduction of the 1275cc engine. Why they changed the design of slave sylinder is anyone's guess, but don't blame BMC/Leyland etc. It would have been the supplier that made the change, probably for effiiency, simplicity, commonality etc etc. The 1275cc diaphram clutch... MORE
Spent most of yesterday outside working on the Midget 1/4 elliptic springs. Today I feel like sh.t hacking and congested. There is a film of yellow pollen over everything. Berkeley has a mild micro climate, several, and as a result a gardeners paradise. Beautiful this time of year when everything bursts into bloom. Streets lined with cherry blossoms near by. Flowers grow wild in every crevice of the sidewalks and yards . . . but AHhhhh Chooooo. When you think about it its amazing . . . your body's army at war with flowers. Mobilized to destroy every spore... MORE
Managed to free up all but three nuts on the rear 1/4 elliptic springs. No luck on those three with PBBlaster, blow torch and force so I took out my trusty Dremel and a fine abrasive disk and cut a deep grove in one and snapped it off with a cold chisel without damaging the U bolt and if the others don't come free tomorrow at first attempt that will be their faith also. No mercy. So the new driver side spring is in place. Forgot who asked but I did check the spring mount box and the rubber... MORE
Don: The big bolts that hold the front spring hanger to the body for the rear spring are 5/8". Two can be reached behind seats and two from below. John "mg_john2 " 18443... MORE
G'day Don Starting at the bottom of the slave cylinder, we have: 1.. a spring 2.. a plastic spreader for the rubber cup 3.. the rubber cup 4.. steel piston, a little under 1" deep with a conical recess in the front to locate the pushrod 5.. the dust boot No circlip. It seems when they went from 7/8" to 1" someone decided there wasn't enough room for the circlip groove. I see heaps of clutch pushrods extended with chopped-off bolts. Clearly you will get more clutch travel with a longer pushrod. No? Well the previous owner/mechanic thought you... MORE
Peter and Paul Thanks a lot the advice. I'm pleased to report that I finally (I don't give up easily) got that bolt out of the steering arm. It took about 45 mins of blow torch and a lot of muscle power with a 4 ft extension bar to my socket spanner to shift it - but evently I got it to move and was able to get it out. I'm so glad I didn't decide to grind it off. Nigel 1 Front Suspension 0 The Fulcrum pin popped out no problem at all, and is in fact in... MORE
It does help maintain concentricity (if you like those big words)....and eliminates any undue side stress on the bolts...just make sure that the length of the bushing is less than the thickness of the mounting brackets...that way you will be sure that the bracket is tight against the engine David A. Stevens Jr. Utilities Engineer II NYS Office Of General Services Sheridan Avenue Steam Plant 79 Sheridan Avenue Albany, NY 12210 "Stevens, David" 18398... MORE
Kim, I had the same concerns a while back.....what I did was make some bushings from steel pipe....just long enough so that they would cure the slack problem without actually being long enough to touch the engine when tightened.......4 - 5/16 diameter bolts should be enough to hold the engine in place......just make sure that the weight is OFF the stand while you are tightenenig them.....in other words.......pick the engine up with something else ( come a long, chainfall etc.) hold it in place while you bolt the block to the engine stand......then remove the hoist. David A. Stevens... MORE
Peter Yes it does, and we are talking about the same thing. So whats the best way of removing the tie rod end ball joint from the steering arm - cos that doesnt want to move either - do I need a ball-joint splitter? tia Nigel "amukdigiphoto " 18367... MORE
Well I need to rebuild the front suspension - so how do I do that without removing the steering arm? Nigel "amukdigiphoto " 18365... MORE
Dang, dismantling the front suspension is driving me nuts. The usual trouble spots are fine, but the long bolt in the steering arm is seized solid and all I'm doing is rounding the nut off. I really don't want to grind it off, I've tried soaking in penetrating fluid, heat, brute force - nothings working - anyone got any ideas? Nigel "amukdigiphoto " 18361... MORE
Thanks Don, Moss Part #35 illustration is the outer style of the slave in the car (69 1275 midget), but the inside parts are like the ones in illustration Part #50 for the 1500 models. No tapered spring and the seal fits around the plunger and with no cirque retainer nor is there a grove for one in the cylinder. ??? Don "Don May" 18394... MORE
Trying to figure out what the PO's mechanic did to the clutch slave cylinder on the 69 Midget. The slave cylinder is 1" diameter for a 1275. Neither of the parts catalogues have a diagram of the interior parts for a 1" cylinder. It has no cirque retainer to keep the plunger from exiting it as does the diagram for the 7/8' cylinder and the seal fits around the plunger not like the flat one that fits between the spring and end of the plunger as shown for the 7/8 cylinder. The one in my cylinder looks like the... MORE
The wings are bolted on. Several LARGE Phillips head screws at the nose of the car. I believe there are 3 cap screws beneath the carpet and kick panels in the footwells. You need to be careful of the wiring harness connections for the headlamps, thur signals and side markers. They are accessible by removing the front wheels. There are several bullet type connectors there that will allow you to separate the wing from the chassis without removing the lights. I would suggest you use an impact type screwdriver for those phillips screws, they tend to strip out easily.... MORE
Colin, Thanks for the photos (off list in case anyone else is wondering) That's useful. I also see what the limitations are on the earlier car. I think I could get a larger speaker in there on mine, but not as large as I thought because I couldn't cut into the vertical web immediately in front of the wheel arch as it is clearly structural. - I would get a sagging rear end if I did! Guy "Guy Weller" 18355... MORE
G'day all I like the attention to detail. Little things like: 1.. unpadded roll bar directly above your head; 2.. pedal box assembly, wiper motor (including park wire), suspension etc nicely painted in contrasting green primer; 3.. unplugged holes between the engine bay and the cabin; 4.. no grille to protect radiator and intercooler; 5.. at least 3" gap between inner and outer front guards (fenders?) so that those wide wheels can fill the engine bay with mud, rocks etc; 6.. broom handle bonnet prop; 7.. open breathers on the cam covers; 8.. the battery corrosion hole on the... MORE
"Smoking can seriously damage your Sprite's health" Nah, Nigel... It's the old case of the "loose nut behind the wheel", though if it happened today, I would be sorely tempted to find a lawyer and the sue cigtt. co., the maker of the car, wheels, tires, suspension, etc., (obviously an unstable automobile) the Town of Greenwich (poor design and quality of road surface - no protective barrier between road and ditch) and God for not looking out after one of his own created in his image, not to mention his angels which must have had a hand in it,... MORE
"Why they don't draft 43 year olds" I hear that, Willy 1!! War Scene: gray skies, sounds of machine guns, small arms fire, grenades going off, much smoke... Sarge, Very loudly... "OK......Bob and Willy, grab your weapons and on my command, you guys get outta the foxhole and charge up the hill and get those 40 bad guys hiding behind that wall, we'll give 'ya covering fire as best we can, ok?" Willy to Bob, Quietly... "I dunno...Sarge is a little young, Bob... you think he understands 'circumstances beyond one's control?" Bob, in wide eyed terror,shakes his head violently... MORE
To remove the ball joint.... I loosen the nut but leave the nut on right up to the very end of the threads. Place a floor jack, tight up underneath the nut of the ball joint. Then with a BFH, and a piece of 2"x4", I pound down on the steering arm right next to ball joint. The nut will limit it from flying off and protects the threads. Works every time. You don't need to hit super hard.... just repeated firm blows will shock it loose. To re-install...most people have problems with the taper not seating well enough... MORE
The bit that would worry me was the front suspension. Appears to be pretty stock, except for the almost coil-bound spring. Now my Sprite begins to feel fairly airborne above 80 mph so I wonder just what this one would feel like at twice that speed! My guess is it has never been there! Guy "Guy Weller" 18305... MORE
I bet you're right, Guy Weller. We'd probably not be looking at it, had it!! :) While car does "appear" to be lowered all around and slightly low in front (and sports a front spoiler as well) this could very well be picture "angles" etc. My feeling is 160 is the theoretical top speed according to redline and gearing. With Datsun 5 speed and 3.7 diff, I have a theoretical top speed, too but, even with slightly modified suspension, wheels and tires, "no way, Jose"!! I think his point is (or should be) that what he's got is a... MORE
Exactly, Dave Stevens....and wrongomundo, Jeremy Cogman! Storage is not great in our LBC's to begin with. In my case, I felt the effectiveness of the .50 cal. I have mounted on my hood far "outweighed" the greater quantity of lighter, .30 calibre ammo I'd have to carry to "get the job done"! A simple conversion to the stiffer 10 leaf 1/4 elliptic springs was all that was required after I turned the trunk into a "magazine", the fore/aft balance being maintained by mounting the heavy ".50" well forward on the hood (engine compartment "hood", that is!). I then mounted... MORE
Weel a Sprite I wouldn't have had an alternator originally so that's a POs wiring. Basically you need 3 wires: a thin one to drive the ignition warning light a medium one that's monitors the battery voltage (and also I think provides the current for the field coils and a big fat one to return charging current to the battery. Check out a manual for which goes to which on the alternator. I could tell you but my Sprite is 250 miles away. Incidentally, to slightly hijack your thread, can someone explain why the sense and charge wire are... MORE
Hi Don, It was a great day... no driving LBC's for me these days though. No question the guy with the RWA is in for a reality check/shock!!! From what you say, I doubt it's be worth more the $500-1000. -g "gerardchateau " 18255... MORE