Sprite & MG Midget 2: Keyword(s) = air, engine, exhaust, float, hot, manifold, material, pad, springs, sprite, temperature

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May 23, 2005

G'day all
The MGB heat shield will work, after you cut it in half, but it might not be easy to find one that the owner will part with. They might prefer to sell the manifold, carbies, heat shield etc as a complete unit.
Mini Cooper S had 1.5" SUs as an option, and their heat shields were actually two pieces with a bridge joining them that also held the return springs. You could use the appropriate side of this set-up if only you could find them! I can only supply them new, as a pair, for around $35 - $40 USD.
Neither Sprite not Mini nor MG Midget heat shields ever had a heat deflecting or any material other than the steel sheet. MGB and MGA, on the other hand, had an asbestos (or asbestos-like) pad rivetted to the back face.
The two sources of heat trasfer to the float bowl are radiant heat and conducted heat. (Someone will correct me if I use the wrong terms.) Radiant heat is the "glow" of the exhaust, and a heat shield will deflect this - that's why it's there. Conducted heat is that transferred by contact through the mainfold to the engine, and more importantly the ambient temperature of the air inside the hot engine bay. A heat shield will do nothing here.
But before you rush off and buy or make a heat shield, why not try a little experiment to see if that will cure the problem. Wander into your kitchen, open the second (or is it the third?) drawer and pull out the aluminium foil. Tear off about 6" of the stuff, wander back to the car and wrap the foil, shiny side out, around the float bowl. The foil will deflect the radiant heat. Go for a drive. Is it better? If "yes" then buy or make a heat shield. Or leave the foil there. If it isn't any better, start looking for other causes of the problem.
avagoodday
Colin

"Colin Dodds" < colin@... > 37202

May 23, 2005

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