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Well, I just couldn't stand no being in debt. I had come into a small (and I mean small) amount of cash recently due to the sell of a piece of property in a ghetto. I spent a weekend recently at Elizabeth and Fisher Jones place in the hill country of Texas (take your hat off when you say that). I was there to persue Bambi and his kin with my cousin and grandson. We took a nice buck, but that's another story. Those of you who have had the pleasure of seeing the Jones' place will agree (unless... MORE
Hi guys Thought I'd update you all once again on how the restoration is going. I've taken a few more pics that can be seen on the Yahoo Group Webpage in the Nigel-71-Midget Folder. Basically the rear axle is back on the car with the rear springs and backplates, brakes and hubs all reassembled. I've also nearly completed the left hand side (RHD Drive) front suspension. Putting the front and rear suspension components back on before all the spraying is finished is a bit out of sequence, but due to the restriction on space within my garage, I now... MORE
All offers will be considered. The car is pictured here but is now in running condition. I will post the new photo under SAVEDBLACK79MG. I have a rip free covertable top on it, and good black paint on it. The engine and transmission work good, I need to adjust the engine to run at normal speed. The brakes work and all the lights work. I just purchased the boot cover for the convertable top (used). The car still needs the inside finished. I have two mazda seats in working order to go in. Thank You . MY E-MAIL OOOHAYNOW1@...... MORE
Hi Bill, Thanks for your message. I'm willing to pay a junkyard for the car body, but I'm not interested in paying a "finders fee" to someone, just for information. Maybe I don't understand this group fully, but I thought one of the purposes was the free exchange of information and help among Spridget enthusiasts. Paying for this type of information doesn't seem right to me, sorry. - Tom "foragoodtom" 27020... MORE
Martyn That's why you're meant to put the seal on while you're doing trial fits of the door, when rebuilding the body. (I've got this to come as I didn't put the seal on either!) The body side of the latch has a lot of adjustment potential, it's screwed into movable plates. Getting the doors to fit just right on these cars, really is one of the trickiest jobs to get right. The only lock/latch that doesnt have must adjustment potential from what I can recall is the one on the door itself. I suggest loosening off the hinges... MORE
I got the door reassembled and hung in place but with the new door seals it does not close completely. It appears that the seal is holding the door off. I can not seem to get the latch adjusted far enough in to pull it closed. Does the body side of the latch have some adjustment? The hinges can be adjusted some but that only affects the door gaps. Thanks for the answers. BTW the manual doesn't say much on this topic. Martyn "Martyn Eastwood" 27001... MORE
hi, I know of a tub in a junk yard near where I live. I have the bonnet and the doors, and I have the grille. The hood is with the body too. The car is missing the front suspention and rear suspention. It would be no problem to tow this tub away.My number is 775-867-4079 my name is Bill Burger. I will sell the info and what I have for $300. You contact the junk yard and I will will give my parts to the junk yard so they can arrange pick up. The car has now rust,... MORE
I will post photos of them later, they have glass and seem in good shape. I live near Reno Nevada. I also have the front grille it is oblong and aluminum. The car I took it of from still has the front hood. "ooohaynow1" 26994... MORE
Hi all, the hood frame or soft top frame on my 67 sprite will have to be restored before a new top is fitted to it,so the question is do l spray it / hand paint it or have it powder coated would be greatful if members have any ideas or how have you done yours. regards wes "wesley5060" 26983... MORE
Hood Frame Cleaned it well with Fantastic and steel wool, then sprayed again with Fantastic and washed it down with water. After it dried, sprayed it with a couple of coats of Rustoleum Semi-Gloss Black. Beautiful! :) Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 26992... MORE
Hi guys My car has bonnet and boot props rather than the automatic stays, although it came with an automatic stay for the boot, its wrong and should be a prop, so will be changed. Whether the boot automatic stay was factory fitted or retro fitted I have no idea, it certainly came with the correct fitting on the boot for a prop, so I suspect it was retro fitted. The question is this, early stays were painted, but later ones (like the ones on my car) were plated. What kind of plating was it? Chrome, zinc and clear... MORE
Was looking at a book about classic British cars and there was this picture of a restored? frogeye with the worst panel gaps I have ever seen. The front of the sill missed the wing by about an inch and a half. If it were mine........ Terry "terry.isherwood" 26930... MORE
Lori I bought a 65 for restoration back in May, here on the civilised side of the pond (that should be good for a few replies) for the equivalent of $1000. Mine was a runner and was on the road in in March 2002, I would not have wanted to drive it though the floor was almost completely rotted out, rear spring hangers about to collapse no outer sills and inner sills rotted through. The car had been reinforced with angle iron and 1/8 plate some of which I was able to pull off with my bare hands. The... MORE
Brad There are always exceptions aren't there! Like the heap of rust with an original supercharger under the bonnet or genuine Healey front disc brake conversion or one of the 'Sprinzel' specials! That's what so fascinating about this 'hobby' you never know what you're going to find. Nigel "amukdigiphoto" 26903... MORE
We have a car for sale and we are trying to determine a fair price........car has been stored inside for 12-15 years, does not currently run.......extra parts.........right door & a few others.....I am still checking........ has rag top...... body is in good condition......... any help would be appreciated..... kissimmee, florida...........thanks lori "lorishannonhouse" 26899... MORE
Lori, As other members will tell, if it ran it would be worth more. Need to check under the hood on the passenger side of the engine for a tag that will start with a 10 or 12. Which is it? Did it run when parked? How many years parked? Inside or out? Can you e-mail me photos? Frenchww@... . Thanks, Bill French Hilton Head, SC frenchww@... 26911... MORE
Are there any tricks to getting the door glass back in the "tracks"? The seals have been replaced in the channels and that might be the problem as in too thick on the bottom, no smart &ss comments on that one! I tried loosening all the bolts but the front channel/vent window will not fit. Does anyone have a suggestion. Almost done with the car, after all this work this is a pain in the butt. Thanks. Martyn "Martyn Eastwood" 26904... MORE
I agree also on this point, I've seen some really poor bonnet gaps on frogeyes, even on restored cars! I guess this is an area on those cars difficult to get right, not that I'd know from experience never having owned one... maybe after I've finished the one I'm working on! Why especially me? Why single me out? I thought this list was here for like-minded individuals to share experiences of working on these cars so that we may all benefit. I'd be the first one to admit, that I'm a novice at car restoration, but I've tried to... MORE
David.... I'll tell you......maybe you should leave it as is and just fix the oil leak(s). For what you've got is an excellent (though unintended) anti-corrosion/rust coat, if you seriously think about it. It's also a sound deadener as well. One of the best "coats" one can use to "insulate" the body is....tar. Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 26896... MORE
Cap'n Yuppers - exactamundo my friend. Why paint one engine one colour, another engine another colour and yet another engine another colour etc etc why not just slap the same colour on all of them and have done with it. What the hell difference does it make what colour the engine is painted in anyway? If it saved money, that's the way we'll do it - and thats exactly how they operated. It was expedient. Sadly, David wants to know the 'real reason' why the engines were painted a different colour to the ones that went before and the... MORE
Eeg The door gaps you describe sound about right. The the gap at the top of the door where it meets the scuttle is very tight, likewise the gap where the door meets the B post. The largest gap you will have, which is about 1/4 of an inch is where the front of the door meets the outer A skin panel. I guess this is to look visually the same as the gap between the rear of the front wing where it meets the front of the A post skin. It is possible to pack out the catch... MORE
Nigel (and all others), I did take some precautions against sagging of the body: - Before putting the new sill in place I fitted the door - Didn't fit nice (body had sagged a bit) - Supported the cross-member with a jack and knocked a piece of timber between the a-post and lock plate to correct a few millimeters (0.12") - Then I welded a tube in place to keep the desired door-gap I'm sure you're right that I did it the wrong way round! So the other side I'll do the A-post first! But there are also some... MORE
You know.... I remember seeing films on the History and Speedvision Channel of original Frogeyes being unloaded from ships in NYC during their heyday when Inskip was the big importer here in the Northeast US. The factory "gaps" were nothing to be proud of, believe me!! Were it not for the new paint, you would have difficulty believing these were new cars basically right off the factory production line. This was especially the case with the bonnet gaps. Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 26880... MORE
I don't really accept the "They simply used whatever engine paint was to hand " argument as there must have been WAY more dark green or red paint splashing around at the time. Regards David "David Jacobs" 26873... MORE
David There are lots of things that happened at that time that don't make any sense. The fact that they used up old parts stocks on newer models didn't make any sense (well it did to them financially) but not to the newer model of car. They simply used whatever engine paint was to hand and thats what the engine and ancillary components were painted in. My carburettor heatshield for example is also painted in that metallic green paint - that doesn't make any sense either. It's just the way it was, and will probably be the only explanation... MORE
