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From: midgetsprite@yahoogroups.com [mailto: midgetsprite@yahoogroups.com ] On Behalf Of mail@... Sent: 31 May 2005 21:44 To: midgetsprite@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [midgetsprite] Some questions.. Stewart, What size tyres do you have? This will obviously affect the revs per mile, but never fear cos http://www.f-body.org/gears/ has a handy mph/revs calculator. On 145x13 tyres, the factory quoted 16.4 mph per 1000 revs, which equates to 4268 rpm David "G & J Swann-Price" 37345... MORE
Stewart, What size tyres do you have? This will obviously affect the revs per mile, but never fear cos http://www.f-body.org/gears/ has a handy mph/revs calculator. On 145x13 tyres, the factory quoted 16.4 mph per 1000 revs, which equates to 4268 rpm David 37342... MORE
I finally have my 1500 back on the road and am able to drive it agian after 16 years of having it in bits. I have a number of questions, some are 1500 only and some will be relavnt to late 1275. First one, What RPM is 60MPH? My car is alagedly giving 60MPH at 4K RPM in 4th gear, given I was on the motorway keeping up with traffic and overtaking some of it I am not convinced it is reading right! at points it was reading close to 70, others lower than 60, but the revs remained... MORE
G'day guys Sprite and Midgets had 7" front drum brakes. But you knew that didn't you. Austin A40 ("A40 Farina" for us Down Under and in the UK) had 8" front drum brakes fitted to an identical stub axle. So yes, it's as complicated as undoing the 4 bolts that hold the brake backing plate to the stub axle, and swapping over the backing plates and everything attached to them. It's a common mod down here as our vintage racers must retain drum brakes - discs not allowed. Also good for the part-time Concourse entrant as few judges notice... MORE
I have acquired a set of front cylinders, brake drums, shoes, and hub off an A40 Farina. I'm told these work well on the spridget as they give approx 50% more braking area. Apart from the A40 drums and shoes, what other A40 bits do I use eg wheel cylinder, hubs etc. Can anyone advise on any other reasonably priced front suspension mods? Thanks very much "bensengold48" 37299... MORE
Yep!! There you are! And at the going price considering the MiniMania/Hans Pedersen kits. More low/mid-range torque for street fun. Having driven a stock '67 1275 Spridget using 6psi boost, I can honestly say it is worth the 3k assuming you are go ing to keep the car. Probably one of the most worthwhile upgrades besides the Datsun 5 speed for those who want true "quick". 6psi is the lowest amount of "effective" boost (torque/heat) without unduly loading stock parts providing you don't over-rev the motor and resist the urge to constantly take it to the redline, bearing in... MORE
Just some off the wall thoughts. $3000 is a lot of money, and unless your engine is already in perfect condition, you would probably want to do an engine rebuild too, so you're at maybe $4500 ready to rock 'n roll. You could do a reworked head, cam, bigger carb, overbore, have less money in the job, just as much HP, and probably better bottom end torque. It like like a stock engine with the Moss SC should produce something like 90 HP. Lot of money for that, say $180 per HP, and that's without any clutch or rear... MORE
WEBER DCOE "air" screws They are not air screws. They are volume screws, the mixture for the idle circuit having been pre-set by your choice of idle (air/fuel combo) jet. 1.5 turns "out" is merely a starting point for setting. You may find your particular choice of idle jet runs best at only 1 turn out or even less. If you cannot find a setting which will work, you will have to change the idle jet for a less rich (weaker) one which may either consist of a smaller fuel aperature OR same fuel aperature with a larger air... MORE
I get it! With the engine running, put it in gear, let the clutch out, then get out and look under the car for the spinning drive shaft... Be sure and let us know how that one turns out...a wheel chock with hair? "Jim" 37220... MORE
If the half shaft has parted, the car may be rolling, the engine running, the clutch engaged, and the wheels turning but they are not connected to each other! Bob "Robert D. Gardner" 37219... MORE
From those symptoms it could still be a half shaft, although clutch or tranny more likely. Check the easy stuff first. "joe blxfstz" 37201... MORE
Good point. Axles on these break fairly often. I once talked ot a guy who had broken an even dozen (stock car, on the street), and I once broke one at Saturday midnight, up in the mountains, 100 miles from home. Fortunately we were returning from a British car gathering, and right behind us was a friend in a 4 passenger Cortina. Other than that, I'd still be walking. "joe blxfstz" 37193... MORE
Busted one on a MG-TC back in the 60s but hadn't thought about that since. I'll definitely check that before pulling the engine/tranny. Hmmmm. If it was the halfshaft, wonder why the gear shift did what it did? Lessee now... I tried to downshift into third and it didn't want to go into third gear. Kinda like there was no gear there at all. Then suddenly it went in so I let the clutch out and something goes bang. I'm still coasting along so I thought, "Well, it's popped out of gear" so I moved the gear change lever... MORE
Wait until you get it apart before you make any decision. If you're lucky it may be just a clutch problem, like the center broke out of the disc. Or maybe the flywheel bolts sheared off; although it sounds like a broken trans input shaft, which isn't too terribly serious. You can rebuild yours, or possibly find a good used one for a few hundred dollars, plus $200 for a new clutch set and related parts. Or you can spend the big bucks for a Datsun 5- speed. If you go the Datsun route, be sure to get a... MORE
Before you do anything drastic, maks sure you didn't twist off an axle shaft! (or u joint for that matter, but not likely, they make more noise). Almost same symptoms but a ton easier to fix. I would be pissed if I pulled the engine and tranny and found it was just fine. Bob in San Diego "Robert D. Gardner" 37192... MORE
G'day Vern Your rear axle housing is moving fore and aft when you apply power and back off. If it's no longer at 90 degrees to the axis of the car, it will steer the car to the left or to the right. Look for: * broken spring * worn spring mount bushes at either end * worn spring pads where the axle attaches to the springs * worn trailing arm bushes if you have a quater-elliptically sprung car. They are all fairly cheap and simple to replace. avagoodday Colin "Colin Dodds" 37125... MORE
Jim, Put in top gear, jack up one rear wheel and rotate back and forth by hand, how much free travel until resistance or a clunk? Look under and see if wheel moves very far before prop shaft starts to turn. Look at u joints to see if sloppy and hope that is where the extra play (read klunk) is coming from. Good luck Bob in San Diego "Robert D. Gardner" 37104... MORE
Hi, Over here in the UK I tend to leave the anti-freeze in, as it is also a summer coolant. If a heavy winter is expected, I increase the ratio of anti-freeze to water. As for the clunking sounds from the rear, I had this sort of noise from my Mk3 Midget. It turned out to be the diff. Sometimes filling it up with the appropriate oil/grease, the noise goes away for a bit. But eventually the diff. will need either a rebuild or be replaced, usually with a reconditioned one, as new ones tend to be rather expensive,... MORE
When I accerlerate the car has a slight veer to the right and on deceleration just the opposite. Could the differential have a problem to cause this.TIA Vern Vern 37099... MORE
Well, the pinion size might be a compromise, since you can only have a whole number of teeth, so maybe they realised that they picked the wrong side of the compromise after the car had been in production a while and tyres with different rolling radius became available - I don't know, it's just a theory. I'll leave you with some numbers to think about - the difference between 3.7 and 3.9 diffs is about 5.4% and that between 22 and 21 teeth is 4.8% David "David Jacobs" 37093... MORE
I don't know the answer to that. What I do know is that I changed the diff in my BE from a 4.22 to a 3.73, and I swapped the speedo guts for those from a late (3.73) Midget. The speedo may or may not have been accurate before, but it is spot on now - accotding to the local radar equipped sherrif - but that's a longer story. "joe blxfstz" 37094... MORE
That is what I was thinking.. Speedos are calibrated for a certain speed for a certain RPM of the input cable. The presence of 3 different pinions would support my theory that the speedo never changed when the diff ratio changed, they just altered the RPM of the input cable to suit. although I don;t know what the third pinion is for! Stewart For a 3.7 one, you the and the mile and "zaphod19692000" 37092... MORE
Stewart, my 1977 edition of the parts list only shows the 22 tooth pinion. For a 3.7 diff, you would need one of the smaller pinions. To find out which one, you need the current wheel revs per mile figure (should be printed on the speedo face, as a four digit number by itself somewhere) From this and the old and new diff ratios, you can calculate the new wheel revs per mile figure and by proportion, the new pinion teeth. Or just go by trial and error and a stopwatch between motorway marker posts! David "David Jacobs" 37087... MORE
I think, not certain, that the easy recalib for a 3.7 is to leave the pinion be and fit the guts from a later speedo into your present case. they're cheap used. "joe blxfstz" 37088... MORE
Finally got my 1500 on the road after only 16years. It celbrated by breaking its speedo drive, (the cable is intact and the angle drive working fine). Just looked in the moss catalouge and it lists 3 Speedometer pinions, in 20 tooth, 21 tooth and 22 tooth versions. I have a 1975 car with 3.9:1 diff and a 120mph spedometer, anyone know which one I need?. I also have plans for fitting a 3.7:1 diff, would I be right in thinking this would need a differnt pinion, if so which one?. I also have a sticking thottle, mostly down... MORE
