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Jens, If it is SUs then what you describe could be caused by worn throttle spindles. This makes the carbs seem very sensitive to mixture settings. If you richen the settings to compensate at low engine speeds, then at full throttle it will be too rich and will bog down or foul the plugs. If you weaken, then at full manifold depression it will pull in air at the spindle and run too weak, causing it to run hotter Guy "Guy Weller" 33249... MORE
Anyone on these lists looking for a 4.55 diff (Morris Minor)???? KGB from the autox/spridgetassn lists has got one she doesn't need. She's in Elko, NV. Contact her direct! :) Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 33246... MORE
Jens I told you it was well worn! The other spindle wasn't nearly as bad, but decided to replace the pair of them while I was doing it. Clean the carbs? Nothing more than elbow grease! I washed them down thoroughly several times with turps (kerosense) using an inch paintbrush and changing the turp's when it got too dirty. I then scraped off the gasket material with a stanley blade and rotary wire brush cleaned the gasket surfaces only. The rotary wire brush is too harsh for the soft metal casting surface of the carb itself and leaves scratches... MORE
Rob Great, hope it runs ok! I made loads of mistakes like that, so many in fact I can't remember them all - best one was probably putting the butterfly into the spindle the wrong way round and then not understanding why the butterfly wouldn't close properly - duh! Nigel "amukdigiphoto" 33202... MORE
Hi guys The parts from Burlen arrived this morning and I was able to finish off rebuilding the carbs and mount them onto the manifold and heatshield. For those of you interested I've uploaded a pic of them into Nigels-71Midget folder in the photo's section of the Yahoo group webpage. And yes I know the linkages aren't in position in the picture - they are now! I also uploaded a picture of the wear on the throttle spindle to show just how much wear there was - a lot, but thankfully no wear to the car body. Nigel "amukdigiphoto"... MORE
Just a note for the archives: If you need to buy hub caps for your Minilite replica wheels (such as Minator brand), the ones from Vicky Brit are plastic and don't fit, and the ones from Moss are metal (I think) and fit well. Just my experience. You will need to buy the MG logo stickers top the hub caps separately from Moss. Steve Steven Michelsen 33194... MORE
Jens I spoke to Burlen this morning as I mentioned and they were very helpful. I've ordered up two spindle kits, two rubber washers and two new AN needles from them. For interest and reference for others going down this route in the future the cost of drilling out the spindle holes in the carb body and putting in inserts for the new spindle is about =A320 GBP + VAT. The new spindle kit (comes with butterfly screws and gaskets) was =A36.87 GBP + VAT and the AN needle =A36.33 + VAT. The moral behind this is to avoid... MORE
Jens I spoke to Burlen this morning as I mentioned and they were very helpful. I've ordered up two spindle kits, two rubber washers and two new AN needles from them. For interest and reference for others going down this route in the future the cost of drilling out the spindle holes in the carb body and putting in inserts for the new spindle is about =A320 GBP + VAT. The new spindle kit (comes with butterfly screws and gaskets) was =A36.87 GBP + VAT and the AN needle =A36.33 + VAT. The moral behind this is to avoid... MORE
Jens When I said a mil I actually meant 1mm! not a millionth! That's double what your wear was! It really is badly worn, if I get a moment I'll take a pic of it today and let you see how bad it is. I actually thought initially that the Carb body itself was also worn, but playing about with the spindle in the body it seems that only the spindle itself is worn, so I may get away with just two new spindles with a bit of luck - like you did. I'm going to be speaking to... MORE
G'day again Hammondale If they are new reproduction parts, then there is no surprise that they aren't made correctly. You would think that, if you were reproducing something, it would be just as easy to get it right as to get it wrong. Sadly this is seldom the case - most repro stuff isn't quite right.(I can hear Ed nodding in agreement right now.) But if you have only .006" play at the edge of the rotor, that is very little and not enough (in my opinion) to be concerned about short term. I would however feel/measure the play... MORE
Trevor The needles are fixed not sprung, but I take your point on replacing them - I'm replacing them as a matter of course anyway. I think they're .090" ones, they came in a rebuid kit I bought ages ago, which indcludes all the gaskets, jets, needle and sets and disc/throttle spindle screws. Nigel "amukdigiphoto" 33170... MORE
Jens Thanks. I think I may have figured out why the needles may have been changed inthe past. On dismantling the front carb this afternoon I discovered that the butterfly spindle was badly worn - and I mean badly lol. It's worn down by about a mil which is a lot. I can only assume the switch to those needles was in some form of compensation for the worn spindle. No wonder the engine had such a lumpy idle which I could never fix no matter how much adjustment I did - with that amount of wear on the... MORE
G'day Hammondale The recommended torque is 45 ft lbs, then to the next split pin hole. The slight play is most likely due to the hub being worn. As a consequence, the outer bearing races are close together than they should be and the inner races aren't seating properly on the ramps in the inner races. Got that? So why aren't they seating when you tighten the nut? Because the cast iron spacer is holding them apart. The solution is to machine a little off the spacer. You can use a lathe if one is avaailable, or a linisher,... MORE
Colin, Thanx a ton! Or whatever the unit of weight is down there X the exchange rate. That torque setting is quite a bit higher than what I've cranked in I'm pretty sure. I didn't use a torque wrench, just went to the nearest split pin hole after it got somewhat tight. As far as my hubs go, they are new welded-in-back ones from MiniMania, although I can't say they are exactly correct wrt dimensions. (How would I know without a mic and the spex.) Your explanation makes sense. I will probably take the spacer to a shop with... MORE
Hi The 14W wiper motor was made in single speed and two speed versions. This is the round motor can type located under bonnet. Anyone changed their single speed wiper motor and switch for the two speed versions? I have the two speed wiper switch and a two speed 14W wiper motor. Someone told me the single speed motors only had 4 out of the 5 terminal positions fitted whereas the two speed ones had all 5 terminals present. Wrong. My old single speed motor had all 5 terminals fitted but not all connected. The two speed one has... MORE
Hi all, Is there a recommended torque setting for tightening down the nut on a front spindle to hold the disk brake rotor on? I have the old Brit Leyland ring-bound Spridget shop manual (circa 1970) and there's no torque spec in there. How tight is adequate, and how tight is too tight, i.e. shortening bearing life(?) or some other problem(?) Some background info for anyone patient enough to read - I've got the Frontline larger disc brakes installed, with all new wheel bearings, and yes, the bearing thrust orientations are correct. But seems like over the past year,... MORE
Nige et al I used the same method for removing the 'frozen' piston in the brake calipers. Method clamp the the piston in the caliper half where the banjo fits. Wrap the caliper in a rag with some plced where the disc would be. Cut the rubber hose and apply airline. First mistake using workshop pressure at 6 bar (80psi) the resulting BANG brought all the technicians out of the test cells to see what the h*ll was going on (or off as the case may be). Use reducesd airline pressue for other calipers. The remaining piston can be... MORE
Stewart, Does that mean that by changing the spring pan, you might be able to adjust the ride height of the front end? This is the first time I have heard of this. Cheers, Bob in San Diego "Robert D. Gardner" 33118... MORE
Hi and thanks Bill, My problem is that the wheels are not centered in the fender cutouts as the body now rides high relative to the wheel hub centers so low profile tires would lower the whole car but would still leave the wheels in the same relative position to the body. Don "Don May" 33096... MORE
Hi guys, been a while since I posted last. My "Spridget" project, bugeye bonnet on a 74 rwa midget, is nearing completion and is actually on the road now. Still in its beautiful primer gray color :-) However . . . without the weight of bumpers, window mechanisms, wind wings, and lighter front end weight the body rides about two inches higher than I would like, in fact looks a bit strange because of the body hight. Would like to lower overall at least 1 1/2 - 2 inches. Would appreciate lowering suggestions. Anyone cut off the front spring... MORE
Don, You can lower the front buy installing non RB front springs and if that dosen't lower it enough put in spacers between the spring pan and the A-arm. Spacers can be made from some thick (1/4") wall pipe/tubing and longer mounting bolts. Cutting down the front springs would be my last resort. For the rear a spacer block between the axle and spring. The spacer would be a block the width of the spring with a locating stud on it's top to fit the upper spring plate and a hole in the bottom to clear/locate it on the... MORE
G'day Peter Yup, we have one of those on the bench too. A pedal box with a master cylinder and flex line. But I can't say it ALWAYS works. We do a fair amount of restoration on cars that might have been sitting for 20+ years in less than ideal conditions. Like the AC Aceca. Then pedal starts to bend before the piston moves at all. I admit to making the assumption that people with access to oxy gear knew how to use it and of it's dangers if misused. There are a lot of dangers in the normal... MORE
G'day Nigel et al As much as I agree with Bob (get a new one) I understand your penchant for originality and budget repairs. So here is an (almost) fail-safe method for freeing seized hydraulic components. (No, Nigel, I'm not being a smart-ass - we all have times where we just have to repair the used bit in front of us.) Take the part in question, let's say it's a clutch slave cylinder, remove all pipes and hoses, clean all the rust and debris out of the cylinder in front of the piston. You need to make it as... MORE
Nigel, my '74 has the same style front end, which I think was fitted after a front end shunt; I gather it was what BL were selling after 1275 production stopped, but before British Motor Heritage and/or others started reproducing the correct part. It's not quite a 1500 item, as they have provision for the reinforcement members and what are depressions in the chrome bumper type are actual holes in the 1500 valance; but you are right, it does seem to be based on 1500 pressings. Regards David "David Jacobs" 33038... MORE
Cap'n Yep car's coming along, I was going to say 'nicely' except I broke the 'spindle' that the inner quarterlight turns on this morning!!! Arghh one step forward two back as usual! I'll have to remove the quarterlight glass and glazing rubber now to get at it and replace it, something I wasn't intending doing - but I'm going to have to do now. More parts ordering, more wait for them to arrive more fixing of something that didn't need fixing! The cars looking good though, very pleased with progress so far. Nigel "amukdigiphoto" 33019... MORE
