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"hard starter" Absolutely, Jens. Enough to ruin the engine in very short order. :( That's why my recent previous post was couched in strong terms as in..."get the job done". As little as 4 degrees over- advance can cause combustion temperatures that can burn through the piston crowns in about 10k miles. Ask me how I know :):) Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 33269... MORE
Jens....STOP!!! Your chasing yourself in circles here. The variation in cooling temps with the mixture variations, along with appearance of the plugs and most of all, detonation/ pre-ignition (with octane changes thrown in for good measure) suggest the engine is operating on the borderline of self- destruction, in short time. Saving pennies on octane is extremely penny-wise, pound foolish. With a tuned unit utilizing high rpm's a good part of the time, "economzing" on octane can shortly become extremely expensive. Your "tuned" engine is an investment. Feed it a proper and appropriate "nutritional" diet. :):) May I suggest..... ...firstly,... MORE
Ed You'd need to explain to me what a 'tar top battery' is before I'd be interested in procuring one! (and before you go all smart *rse on me I'm aware that it must be a battrery - but what's tar top?) Nigel "amukdigiphoto" 33213... 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
Nigel, You are too kind. Most glaring mistake was installing the throttle and choke linkages backwards. My only excuse is that I've never worked with dual carbs before. I also had to reset the float in one carb as it leaked gas out the intake. FYI-I set the mixture at 2.5 turns from flush and was pretty close to right on. The motor runs about 15-20 dgs. cooler and sounds better and is definitely more responsive. Haven't driven the car yet as I have to build a throttle cable bracket tonight or tomorrow. Then it's a road test and... 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
brought the frogeye back to life tonight. First time it has started in the last year or so, but for the last 4 years it has only really run once a year to move to a new resting place. However this time it was a bit reluctant to start, and I found no spark so ran a hot wire from the fuse box to the +ve terminal of the coil and it fired up easily then. Interestingly when attempting to rev the engine it really did not want to know, and coughed and spluttered instead, this got better when... 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
Ok so I've got to the point on my restoration where I wanted today to see if my '72 RWA would fire up. But no, Turns over superb but there just ain't no spark I have a new coil, leads, distributer cap and rota arm, new plugs, starter solonoid and so on Turning the engine over with a plug out place against the block gives no spark. Tracing it all the way back to the coil and just having the coil lead against the block still gives no spark Help please....... The wireing of the low tension is too... MORE
Anyone out there wanting a COMPLETELY rust free 79 Midget?? BTW, NO FINANCIAL INTEREST!! This is just too cheap to let go past without telling you guys. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2485001583 Ok, there is a bit of surface rust in the boot, between the spare the the rear panel, but the A pillars, rear wings, and front wings, are all in excellent shape. The floors are also nice and clean, the undercoating still all intact, not peeling anywhere that I noticed. As you all know, I don't normally seek out these cars, but....... I was out doing the yard sales today in... MORE
I lowered my 1 =BD inches by putting in longer bolts with matching spacers cut from pipe above the spring pans. It is fast, easy and best of all cheap. Nigel is correct, don=92t forget to get grade 8 bolts for the replacements. I took out two bolts opposite each other and put I the longer bolts, then slowly back out the other two short bolts so you always have two bolts holding the spring in place. They can be dangerous. Back out the first two and insert the spacers and snug down then the same with the others.... MORE
The correct adhesive to glue perspex is Tensol 70, manufactured by ICI. It has a hardener which has to be added in the correct proportions. (easily done by weight, with accurate scales) After gluing, and allowing to set for 24 hours, it should be heated to 80 degrees C for about four hours, to harden the glue and normalise the acrylic, and prevent crazeing. Other 'one part' glues that you can buy as liquids are based on dichloromethane, probably with acryic chips disolved in it. The trouble with this type of adhesive is that it is very agressive and... MORE
Nigel, Not sure if this will be of much help, but if you can get the correct measurements maybe these guys can help? http://www.grommets.co.uk I haven=92t used them yet, just bookmarked them for that day when I get to run my cables in the midget, so I cant really say much about them or their prices. Regards Damien "Damien Parker" 33002... MORE
Hi folks Does anyone know of a supplier of rubber grommets, specifically those used for where the wiring loom passes through metal holes in the bodywork? I know Moss do them, but I'm reluctant to spend =A32.75 (5 bucks) for a round bit of rubber with a hole in it! Likewise the foam seal for the heater box into the batteryshelf. Moss want a whopping =A34.95 for this (9 bucks) which I refuse to pay, I'll make one myself if necessary. Thoughts? tia Nigel "amukdigiphoto" 32996... MORE
I assume we are talking the 215 Buick/rover engine? That being the case the standard axel with the 3.7:1 diff and hardened halfshafts should be OK. as for the wheels I would be inclined to go for minilites or similar. Wires can cope with the power, (How many E-Types have you seen on anything else! V12s don't count 'cause they are too ugly) but Standard Midget or MGB wires I doubt will. MGC wires though might, but they are 15". TR5 PI wires may also cope Stewart "Ford Prefect" 32994... MORE
That was attributed to General Electric if I remember correctly. The scientists studied the topic and found the result. GE management instituted a corporate wide policy that cell phone use while driving on company business was prohibited. The daily mileage was given, some thing on the order of 1 million miles worldwide. So to them it made sense. Why our government can't see the same thing is beyond me! Martyn "Martyn Eastwood" 32984... MORE
Guys - Currently working on a Buick 215 powered MG midget, always loved the looks of the spoked wheels on British sports cars, but how long will they hold up to a small V8 and manual trans? A friend has offered me a set of wire wheels which he says are from a Triumph or maybe a MGB, (I think they are 14", but how do you tell what they are from, and what splines I will need?) I haven't seen them for a couple of years, hope to get them home this weekend. Was wondering if it'd be... MORE
For all the flaming liberals on the list that think "Fahrenheit 9/11" is a movie and not propaganda, watch this please. If it doesn't bring a lump to your throat and a tear to your eye and raise a feeling that we are doing the right thing in fighting terrorism, contact me off list, I have a request for you. I will only be paraphrasing Mr. Chaney. http://members.cox.net/classicweb/Heroes/heroes.htm Robert Houston Texan in New Mexico Check out the Declaration of Independence! You think it promises happiness? No no no, it talks about the "pursuit of happiness." The PURSUIT! We've become... MORE
Hi Mark, I just finished re-doing the side screens on my Mk2 Sprite so I know what you are going through. 1. My original panes were not useable as the plastic was badly crazed through aging so I wasn't too concerned about removing them intact. I did get two of the four pieces out intact by holding the frames down with my feet and flexing the plastic upwards enough to pull them out. I had to use a screwdriver to bend back the portion of the frames that were pinched to secure the front non-moveable section. Only the rear... MORE
Hi Jim, The pertronix still has too many wires coming out of the dizzy and coil to look stock, but the Crane module can be mounted inside the car under the dash, too. Pa Hi Jim, Meant that to apply to points that fail in a week. Sorry for the confusion. Both Pertronix and Crane are top notch units. I've just had such wonderful use with Crane, I have a bias towards them. I've noticed from the list that many have complained about the early failures of some Pertronix units. Later, Paul A "Paul Asgeirsson" 32947... MORE
Just to add to the brake switch discussion. I just replaced the switch on the brake pedal on my '74. Raise the hood and locate the pedal box just behind the left front fender. There are 4 screws holding the cover onto the box. After removing them, the pedals will be visible and you can see if the plunger on the brake pedal switch is working properly. If there is any question, unhook the switch and use a jumper wire to connect the two wires coming from the wiring harness. If the brake lights light, the switch is faulty.... MORE
"We are in the process of relocating.... sporadic cell service" Ah...a "serious" matter, then. I'd go with Biff Jones idea for sure. A second distributor...all set up, spare spark plugs, spare fan belt, and a length of spare hose and ignition wire, spare fuel pump, and necessary small bag of tools. The all important flashlite of course and a portable starter/charger as well if you're really out there in the sticks. Of course... what will serve you best is a quality scheduled, preventive maintenance program (and the "right attitude" towards being "situationally aware" in terms of survival in the... MORE
Jim, I carry a complete distributor with the mount & sparkplug wires attached and timed. Should my Pertronics every fail all I have to do is swap it out . Two bolts and two wires and I'm good to go. I also carry a spare set of points in my travel kit. When a bunch of us are driving our cars you never know who might need roadside assistance. Biff Jones '59 Bugeye 'Kermit' '61 AH Sprite 'Ole Gray' in the "Healey Book" '71 Midget 'Freebie" http://sprites2.homestead.com/ "Biff" 32870... MORE
Bob Nice to hear from you. Photo attached My MK III Sprite is the one in the gazebo, the event took place at Hermitage Hall near Downham Market Norfolk, on the original medieval pilgrims way to Walsingham. You may have to blow the photo up a bit to see the detail since it is in panoramic format, the non-Spridget on the right hand end is a Le Mans replica MGA, the red car about halfway between my Sprite and the MGA is an Arkley. The Arkley is built by stripping the outer panels from a Spridget and replacing them... MORE
Did you attach the picture? Nothing came through. Robert Houston Texan in New Mexico Check out the Declaration of Independence! You think it promises happiness? No no no, it talks about the "pursuit of happiness." The PURSUIT! We've become a nation of wimps! We think we're entitled to everything, we want to legislate ourselves into some cozy little cocoon. Well, forget it, Nature Boy. There are no guarantees. Life is nasty, brutish, and short.Jeff Melvoin, Northern Exposure, Bolt from the Blue, 1994 rbhouston@... 32847... MORE
