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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
Thanks for the replies, I ordered a Pertronix system and coil. I've never been able to set the dwell to my satisfaction, I've owned the car for 20 years! I always got it running reasonably well. So now with the hot street engine I believe that the ignition could and should be improved on. Cap'n Bob I agree that electronics give no warning of an impending failure but elimination of a maintenance issue is worth it since my son will be driving it mainly. The other reason is the inferior parts that are available these days. Yeah I know... 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
Dave, I'd love a copy of the picture. 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@... 32842... MORE
David, The A+ Dizzy needs some simple modifications. The shaft length on the A+ dizzy is slightly shorter. To get it to work you need to grind / turn about 1/4" off the thickness of the top flange of the collar that locates the drive shaft in position. Then you need to either file the main hole in the clamp bigger to fit the dizzy body, or turn a little off the dizzy until the clamp fits. The A+ dizzy comes with a different clamp - a forked affair but you don't use that. The end result on mine... MORE
Well I found a big British Car yesterday. 1961 Jaguar sedan...350 Chevy engine. Looks pretty good from the street as I drove by. They are asking $11,995.00 but are negotiable. Anybody want me to look closer at it? Robert Houston Texan in New Mexico War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a... MORE
Martyn, I use a modified system out of a 1275 Metro. Scrapyard components that cost me 5 GBP. Guy "Guy Weller" 32821... MORE
The typical function of a resistor in either the coil as in built in, special resistance wire to the coil or with one in series between the power supply and the coil is this. When the resistor is cold, it passes a lot of current so the cooil will have about full voltage at start up to produce a hot spark. As the resistor heats up, it reduces the amount of power getting through, so instead of a full 12 volts, for example, it now is passing only 9 volts or so. The coil will still produce a full... MORE
I might be intrested. Can you send a photo via e-mail? or mail one? Clear title? Wrecked? Color? Interior shape? 1275 cc? Thanks, Bill French Cincinnati/Hilton Head Frenchww@... frenchww@... 32787... MORE
Yep.... You got it big guy!!!! Of course, this assumes a reasonably healthy engine pulling decent vacuum. TWO CAVEATS.... 1) If the engine's clapped out and is pullin' lousy vacuum, the pistons will never "top out", spring tension and fully open butterflies notwithstanding and thus....it follows, that.... 2) the entire induction system has got to be "air tight" as well. You don't need a midget under the hood. You need an SU carb tool kit!!! It comes with a little jet centering tool along with "rods" you place within the piston tubes which temporarily take the place of the... MORE
They are a real challenge! I have removed serveral this way: Soak (and I mean SOAK) the bolts with penetrating oil for a day or two. Put the nut back on the bolt and turn until the end of the bolt and the nut are even. Get a BIG hammer and hit the end of the bolt hard! After a few hits it will begin to move. You will have to use a punch to finish the job. The rear ones are harder because you can't get a good swing with the hammer. Just keep working on them. Although... MORE
Hi Group, My latest challenge is the removal of the bolts that fasten the radius arms to the body. I have removed the nuts from the ends of the bolts and am able to rotate the bolts but they cannot be removed. When I hit the end of a bolt it gives no indication of movement. When the bolt turns, the spacers do not turn with it. I'd appreciate another dose of wisdom from cyberspace. With your help I've been able to dispose of all of my previous challenges. Nelson 62 Mk 2 Sprite "witstock7" 32745... MORE
Rob, That helps. So let me get more clear. The spring rate (color) determines how high the piston will rise in relation to redline under load, for example if it will not reach the top under load or it reaches the top way before red line under load, it is a function of the spring/color and how fast the piston reacts (not how high it goes) is a function of the viscosity of the oil in the damper. Is that close? Now all we need is a midget to curl up in the engine bay and peer into the... MORE
Guys... Can't help but believe we are losing something in the translation, here. A faster rising of the piston (as Duncan points out) can be counterproducive to acceleration in terms of low end torque not only because of the "ramming affect" of a "smaller" venturi at the low end, but also because of the "leaning out" of the mixture on acceleration caused by "too great a rate". The thing is, the "proper weight" oil is "correct" for "rate of rise" in accordance with the maker's design of the application to begin with. The spring controls wherein the needle will... MORE
Don't get confused, Jens. The butterflies must fully open when the accelerater pedal goes fully down. This is mechanical matter. The pistons (air valves) must not reach their full upward travel prior to redline (or reasonably thereabouts). If they do, you require a stronger spring. Probably yellow is next. Aldon would know the different spring rates/colors. The weight of the oil determines the piston's rise RATE. The engine is being revved under no load circumstances. Thus, the butterflies will not require much opening in order to allow the motor to reach it's redline under this no-load condition. Cap'n. Bob... MORE
Ah HAH.... You may have hit the nail right on the head here, Jens... "If (my engine...tuned or not) cannot SUCK (produce enough vacuum) to open a pair of HS2's....." EXACTLY!!!! It is time to "begin at the beginning", Jens. As in MAJOR tune-up. Step one is checking engine "mechanical health".... with valves properly adjusted...time for a basic compression & leakdown check. Considering recency of engine work, you're looking for 150 or better on compression check and leak-down rates of less than 10%. Remember to hold the butterflies fully open (accelerator pedal fully to the floor) during the compression... MORE
The Purpose of Tools HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate expensive parts not far from the object we are trying to hit. MECHANIC'S KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on boxes containing leather goods. ELECTRIC HAND DRILL: Normally used for spinning steel Pop rivets in their holes until you die of old age. PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads. HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on... MORE
I have recently acquired a 'new, old stock' crankshaft rear oil-seal kit for an A-series engine, but it did not come with any fitting instructions. Although it looks fairly simple, I want to make sure that everything is fitted correctly, so I wondered if anyone has fitted this kit and still has the fitting instructions? If so, would it be possible to scan or otherwise reproduce? All replies welcome. Thanks in advance Dave "daveo138" 32688... MORE
Willliam, FWIW-I bought an 1975 for $500 and have replaced virtually every mechanical component. I found and freshly rebuilt engine through the MG Club of Chicagoland classifieds for $632 (engine and freight). It need a backplate and dizzy which I pirated from the original. The special designation to the best of my knowledge had little to do with performance and a lot to do with creature comfort ...radio, carpet appearance package etc. My estimation is that the $600 is OK but you'll need to do more than you think. It will take longer and cost more. Rob C 1975... MORE
I'm looking at buying a 1976 MG Midget special 57K with the 1500cc engine it has the Webber carb upgrade new starter and alternator but the connecting rod bolt came out and trashed the lower end of the engine they said it need a crank connecting rod and the block needed to be machined. How much would it cost to rebuild vs. replace with new/used engines???? also what are the specs for this engine stock and with the Webber carb kit??? besides that the car is decent shape minor rust (not bad surface only on seams)and there are a... MORE
Nope. That round headed bolt just holds the spring leaves together. If you've removed the u-bolt and the two other bolts (which thread into the spring top plate) there is nothing else holding the sprng except rust. Give it a whack, then slide it out. "joe blxfstz" 32680... MORE
Another removal challenge. I have removed the nuts from the u-bolts holding the rear spring and the two bolts that are next to each other and closer to the front of my Sprite. In drawings of the spring assembly there is a single bolt shown between the u-bolt and the pair of bolts but all I can see on the car is a hole with something up inside it. I cannot figure out how to remove this bolt since it has no exposed head. This is the same on both sides of the car. I am the original owner... MORE
The replacement jets arrived this afternoon. My son installed them and measured the gap, right in the middle of the range. The lids were put on the float bowls and the pump turned on..... NO leaks. The engine was started again no leaks. Now I just need to tweek the carbs a little. I believe the car will be running on the road this weekend. Thanks to all who suggested going back to SU jets. I should have know! Martyn "Martyn Eastwood" 32656... MORE
I had got the two bolts on the outside and the third one at the front of the footwell was so corroded that it came apart itself. The state of that bolt hole has led me to worry a little about putting on the inner sill. I am thinking of just replacing the footwell plate fully so that no more rusty bits are left there. I am going to have to replace the door pillar anyway so may as well do it all!! Abestea "abestea" 32659... MORE
What are the lengths of the two hoses that run between the oil cooler and the block/filter on a 73 Midget with a 1275? Moss Motors informed me yesterday that they sell these hoses as individual lengths only. I don't have a set to measure. Thanks for your help, Jim C 73 Midget 67 MGB "Jim Crowder" 32649... MORE
