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James, A couple of points about the fact that lead was not introduced untl mid-30's (and then ommitted again during the war years. The lead does 2 things; 1. It "lubricates" the valve stems. This only became necessary as finer tollerances were introduced and engines ran at higher revs. Not critical for many of the earlier side-valve engines. 2. It reduces pre-ignition. Again much less of a problem on early low-compression engines. I have run an old 750 side valve engine on a mix of petrol and paraffin (kerosene) It was common practice during war year rationing in the... MORE
Just got a new convertible top for the 73 B. It went on MUCH easier than on the Midget, though I am not sure how to tuck the edges around the header rail. There is a little flap that folded out from under the top, and a multi-ply flap that is on the same section as the "window fly". I'm not quite sure how all that gets tucked in, and the old top was too rotted to tell for sure. Can someone take a picture of the edge of the header rail, where that little plastic block with the... MORE
Sorry to keep this thread going on and on but an interesting (depending on your point of view!) fact is that lead apparently wasn't used in the 20's and 30's anyway. But somehow I doubt that modern unleaded is the same as the 20's stuff....it must have had some sort of additive. Good point re the Metro/Maestro/Montego 1.3 heads, although I would not recommend robbing one off a Mini *evil glares*!! :) A series engines were leaded until '89, so you will be looking for a G plate onwards. Bear in mind you might need to fight Mini, A35... MORE
120k on the clock!! Certainly not pre-mature by any means my friend!!! Excellent service life I must say. You obviously take good care of your motor, Ben. Yeah....just normal wear and tear over time, Ben. Oh, well. :) Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 31305... MORE
"Rattle on start-up" Well, sounds like some one has allowed the motor to race upon initial start ("dry" motor) prior to allowing the oil pressure to come up, resulting in pre- mature wear (or damage) to bearings. Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 31302... MORE
I perceive, David... So when Mark said he was using regular unleaded, he meant "premium" or 95RON? And when he switiched to Shell Optima, (and his engine "appreciated" the change) would I be correct in assuming this would be "super" (2-3 points higher)? Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 31294... MORE
hi all, My car has been off the road for awhile, just waiting to get insurance now! i always used to run it on LRP as it was not converted. Recently i have heard things about LRp being awful as quality is low. and that most of the additives are crap including valvemaster that i have used in the past. and one place said that converting is not a good idea as you are adding in a metal with diffrent properties (plus i haven't got the money for that) I keep hearing that LRP is gonna be gone from... MORE
Just to shed some of my personal experience in this area. I had to tackle this area personally in the last week or so. If you follow some of the parts supplier's diagrams you might end up installing this little pesky item backwards. Best advice is, as always, follow your original repair manual. In my case, it's a Sprite Mark I with a 948 engine. If you stop to think for a moment, and ask yourself, what is the logical purpose for this (oil thrower) item? You will soon come to a quick conclusion that its purpose is to... MORE
Strange one this , I suspect it 's not too important. MG book shows concave towards the outside of the engine i.e. Front of car. The Maestro A series 1300 engine shows a slight centre dish concave towards the gear, but the outer rim edge of the thrower is like a normal washer, flat. My Haynes Mini book - (all A series engines) shows the same type of thrower but with an 'F' marked on one side. The 'F' is fitted towards the outside or normally Front of car. i.e. centre concave goes next to the gear. Lindsay Porters... MORE
Hi, Ken... 1275's ran with no exhaust valve seals for better cooling (residual oiling) of the stems. Guess they figured the combustion gasses would be "outbound" in any case instead of "sucking" as in the case of the inlet valve. It would make sense to me to install the oil thrower concave side "in", convex side "out" but I haven't got the manual at hand and haven't built an engine in 20 years so I'll leave this one to another more "current" than I in this respect! :) Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 31272... MORE
The gasket set for my 1275 Midget engine came with 4 rubber "boots" which are oil seals for the inlet valve stems. The set also included 5 (!) of the small o-rings which I thought were for teh earlier 1098 motors where they were used on inlet and exhaust. Shouldm I be installing 4 of these o-rings on my exhaust valves in addition to the 4 boots on the inlet guides? The manual is ambiguous. Also, the manual says to install the oil thrower in the timing chest concave side out - then shows a picture of it installed... MORE
I love it when a plan works out...so far that is. As I mentioned in an earlier post, my new 175/70x13 Yokohamas on the new 5.5 inch Dayton wires were rubbing on sharp bumps and right hand turns. It was scraping the RWArch, and I was a victim of the dreaded driver side droop, not to mention the extra lbs I carry...hitting about 260 at my last weigh in. So, shopping at my handy Checker Auto yesterday, I find a "helper spring" in the trailer parts. Two leaves about 16" long, one for each side. I just installed the... MORE
In Alans 72 photo album see LBG FRONT initial prime. The midget now looks worse than this as I've decided to remove all the paint and rust from inside the engine compartment. Did you know that under the battery tray is not painted with a top coat? It gives you a good idea of how we struggle for space in the UK, this photo is AFTER extending the garage to create more room. Alan "Alan" 31221... MORE
The A series engine will sound very similar to an MGB if it is fitted with a Long Centre Branch manifold (header). All Bs were factory fitted with this style of exhaust I believe. "G & J Swann-Price" 31224... MORE
I'll be flying out to Newburg, NY this weekend to drive the MGB back. It's running well, so there should be no issues. In case there are some forseen issues, I would appreciate people who may live along the way that I can use as an emergency contact. I'll be taking I84 from Newburg to Scranton, PA, then I81 to I80. I'll be taking I80 to Acron, OH, I71 to Columbus, then I70 on in to Indianapolis. If you live on the route, or nearby, and don't mind, I'd love your phone number, which I promise to not pass... MORE
TJ enjoy it , the engine note is nicer than the A series in my opinion , especially if there's a hole in the exhaust Colour looks like Blaze to me ,same as my 72 MGBGT I restored then sold when the kids too big to fit. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the availability and price of spares / repro parts for these cars. better than a midget I think. alan "alan.east-jones" 31209... MORE
Bill, the normally transverse fwd engine is fairly do-able - the K series transplants popular in the UK are mostly from fwd applications - it's the rwd gearbox to match up with it that is then the tricky part; or more precisely, how you adapt the gearbox to the engine. If it's not a popular conversion, it might need some advanced engineering skills to make the adaptor bits. Not quite sure what you mean by the front portion of a fwd drive assembly, but I assume you mean the complete engine/gearbox/final drive/driveshafts? if so, that'd be quite a bit... MORE
Bill, It all depends on what you want. To keep the original spirit of the car, with "Sprightly" driving...(pun intended) and handling the Datsun 5 speed and 1275 A motor is the most popular. I haven't heard you mention the Mazda rotary. If you want to go fast and handle, that is a great way to go. 225 to 275 hp and about the same weight equals "WAY BEYOND OH SH*T"!!! Cheers, Bob in San Diego "Robert D. Gardner" 31159... MORE
I tried to post this earlier today from work, but I think it got lost in cybersomewhere.... Still looking at alternatives for my'69 Sprite, with bad trans. Maybe adding a bit more horsepower in the process of fixing the transmission. I have found some sites with Toyota engine and trans combo swaps, and a few Datsun engine and trans swaps. Of course, the most common dats 5 speed trans, using spridget engine and rear end. I also saw giant engine transplants, big honkin V8's and some V6's with variable combinations. Oh, and one electric conversion. Do any listers know... MORE
Hello Forum Can anyone tell me which ( if any ) 5-speed gearboxes can bolt straight on to a 1974 Midget? Regards paul_aki. "paul_aki1966" 31145... MORE
Hi all, I picked up a 1275 (73 Midget) engine for my Morris Minor project car. Since it arrived in four boxes a few parts were missing (so I've discovered) One of these was the small triangular(ish) drive flange which connects the camshaft to the oil pump. A new oil pump and flange were obtained (along with loads of other stuff for a complete rebuild). After assembling the oil pump, camshaft and the triangular camshaft retaining plate I find I have about 1/8" or so of endfloat where the spec is 4 to 7 thou! The retaining plate is... MORE
Your plans pretty much match up with what I am doing, Rick. I have the engine compartment pretty well taken care of as well as the front wheel wells. I used POR 15 on the compartment and the various metal shrouds and brackets. It is supposed to be very tough and it has a nice shine to it. Since my color is black the color match is not a concern. I still have some reconstruction to do around the rear wheel arches. The rocker panels are original and are rock solid. This is because since the time I bought... MORE
Hi Rick, I am primarily using a product I buy at a local concrete/builder supply store. They no longer sell the old silica sand that I used to use. The name of this new media is Black Beauty. It looks like black sand but I don't know what it is, just that it doesn't have the silica which is said to be potentially harmful. In any case I still use a full face mask and breathe well filtered air. My compressor has a three horse motor but the air tank is only large enough to allow relatively short blasting... MORE
You can still get the old sand blast sand, we inventory it in a few of our stores, but it is labeled all-purpose sand and is sold for use with paving brick and patio block. It is great stuff does not damage the parts as the new improved stuff does. Steve Quandt 41 Lumber Michigan's Upper Peninsula Steve Quandt 31126... MORE
For reverse on the Ford Sierra box, you go left of gate, depress and forwards. I think Jim said it was right of gate, Lift and forwards! So its not a Sierra box! And Capn'. Mr Stapleton and I both use Sierra boxes on 1275 motors. Guy "Guy Weller" 31111... MORE
