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David said: Don't forget though, that BMC could get away with making 1275 Spridgets I think we forget just how much roads in the UK have changed over the last 30 - 40 years! There were few roads of anything like the current standards. Most, even "A" roads, were really quite twisty (Ok, some exceptions) and with poor surfaces. Dual carriageways were still very much the exception. Most other traffic, (except e-types !), were a good deal slower with common saloon car open road cruising speeds of 40mph or less. Even so, contemporary test reports from ' 68 complained... MORE
Stewart..... If your engine is tuned for the high end (and it certainly sounds this way.."useless road engine"...."lumpy idle"), then going to a 3.7 will make it more a useless road engine in terms of the low end. So...it you are using the car mostly at highway speeds (say, 3k or higher) than no problem. Town driving will become more of a hassle as you'll be at lower rpm more of the time at lower speeds, unless you retain lower gears more of the time then you are currently used to. The more available 3.9 might make for a... MORE
I want to put a coin box on it, and mount it on a pedestal in front of the local supermarket as an amusement ride? When you are retired on a fixed income one must come up with ingenious ways to support the spridget habit. :-) I was working out in the driveway yesterday and a fellow saw a couple of my spridgets and commented that he once had a collection of 13 Nash Metropolitans. Men and their one-up-man-ship. All I really want to do is mount my spare the engine and transmission back in my 69 parts car... MORE
Seems the PO's of my purple 73 wanted that race car sound, well its not modified to be a race car and the sound level is annoying especially out on the freeway, like riding on top of a WW2 buzz bomb. It's a fairly new muffler and pipes so its not loud because of age. The question is, what are the considerations I should keep in mind when choosing a new muffler? Don't care if it is stock as long as it fits and is correct for the engine which I suspect is bored out a bit but otherwise... MORE
You've successfully made every argument on the situation. Pick your poison...'-) The OD unit is probably the easiest and most practical. Your other option is to install a 1275 with a Datsun 5 speed. That's the best choice in my opinion. Easily done too. You could opt for all Datsun drive train too. Gerard "gerardchateau" 25154... MORE
Dear Listers, After tinkering with my '75 Midget all summer I finally have the beast to some standard of reliability having (knock on wood) cured the lean running problem. My next endeavor is to swap the Stromberg for a pair of SU's and to replace the clutch due to weak springs, I hope. I will probably lighten the flywheel while I'm at it. Since I will be pulling the engine anyway why not address the unsatisfactory gearbox as well. Running 4000 rpm at 65 mph doesn't sound good to me. Unfortunately the 1500 engine doesn't have a nice swap... MORE
Stewart, is the 1275 in standard tune? If so, the acceleration won't be sparkling but it's perfectly usable and much more relaxed than your original (which would have been 4.22:1 not 4.55) The top gear mph/1000rpm will go up from around 15 to 18, so 70mph will see the revs drop from 4700 to 3900 (roughly) Don't forget though, that BMC could get away with making 1275 Spridgets with 4.22 diffs as standard, so they must've thought it was reasonable at the time! Regards David "David Jacobs" 25148... MORE
IIRC the fraction you refer to is in fact the number of teeth on the pinion/crown. Actually I was gong to ask about diffs any way. I have two for the frogeye (which has a later 1275 motor) the original one which IIRC is 4.55:1 and a riley 1.5 one which is a 3.7:1 diff. What would the effect of fitting the 3.7 diff to the frogeye have, as it stands its will rev straight through the red line and out the other side in top gear, even up hills speed at the red line is 80 ish with... MORE
Has anybody ever seen the film - Ferris Beuliers day off ? Ring any bells ? Regards Mike Mnemonic (UK) "Mike Mnemonic" 25165... MORE
Gerard Thank you, that was most helpful. It was an 8/39 which I guess is a ratio of 4.8 - is that good/bad? I'm afraid it doesn't really mean anything to me! Bearing in mind, these diff's were given to me by a guy who used to race Spridgets in the 60's. Thanks, Nigel "amukdigiphoto" 25136... MORE
Wake me up please. Our '73 RWA 1275 cc has a neg. ground where as the '59 Bugeye has a pos. ground? Correct?? Looking for battery cables in Brit. Vic and they have corn-fused me. (8-3051, 8-4300 and 10-337) Thank you, Bill French frenchww@... 25134... MORE
I would rather ask and be taken as simple minded that not ask and do possible damage . . . is there any problem jacking up a spridet's rear differential housing ends, starting the engine and going through gears with the rear wheels off the ground? On a tread mill there is some load and normal weight on the rear wheels but this would be a no load situation. Don "Don May" 25119... MORE
Don't know. The car was not driven for almost a year and I do not know what all the PO did to it. The guy I bought it from bought it running, drove it home and a couple of times around the block, did some work on the battery pan, put in a new radiator and hoses then got too busy at his job to do more so never took it off the no-op license and let it sit for almost a year, then when he tried to drive before selling it discovered he could not get it into... MORE
Don, Have you watched underneath to see if you have enough travel on the slave cylinder pushrod while someone else depresses the clutch? You may have air in the line or perhaps your TO bearing is worn down to nothing (or worse*). Another possibility is a worn pivot on the clutch fork. You should feel the kind of movement (wiggle) and freeplay (travel) you have in the clutch fork while the engine is off. *I picked up a '71 once where the TO was worn down so far, it actually fell off the clutch fork when I wiggled it.... MORE
Not correct according to my source. This information is from the Chilton's Nissan 210/1200 repair manual. 1974 B210 Sedan and Coupe- A13 1975 B210 Sedan and Coupe- A14 1976-78 B210- A14 1979-81 210, 210 MPG -A15 The book goes on to discuss A series into 1982 models, but the question was about A series engines. A-series engine were used in the 210, B210 and 1200 Nissans. beginning from 1973. These include A12, A12A, A13, A14, A15. The A12 is considerered to be very disirable because it is the least choked and detuned due to SMOG restrictions and it has... MORE
Hi David, The engine mounting plate is identical to the Spridgets as are the rubber mounts. Because the frame is completely different in the Morris, the frame to rubber mount bracket is completely different. The Datsun engine has the motor mounts near midway in the block, so new mounting points to the frame are required. Also, they are not symetrical like the Spridgets, so two differnt length frame mounts are necessary. Paul A. makes the motor mounts and so there was no need to reinvent the wheel. I just purchased them from him. Placement is a matter of position... MORE
Pixel... Can't imagine someone interested in these types not buying it...it's gorgeous, dog or Nissan engine notwithstanding. Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 25111... MORE
There is another lister here (who I also know personally) who has installed a Toyota engine in his '62 Sprite, You may want to engage him in you inquiry. His name is Drew. Somewhere, I have a couple pix of his project. Gerard "gerardchateau" 25095... MORE
Gerard 210's were made between 1979 and 1982 and came in ohv 1.2, 1.4 and 1.5 L versions. 310's had the same versions but only 1.4 and 1.5. Isn't an A14 the same 1.4 L engine as in the 210 ? Nigel "amukdigiphoto" 25094... MORE
Well, you are close, but no cigar. It's actually copy of a BMC (not a Leyland) engine. Actually a copy of the A or B-series engine. Yes, licensed from BMC. Nissan actually had E-series engine, before their A-series, which is a duplicate of the A-series engine. It was used in the early 1200 (Bluebird) cars Gerard "gerardchateau" 25086... MORE
I'm still trying to put a Datsun/Nissan A14 engine/5spd tranny in a 71 Midget. I have seen pictures of one in a 76 or 77. It looks like it comes from the factory. The Datsun engine seems to be an almost direct copy of the Spitfire engine, but with improvements: 5 main bearings, good oil seals front and rear thrust bearings integral with main bearing(it won't fall out!), aluminum head with great intake ports, etc. The 5 spd tranny is butter smooth and quiet. May not get you the horsepower a RX7 will get but it can produce 100+... MORE
Hi everyone, I recently pick up a 71 Midget that some what a basket case for $100. Unfortunately it was an unfinished project from someone else. the rear section was choped off to make a truck bed. It also has a Fiat engine under the hood (I don't like this combo) I intend to fix the body up to original design and put in some japanese powertrain. and upgrade suspension to a full SLA both front and rear. I start with late model Toyota 4AGE that will be completely rebuild and blueprinted to the extend. I saw alot of... MORE
if he does, you could turn the engine 90 degrees, and then run a drive belt from the engine to the skateboard wheels - think of the power to weight ratio! "David Jacobs" 25074... MORE
I am in the US. It is a little hareder to find those engines. A chevy 350 maight be a little too much work. A guy has a 1500 engine that he is willing to sell. Is that a bolt- in application? "livelarg" 25067... MORE
Any sub 1500 4 cyl triumph engine should fit with no mods as its the same engine, 1300 spitfire would be best, better than the 1500 one the midget had in fact as the really had over stretched the original design. If you were in the UK then you could use dolomite engines. Dolomite 1850, TR7 2 litre, dolomite sprint 2litre 16v would all be possible. 2.0,2.5 Triumph 6 cyl motor would possibly bolt to the box, and if a jag XK motor can fit then one of these will! If you are willing to chop it about to... MORE
