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Well... With no intent to be a wise-guy, ass-u-me(ing) it's all mechanically in decent shape...what's the problem? The timing specs are in the book whether it's the Cooper S mech. dizzy or the later vac. one, right? So are the carb. set-up directions. You MAY need an SU carb jet centering tool (much better than using the carb. needle shank) and a portable hand held tach so as to positively "see" that slight momentary rise in rpm as you lift the air valve 1/8" or so off the jet bridge and a Unisyn (or the like) to positively "see"... MORE
I think Mike meant assembly of the actual gauge parts - the tube is soldered on *inside* the gauge casing. Regards David "David Jacobs" 28649... MORE
The capilary type temperature gauge is filled with technical ether used to be available from a chemist (drug store!) (may be able to use acetone of swift start - rapid start the calibration may be out but should be able to get boiling point correct) the assembly is soldered together empty a +-1mm hole is driled in the botom of the bulb and the ether injected into the bulb leaving a small amount of air in the system a tapered brass pin (available from clock makers) is then driven into the hole to seal it then imerse the buld... MORE
From: robbatley [mailto: robbatley@... ] Sent: Monday, January 26, 2004 10:28 AM To: midgetsprite@yahoogroups.com Subject: [midgetsprite] Re: Dual gauge The capilary type temperature gauge is filled with technical ether used to be available from a chemist (drug store!) (may be able to use acetone of swift start - rapid start the calibration may be out but should be able to get boiling point correct) the assembly is soldered together empty a +-1mm hole is driled in the botom of the bulb and the ether injected into the bulb leaving a small amount of air in the system a tapered... MORE
the 1" slave, (with the 3/4" master it makes for a easy clutch), and I do have the Datsun slave cylinder with the L hydrolic line direction, but I think it is 7/8". I am going to a heavy duty oil/hydrolic line supplier in Portland tomorrow to try to get a "Street 90" for my 1" slave cylinder. If they can't do one in a short enough L, is there a Datsun or ??? that is short enough? What do the racers with a 5 speed (the 5 speed switches sides of the transmission of the slave cylinder) and... MORE
I forgot to add, if you're not too bothered about originality, you can get ones that use an electric temperature sensor; these are more convenient if you need to remove the gauge from the dash, or the sender from the head or radiator. The original ones are usually ok if left in place - I only had to change mine because I needed to get the dashboard out, and the sensor bulb wouldn't unscrew from the head. Regards David "David Jacobs" 28589... MORE
Hi everyone Can anyone who may have worked on the gagues on our cars tell me if the cable/sender for the WATER TEMP portion of the dual gague can be removed/fixed? I see that they can be rebuilt and some rebuilts look like they have a new water line attached. I just wonder how this can be done. Any help or info on sites is appreciated. Mike "mk2sprite2000" 28585... MORE
What type of oil did you put in the trans? Are you sure the clutch is totally disengaging? "Trevor J." 28593... MORE
Castor Oil & Castrol (Castrol R) Got to admit, Dave, I've no clue 'cause I do not know whether the "early" Castrol Oils I grew up with in the late 50's & early 60's were vegetable oil or petroleum based, though I believe it was the later. And the Castrol's before that??? Castrol "R"....formulated for high rpm higher pressure, anti-foam, "racing" oil I would think but here again, not familiar the specific base or formula. But I bet Chuck Christ might know a little about the early Castrol Oils considering his Dad was in racing during Castrol's early days... MORE
Bob I am not sure if it is the same thing, but when I was a very small child my Dad was interested in Motorcycle scrambling and so I was often at scramble events with him (maybe 50 years ago) but I still remember the smell. I think he told me it was Castrol R oil a kind of vegetable oil used in the bikes, could this be the same as your castor oil (or maybe a UK equivalent). Regards Dave "David Dixon" 28509... MORE
Yeah... Vulcans are (were?) cool...thundrous as they shook the ground you were standing on. You could feel it "in your bones"!! As far as props go....radials...yeah... Besides the Merlin and later Sabre Napiers (Tempests, methinks?) the "choppy" radial (until they "turned up" at which time they began to sound almost "turbine" smooth) are also a favorite. But nothing (IMHO) beats the smell of castor oil and the staccato "brruppp, burrrup" of a rotary operating on a stick mounted ignition "kill switch" or button! :) Very kewl! :):) Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 28500... MORE
Whitewalls!! Cool. For the American market I guess. They were wide then went "thin". Spridget "double muffler".... yep...a general trend to more quiet operation after '68. Noise is after all, an "emission"! Price? Peformance and fuel economy. (You can't even hear the exhaust note of a new Cooper "S"...'cause it really doesn't hardly exist...very "stealthy"! :) Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 28462... MORE
I was thinking more like one of those quick release gun mounts like the cops have right between the front seats. For the sawed off pump 12 gauge. anon "Jon Paschke" 28436... MORE
That is relatively easy to repair Jim. Clean of the lead solder VERY thoroughly, flux it with borax and silver solder it. Do you have a gas flame torch? Incidentaly, heating it to the temperature for silver soldering will also 'normalise' the material, making it much less britle and therefore less likely to happen again for a while. "Roger Stinson" 28414... MORE
or if you are feeling brave, oil the dizzy shaft then put some epoxy putty inside the magnet and push it home. "Jeremy Cogman" 28399... MORE
I have been out at the flea market, and found a U.K. camp stove. It has the words "ORIGINEEL HALLER" on it. They are flanking a 2" sight glass in the bowl that goes around the flame. I tried a web search on these words, but the sites that came up are either German or Dutch, I can't tell. That is why I am asking the Slobberbone list as well. This is a neat looking piece. The main colour is red, with a white wick holder. The wick is 2 3/4" wide. The 3 legged base is the fuel... MORE
Steve Woohoo! Many congrats. I don't think I am ahead of you Steve, I'm just finishing off the final primer coats on the passenger side wing ready for colour - that will be the last 'bit' on the car that needs to be colour coated. I still have both doors, bootlid and bonnet to colour coat as well. I don't know if you have this book or not - 'Restoring Sprites and Midgets - an Enthusiasts Guide' by Grahame Bristow (Brooklands Books) but it really is a very useful book in terms of reassembly. It's been written with the... MORE
when you turn on the ignition. tach, fuel pump, wipers, brake stop light, reversing lights, heater fan..... The fault must be on the "downstream" side of the fuse for it to blow, so it is likely to be one of those, or the wiring to them. Some of these are switchable: lights, wipers, fan etc so if they are switched off when the fuse blows then it may be one of the non- switched items although it could still be a damaged wire between fuse block and switch. Guy "Guy Weller" 28195... MORE
So much depends on a properly operating electrical system, particularly in older spridgets. To be fair to the Lucas the Prince of Darkness any 30 - 40 year old electrical system, even the best for the period spridgets were made, fails with age and usually for the same reasons . . . oxidation of contacts and a mixture of oil and dirt. A basic knowledge of electronics is a powerful tool in trouble shooting. Having a background in electronics it is painful for me to watch anyone jabbing in the dark when trying to fix electrical problems when a... MORE
Hi, Dave...welcome. I've heard nothing but good things about the Frontline kit. While it IS expensive, it is extremely well-designed in terms of structual load sharing, unlike my Wheelrite kit which, while adequate and satisfactory, is not as "supportive" in this particular respect. The problems inherent with the original lever shocks have been overcome by Worldwide's Peter C., based here in the USA. See his article on lever shocks under Spridget tech articles at: www.gerardsgarage.com The "problems" with levers include a "fixed", rather than the tube shock's "variable" rate of response. They also require topping off every now and... MORE
OK Gingerino...here we go.... The amount of choke (in terms of manual cable/jet travel) that is required to... 1. get the engine to "fire" to begin with 2. allow it to continue running smoothly (decreasing amount) as it warms up to normal operating temperature. Fr'instance: On 40-45F+ mornings, no choke is really needed at all. A couple of turns of the motor with the starter button is all it takes. We let the oil pressure come up and fast idle it for a minute or so (1200-1500rpm) using our right foot, then drive it gently 'til it comes up... MORE
Hi, Guy and David, There are varying degrees of symmetry and our engines are not symmetrical vertically. I also no mathematician, but I am an engineer! The simplest way I can describe it is to say that:- when the crank is at 90 degrees from TDC, the pistons are not half way down the bore! At this point in a 1275 motor the piston is at 57% of its stroke. Hence when the crank is in this position all 4 pistons are at 57% stroke. Compare this when the crank is at TDC or BDC, you will have 0%... MORE
Hi Geri, I am no mathematician, so I am quite happy to accept what you say, and I am not arguing with you... but logic makes it hard to believe! If all 4 pistons are identical, and the throw on each crank journal the same, then I cannot see why the volume displaced by one going down should be any different from the displacement of the adjacent one going up. Neither can I see why the length of con rod should make any difference either. However I can well imagine that there are complex effects of the inertia of... MORE
Mr Zappa, You should have a Zenith cd150 carb installed on your car if it is stll as originally equipped. These carbs have been trouble since the day they were installed new and only get worse as time goes on. As for the fuel leak. Look real close at the rubber hose where it attatchs to the carb body. Small hairline cracks frequently are found causing fuel to weep. Have someone crank it over and you watch right here for where the leak appears. Another possibilty is the auto choke (if installed) can be a pain in the a$$.... MORE
Wouldn't a US spec '77 have a Zenith/Stromberg carb not SUs, so no external fuel feed to the jet? Sorry I don't know enough to offer any further advice though. David "David Jacobs" 27962... MORE
