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in short, how is it fitted!. Mounting the oil cooler seems easy enough, fitting the sanwich plate seems relativly simple, but how are the hoses routed?, there does not seem to be any easy way to route them! Stewart "Ford Prefect" 37257... MORE
I have just replaced the head gasket on my 1500cc Midget, so I was quite chuffed to say the least when it turned over after only a few attempts. However I was not so happy when I noticed at lot of petrol was coming from the bottom of the rear float. I have twin SU carbs. I know that this was dripping a tiny amout of petrol before I changed the gasket but it is now flooding out. I realise extra fuel will have got in while I was turing the engine over to set the rocker gaps, but... MORE
I've got to put a new clutch in my BE. Although the present one has done only 8000 miles, the center of the pressure plate has come loose (What do you call that part, the pressure pad?) Anyway, the question is this: I'm going to have to lift the engine (I'm leaving the tranny in the car), then roll the car out from under the engine. Any tips on supporting the tranny during this operation? I'm thinking about a temp support, maybe a piece of wood, screwed to the footwells. "joe blxfstz" 37246... MORE
WEBER DCOE "air" screws They are not air screws. They are volume screws, the mixture for the idle circuit having been pre-set by your choice of idle (air/fuel combo) jet. 1.5 turns "out" is merely a starting point for setting. You may find your particular choice of idle jet runs best at only 1 turn out or even less. If you cannot find a setting which will work, you will have to change the idle jet for a less rich (weaker) one which may either consist of a smaller fuel aperature OR same fuel aperature with a larger air... MORE
The Organization Of Spridget Handymen in Transit got together yesterday to swap out Larry Macy's engine. Larry got a rebuilt (A wedding present? How thoughtful.) and it was about time to do the deed. Kevin and Rob Valentine, Phil Nase (?), Bill Gilroy and I showed up at Larry's. I understand that Frank Clarici had some problems on the way back from Carlisle so he couldn't make it. I'm sure Frank will fill us in. First we pulled the old engine and tranny, then Kevin and Larry timed the new cam and finished the reassembly. The rest of us... MORE
G'day all The MGB heat shield will work, after you cut it in half, but it might not be easy to find one that the owner will part with. They might prefer to sell the manifold, carbies, heat shield etc as a complete unit. Mini Cooper S had 1.5" SUs as an option, and their heat shields were actually two pieces with a bridge joining them that also held the return springs. You could use the appropriate side of this set-up if only you could find them! I can only supply them new, as a pair, for around $35... MORE
Here's some stuff you could use: Fire Resistant Silicone Foam Sheeting, comes 1/16", 1/8", 1/4". Max temp 400F. You could attach it with silicone rubber (that red high temp stuff). McMaster-Carr cat #86235K22, tel 1-404-346-7000 "joe blxfstz" 37183... MORE
Vince... you're running way cold according to the gauge. No way, Jose. Now.... If you are running a downflow rad with the temp bulb in the rad, and the gauge is ACCURATE and shows 120 instead of the normal 180 or so....what sorta pro blem does this suggest??? :( Cap'n Bob Basic Frog "Robert E. Shlafer" 37180... MORE
There is a poly-block that goes between intake manifold and carb prior to the heat shield/carb. And I recall there was (asbestos-type) insulation on the shield of my PO'd MGA's. I do not recall this on my later post-60/70 Spridgets or MGB's. Not on my Frog restored by PO, either. Of course, any Home Despot will carry something which can be used along wit h modern adhesives that will do the trick. Or heat reflective paint/coating. Beyond higher engine compartment temps in warmer weather which translate into higher induction air temps and gener ally less peppy performance under these... MORE
The heat shields are just sheet metal with no insulation. They block some radiated heat from reaching the carbs, and also deflect hot air so they work okay. Certainly not a bad idea to insulate, though. Oh, the also keep leaking fuel from dripping directly on the hot exh manifold. "joe blxfstz" 37172... MORE
The easiest way is to take a kitchen meat thermometer, and take off the radiator cap, start car and when the temp gage needle starts to go up, put meat (or candy)(or whatever) thermometer in top of radiator and watch the temp on both. They should be close to the same. You can take a sheet of newspaper and cover the radiator to block the air from the fan to allow it to start to get close to 212 degrees as the upper end of the test. I think this is easier than removing the gage and sender and... MORE
170F is really nice and cool..... ..ASSUMING the gauge is accurate...which it may not be considering the stalling symptoms/circumstances you mention, hea t shield not-withstanding....and most especially so considering I believe t he HIF series is temperature compensated with respect to mixture? Suspect it's more like 190-200F under there with such symptoms but heat shield is the way to go in any case considering summer temps. I'd check that gauge, though? Cap'n Bob Basic Frog "Robert E. Shlafer" 37155... MORE
The gauge can be calibrated Jim for zero and span. I used a pot of boiling water for the high end, just place the temp bulb in it. I keep it boiling with the propane torch to ensure 212 deg. The needle can be removed from the gauge and replaced in the correct place if need be. If the span is out the small linkage within the gauge can be tweaked very lightly to make a difference. I used fresh air for the low end point. Duncan "Duncan Sinclair" 37159... MORE
Dave Fitted the exhaust manifold but it is hard up against the chassis rail, will show you. I am convinced the engine runs easier and purrs along smoother. I was going to put K&N air filters on, I wanted the one that spans the two carbs as I like the look of it but an owner I met at a show said they just made it noisier and no better so he reverted to the original ones but kept the sports manifold. You can have a look at my steering wheel problem and anyone got an oil cooler for... MORE
Well, Bob, I have pretty fair sex...but that really isn't any of your business, now, is it? (references available upon request) ;) I ass-u-me-d the reference was to liquid detergent, too. I am an engineer, though domestic activities are limited to...well, I've already stated it's none of anyone's business...what the detergent does is two fold - 1. through the nature of the covalant bonding, contaminants are suspended in solution so they aren't deposited here and there in the low flow areas of the coolant (and, in the sink, they go down the drain with the water) 2. the pH... MORE
Please don't put dishwashing liquids in your radiator!!! These things can cause foam, and may destroy the water pump and could cause massive overheating. The "water-wetter" type additives use special wetters which do not foam. I once did a test of "Watter-Wetter" in which I outfitted my car with thermometers in the airstream ahead of and behind the radiator, and surface mounted thermometers on the top and bottom rad tanks. I found no differences in engine temp or cooling capacity with "Water- Wetter" against plain water. For summer cooling, use plain water (distilled if your local water is hard)... MORE
I'm a little concerned about recommending dish soap, since soap actually creates surface tension - it's surface tension that allows bubbles to form in a soap solution. Of course, your block will be squeeky clean!!! I enjoyed reading this: http://www.spriteparts.com.au/radiatorfluid.htm (Thanks Colin! - great site) It makes very good sense to me. Based on this info and a little more research I would recommend distilled (or demineralized) water with a corrosion inhibiting compound and, if necessary for the area in which you live, just enough anti-freeze to prevent freezing - remember, you do not need anti-freeze when the engine... MORE
Hi, Over here in the UK I tend to leave the anti-freeze in, as it is also a summer coolant. If a heavy winter is expected, I increase the ratio of anti-freeze to water. As for the clunking sounds from the rear, I had this sort of noise from my Mk3 Midget. It turned out to be the diff. Sometimes filling it up with the appropriate oil/grease, the noise goes away for a bit. But eventually the diff. will need either a rebuild or be replaced, usually with a reconditioned one, as new ones tend to be rather expensive,... MORE
I'm a bit skeptical about just changing the speedo itself - if that were the case, why would the different pinions be available at all? David "David Jacobs" 37091... MORE
I don't know the answer to that. What I do know is that I changed the diff in my BE from a 4.22 to a 3.73, and I swapped the speedo guts for those from a late (3.73) Midget. The speedo may or may not have been accurate before, but it is spot on now - accotding to the local radar equipped sherrif - but that's a longer story. "joe blxfstz" 37094... MORE
That is what I was thinking.. Speedos are calibrated for a certain speed for a certain RPM of the input cable. The presence of 3 different pinions would support my theory that the speedo never changed when the diff ratio changed, they just altered the RPM of the input cable to suit. although I don;t know what the third pinion is for! Stewart For a 3.7 one, you the and the mile and "zaphod19692000" 37092... MORE
Stewart, my 1977 edition of the parts list only shows the 22 tooth pinion. For a 3.7 diff, you would need one of the smaller pinions. To find out which one, you need the current wheel revs per mile figure (should be printed on the speedo face, as a four digit number by itself somewhere) From this and the old and new diff ratios, you can calculate the new wheel revs per mile figure and by proportion, the new pinion teeth. Or just go by trial and error and a stopwatch between motorway marker posts! David "David Jacobs" 37087... MORE
I think, not certain, that the easy recalib for a 3.7 is to leave the pinion be and fit the guts from a later speedo into your present case. they're cheap used. "joe blxfstz" 37088... MORE
Finally got my 1500 on the road after only 16years. It celbrated by breaking its speedo drive, (the cable is intact and the angle drive working fine). Just looked in the moss catalouge and it lists 3 Speedometer pinions, in 20 tooth, 21 tooth and 22 tooth versions. I have a 1975 car with 3.9:1 diff and a 120mph spedometer, anyone know which one I need?. I also have plans for fitting a 3.7:1 diff, would I be right in thinking this would need a differnt pinion, if so which one?. I also have a sticking thottle, mostly down... MORE
If the car has been sitting around for years, especially with some fuel in the tank, the sender tends to absorb fuel, making it heavier, so it won't float. Or the linkage weakens with age, so the sender doesn't behave normally. I had this with my Mk1 Midget, but never did anything about it, as I always filled the tank after doing about 180-190 miles. I never ran out of petrol. Margaret South Lincolnshire (UK) "May you be in Heaven half an hour before the Devil knows you're dead" mmbrock88@... 37095... MORE
