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G'day Alan (and Nigel) As Registrar of the Sprite Car Club of Australia, I am custodian to all our production records. I can tell you that the last Austin Healey Sprite produced was HAN9/85286, build in October 1969. The exact date was not recorded by the factory. HAN9U/84968 is 318 cars short of that last one. There were 20,552 Mk IV Sprites built between October 1966 and October 1969, an average of 18.77 per day. So on average, that's 17 days of production. "Your" car would have been built late September or early October 1969. The first Mk IV... MORE
useful information, Don. In the UK, that could save you the cost of the annual road tax (best part of U$200) as cars built pre '73 are exempt, even if they were registered later. Regards David "David Jacobs" 28422... MORE
You got through to me!! Margaret South Lincolnshire (UK) "May you be in Heaven half an hour before the Devil knows you're dead" mmbrock88@... 28401... MORE
Alan I can't give you a source for fibreglass frogeye rear ends, because I simpl =3D=0D y do not know of any company who makes them, although there are probably plenty about. I do know however that Paul Banham makes a 'Frogeye' replica kit, which is =3D=0D based on a mini 'donor' car and that the Frogeye outer fibreglass panels ar =3D=0D e exactly the same dimensions as the original Frogeye. It may be worth contacting them and asking them if they would be willing to sell the Frogey =3D=0D e rear end separately and if so what the... MORE
What makes you think it's UK? We spell original just the same as you chaps do. That's not the German for original so I'm guessing Dutch. "Jeremy Cogman" 28375... MORE
Thanks Nigel. Now that I look at the book more I realize that I wish the UK dash board had been left on the export models. I'm sure I have heard the book mentioned before but age often results in a Teflon coated brain. Which brings up the question: Can a modern industrial state live in a Zen state? Don "Don May" 28384... MORE
Our garage at one time held 19 cars. Sadly we now only have 10 cars (I think!!) 2 Midgets, MGB, Honda N600, Triumph Herald, MGF, Honda Beat, Honda CRV, Smart Car, MK1 Mini. It's the first time in over 10 years we have had so few!! And NO, we are not traders, we just like collecting cars, so bought the village garage when it came up for sale as a building plot. Needless to say, we didn't build a house!! Margaret South Lincolnshire (UK) "May you be in Heaven half an hour before the Devil knows you're dead" mmbrock88@...... MORE
Hi guys As I mentioned in my last post about the Sebring Sprite Conversion, I'd upload some photo's of the car a guy restored, putting a fibreglass rear end on a 1973 Midget whilst retaining the Midget front end. This story was related in the June 1992 issue of Popular Classics Magazine. I've also uploaded a picture of the 'factory' prototype Mk II Sprite as shown on page 64 of Geoffrey Healeys book - 'More Healeys, Frogeye Sprites and Midgets', that the guy above used as inspiration. These photo's are viewable on the yahoo website, under photo's and in... MORE
Yes, I've read it - it's a very light read, not especially technical, but fairly enjoyable for the 'been there, done that' moments. for David C - Amazon UK shows it if you search by the author (or maybe miss the spaces out of the ISBN number) They have 3 available. David "David Jacobs" 28367... MORE
Guy Yes I did know of it, but couldn't remember the name of it, all I could remember is that its got a red cover with a couple of yucky pics on it! I've seen a couple go through ebay.co.uk, but they've always gone for more than I was willing to pay (which wasn't a lot!) and from what I can tell it is one mans story of his Midget restoration. Thankfully David was able to tell us the name of the book. As I've mentioned on here many time before, by far the best book I think I've... MORE
Alan Well, you reply to my original reply, you make no mention of me in your rep =3D=0D ly, and you ask virtually the same question in your reply as I answered in my reply - I will therefore refrain from making any comment on your eyesight. It's not that difficult to replace the rear end of a Spridget with the rear =3D=0D end of a Frogeye if you do it with a one piece fibreglass rear, although as there' =3D=0D s no boot opening - it means having to crawl into the tiny opening from the cock =3D=0D... 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
Alan Hi and welcome to the list. You've got a couple of problems here, and as I don't know how much you know about Sprites and Midgets I'll try and explain as best I can. Now I may be wrong here, and I'm sure someone will correct me if I am, but =3D=0D the Red Sprite in the Sebring pictures look like its had a front Sebring Bo =3D=0D nnet fitted and a rear fibreglass Coup=E9 fitted. The Silver Sprite in the other p=3D=0D ictures, the one you prefer is in fact a Standard Frogeye Sprite with a Sebring... MORE
Bill Just fit new rear wheel cylinders they only cost about 10 UK pounds or less each and can be fitted in an hour or so and will work fine for years. Back in May I blew a wheel cylinder out on my way down from Scotland to Cumbria while leading a classic car run. Replaced mine at the roadside then spent the next couple of days driving up and down mountains before driving the 400 miles home. Pulled both rear cylinders off the following weekend checked them out and refitted them in the workshop just to make sure.... MORE
Nigel, Well I lied! The garage ( I built it when we first moved here) is 9' 4", interior, but has a 22" workbench down one side which reduces the available floor space to 7' 6". That was the maximum width garage I could get between the house and our neighbour's wall, whilst retaining a "back passage" (excuse the phrase!) footpath to get to the back garden. Americans are right you know ... "Little old England" (with acent) says it all! When I was rebuilding my Sprite I stripped back to a bare shell and stored all the bits... MORE
Steve It's not an easy book to get hold of for some reason. I didn't even know it existed until I happened to spot one on ebay.co.uk by chance and got it. I think Amazon do have copies of it. I wouldn't normally advocate buying all books on Midgets and Sprites (lot of crap ones out there and the Lindsay Porter one is now very dated) but I've found this one to be invaluable for advice and reference, and pretty much rely on it exclusively now I'm almost at the 'fitting' up stage. Like most books you'll come across... MORE
Hi everyone. I recently have come across some NOS parts that were from a British inventory buyout. I am trying to identify some, so any of you catalog guys out there may be able to locate and tell me what it fits. BRC6156 It looks like a spare tire cover, I thought it was Triumph? Checked the Roadster factory price sheet with no luck.Maybe Jag or big Healey?? Thanks in advance Mike "mk2sprite2000" 28261... MORE
Chris wrote, "...version in pink tubs, appears to be the same. In supermarkets round by the washing...." Now how, as a man, am I supposed to know that ? LOL Alan - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -... MORE
Thanks for the replies guys, Oxiclean it is then , what would it be called in the UK ?, not Oxiclean I b et. Or now that I've finished remodelling the bathroom plumbers flux. And BTW ,it pays to read all the posts, I found a good answer under another sub ject heading Auto Electrical , Thanks Don, a useful site. Alan Just remembered what my dad used , 'Bakers Soldering Fluid' very caustic or acidic and made steel go rusty in a thrice. It had to be washed off thorou ghly. Came in a cream and red tin,... MORE
Alan.. Do a websearch on "copper cleaners" and/or kitchen copper tarnish remover" and other variables of the same (bunch of stuff out there) and one for Oxiclean to see what it's British cousin might be called (maybe the same?). Watching a Discovery Wings episode on the Eagle Squadron...many Spits and Hurri's. :):) Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 28233... MORE
Bob, I checked a topo map of the Anza-Borrego area and see that what in the sixties was little more than a broad wash that was used as a road up to an old abandoned mine is shown as Grapevine Canyon Road. I love high desert country. As for what happened to all the TR-4s ? It is strange because I've been to a very large British show up here with 500 plus cars and only saw one or two. Mine seemed to be as well built as most for that period. Don "Don May" 28232... MORE
you'd see them in the UK - with the advent of different weight allowances a few years back, a lot of articulated tractor units were converted by adding an additional non-powered load bearing axle with just two wheels either in front of, or behind the (single) driven axle, so two on the front, four driven wheels, two non driven wheels and eight on the trailer makes Don's 16! How far did you say you drove the Midget, Don? ;-) Regards David "David Jacobs" 28210... MORE
Alan, I think you are right about the oxidation. I use a resin cored solder, but before that I use a soldering flux which seems to clean back to bright copper. You can buy small tubs of flux from DIY superstores or builders merchants (UK) - look at the plumbing counter. I have wondered how far back up under the insulation the black extends, but I don't think it really matters except on the soldered ends where it would prevent proper fusing of the solder to the wire. Guy "Guy Weller" 28205... MORE
When soldering new spade terminals and the like onto the end of old wires, the copper wire always seems to be black. I take this to be oxidisation and try to remove as much as possible before soldering. Using a resin cored solder the flux does not seem to clean the wire effect ively. crimping surely just traps the oxidisation between terminal and the copper, so not an effective joint. Scotchloks are not an option IMO. Any thoughts / recommendations? What is the cause of this blackening of th e wires? Is it due to a bad earth (ground)... MORE
G'day Paul I'm not certain why you would want to fit tapered roller bearings. This has been raised quite a number of times in the past (perhaps before you were on the list) and see below for one of the more recent comments. avagoodday Colin We have had many discussions on the differences between the use of angular contact ball bearings, as used originally in Spridgets, and the use of any type of tapered roller bearing. Without launching into a complex and boring diatribe on the rights and wrongs of either type of bearing, the simple answer is that... MORE
