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I remember all the cars in the 1970s that used lever arms. Always were crap, always leaked. You would replace them every year to get the car through the MOT. I think the problem with them is that they are doing two jobs, hold the geometry of the front suspension and provide the damping. I think that the up and down forces rotate the shaft and thats OK but the forward and backward forces from accelerating and braking for instance force the shaft against the seals and it leaks. The beauty of using telescopics is that the new bracket... MORE
Alan I remember that Bakers Soldering Fluid - wonderful stuff, it was kinda hard to get the solder to stick unless you used that Bakers stuff. I haven't seen it around for ages either sadly. N "amukdigiphoto" 28236... 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
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
David, Thanks. It's the windshield/windscreen that I'm addressing, and not the side windows which are okay. I have the complete assembly off the car, and as you noted, I removed the two securing bolts located on each side up under the dash. What a pain they were to get at. The top moulding retaining screws were removed, providing access to the glass encased in the bottom and sides. The seal around the glass was pulled out, and the glass removed. The frame to body seal seems crimped in place on the bottom (in the groove), and is a real... MORE
Hi The visor kits are very good I thought, I've used them in two Midgets. The bottom car to windshield seal is a pull through. Use lots of soap/lube and get a helper. The complete job is a real pain. (G) Jon "Jon Paschke" 28081... MORE
Which glass are you talking about? It sounds like it's the windshield/windscreen, so you need to take the complete assembly off the car then dismantle it. The securing bolts/nuts are hidden away up behind the ends of the dashboard. I'm not exactly sure how this looks on a late US spec car as the dash is definitely different from my 1974 UK car but the 'screen itself is the same. Don't foget the plate at the bottom of the centre rod, either. Once you've got the 'screen assembly off, you can remove the frame to body seal and you'll... MORE
G'day Kevin Aren't they rude, having a laugh at you like that!!!!!!!! I can understand it from Brad, but from Capt Bob, I am surprised! Shame on you Bob. Now to the topic. Kevin, are you measuring distance travelled at the pedal, or travel at the slave cylinder? If it's 1" at the slave cylinder end - then that's excessive. It's usually only about 1/2", so all is well. At the top end, the pedal should hit the floor - approx 4" away. 1" in and out (sorry, couldn't resist) is rediculous. But if your clutch pedal only travels... MORE
I'm replacing the seals and glass on my midget, and would like to inquire with someone who has been there and done that. Removal of the top moulding was easy. What are the tricks to the removal of one (or both) of the side mouldings in order to replace the glass and seal? I'm also replacing the windhsield to body seal while at it. Any tips for tackling that part would be greatly appreciated. VB lists a visor replacement kit. Interested in hearing reviews before purchasing. Thanks, Pete 78 midget Granville OH "Pete Skalski" 28051... MORE
Good lord this is a cold natured 8itchy car until she gets warm. I was finally able to take her to the mechanic today for the cracked slave cylinder boot. It's 30 degrees in Memphis, TN which doesn't make me happy because she has no top on. I bundle up, go out and crank her up. I'm sure she was cussing me because every once in a while I could almost understand a few words coming out of the engine compartment and certainly a few from the exhaust. I forgive her considering how cold it is and that I'd... 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
I'm rebuilding the side curtains on my Sprite and wondering if Vicky Brit is the only source for new felts and the outer seals. Nelson 62Mk2 Sprite "witstock7" 28012... MORE
I would think that a rebuild would be in order. I soaked mine in degreaser and rinsed with water. Then I bead blasted them and proceeded with the rebuild. Just be careful not to scratch up the piston and walls. They now have the familiar aluminum oxidation coat covering them again, but I am contemplating buffing them and clear coating. I know that they will still turn grey, but I think it might help prevent grease stains. "Trevor Jessie" 27990... MORE
OK Geri, NOW I understand. With the engine at 1/2 stroke, and the crank journals at 90 degrees to the vertical, the con rod is at an angle, and the piston has therefore moved more than 1/2 way down the bore. Yep, I got that! Similarly, the one on its way up will have moved lesss than 1/2 way, so the two together will have pressurised the sump. If you were to draw a verical line from the piston centre down through the axis of the crank shaft and a second horozontal line at 90 degrees to this through... 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
LOL, Nigel... I dunno...but whatever Mickey D.'s contains, it works for me so...watch out!! I'm a morning person, anyway. Pump in a bit of caffeine and I'm unstoppable.... and actually far more of a threat to the safety and well being of myself and all others concerned than I am later in the day. By 4PM I am ready for a nap and can be easily killed at that time while asleep for an hour or two. After 6 I get dangerous again for a few hours. My cat knows this and works around these hours in terms of... MORE
Hi Robert. Actually, if you read my post you will see that we are in full agreement. We both state the source of the increased pressure as coming past the pistons, rather than the volume displaced by the pistons which is balanced out. And we both refer to the oil leak problem that ensues. Interesting stuff about filling a 2-stroke crankcase. This was effectively the best way of increasing the compression ratios on a 2 stroke. I never went as far as you with using bondo, but I do remember there were a number of firms selling crank-case fillers... MORE
I agreed to that. See not all the air/fuel mixture get combusted or blow out the exuast. Some of the got by the piston ring gap or right between the rings and cylinderwall (bad) inturn increase the crankcase pressure. One of the few ways the pressure can be relieve is through the PCV and if that thing is clog, the oil seal at the crankshaft will be the one that take toll. Pat "Pat S." 27912... MORE
You are correct, in a perfect world, the pressure would balance out to be zero, but a little pressure sneaks past the rings, the valve guides, etc and any positive pressure pushes oil out the rear seal. Interesting side tangent when talking about two cycle engines. When I was a 16 year old kid, I worked for a marine place and we built racing Johnson outboard motors. Roy Rogers,( the great cowboy movie star) had us build his engines. Twin Johnson 35's for off shore racing. My boss and I drilled the crankcase full of holes and inserted one... MORE
When one pair of pistons is descending, the other pair is rising so the volume of the crankcase is not altered by the pistons. Presurisation of the crankcase is caused by blow-by at the pistons, allowing compressed gas from above the pistons to transfer into the sump, creating an increased pressure there. When what you wanyt is a decrease of crankcase pressure to stop oil being forced out past the so called "scroll seal". I think that 9in a 2-stroke, the crank is sealed between adjacent cylinders so each piston has its own crank case space through which the... MORE
Fit a catch tank & run all the breathers into there, Why would you want oil fumes to be sent back to carbs anyway. As it lowers your fuels octane rating ???? Beckers "beckers" 27888... MORE
