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Bob, He can buy my entire car including the fresh 1275 for the cost of a Heritage shell and it's never had any rust or panel replacement. Best part is, kit's an original. Gerard "gerardchateau" 26757... MORE
I suggest you check out this one, as I plan to sell it. the work is already done and it's never had any rust. It has the straightest panels you'll ever see on a Spridget. Where are you located? http://www.gerardsgarage.com/GarageContent/Sprite_Collection/MKIV_Col lection.htm Gerard "gerardchateau" 26756... MORE
Greetings from Minneapolis. My 68 Sprite is developing a serious case of tinworm. I would like to purchase a clean and straight replacement body to transfer all my nice parts to. Just a rust free tub from 1967-1974, preferably with wings and bonnet. I have good doors and a boot lid already. Faded paint is okay, and I can fix a few small dings, but no major dents, cracks, or twists please. I hear there are some nice tubs in the desert southwest just waiting for adoption. Cheers, Tom foragoodtom@... "foragoodtom" 26753... MORE
G'day Brandon This should be no problem to find. They are readily available in Oz, and I'm surprised Moss don't stock them. There is nothing special about it - just your everyday welsch plug. From memory, it is 1" across, but measure it to check. Then visit your local engine or cylinder head reconditioners. These guys have buckets of welsch plugs of various sizes, and they will probably give you one for nothing! avagoodday Colin "Colin@SpriteParts" 26738... MORE
I took a 800 mile ride this weekend, to take my Bugeye to Rivergate shop, after much number crunching, it came out that if I had them build an engine for me, and rebuild a 5 speed, the shipping on that would eat me alive, so in my thought I asked what it would be if I brought my car to them to have the work done, of course I know it will take another trip down there, to pick up car, but... the shipping would have been more expensive than the labor they charged to install, so that's... MORE
Tom... Of course, I hope you find what you are looking for locally and in time, I am sure you will. But, if the car is to be a keeper, I'd look long and hard at a Heritage shell, (assuming the RWA variety is available:). Expensive, yes. But the advantages as to new metal and a choice as to excellent prep over the long term??? Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 26754... MORE
Just a quick strip and rebuild is all it requires :-) Banging your head against a bricjk wall might be an idea for a new hobby? Less pain perhaps? Great sympathy here. R "Roger Stinson" 26710... MORE
Chris N. I don't think the Rockwell hardness situation I spoke of previously applies then for those who supplied these defective items were known and their stuff should have been removed from shelves easily by Jan. of '03 and replaced by those of decent quality. I know at the time Bill Perry was building my engine a coupla years ago, he had more than a few Spridgets in his shop for engine rebuild caused my metal contamination from these subtandard parts. But they should have been long gone by 01/03. Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 26706... MORE
Damm, That's one think that bothers me about these lists, very few people will really take the time to give you the information that you really need. Your question of "if it was converted to neg. earth is there anything I should check to make sure it was done correctly?" Yes, the tach. As per Guide to Purchase & D.I.Y. restoration of the MG Midget & Austin-Healey Sprite: pg 222: Remove the tachometer from the car by undoing the two knurled nuts and taking off the lock washers and clips. "Robert Webb" 26692... MORE
Brandon Not sure if this will help answer your question, but it will put things into perspective for you. The change over point for RHD cars from positive to negative earth was at HAN9-72041 and GAN4-60460, November 1967. This involved a change of rev counter, wiper motor, fuel guage with voltage stabiliser. The Temperature gauge changed to C-N-H graduation. Now I'm not sure when the change-over came for LHD cars, but it must have been around the same time. So it looks like from your VIN number it was originally a Negative Earth car. The only real way of... MORE
Just a thought, use a standard, non nyloc nut first, to pull in the taper, remove the nut and put the nyloc nut on, torquing up to the correct value. Its a lot easier, provided you have the correct thread on the slave nut. R "Roger Stinson" 26668... MORE
I had a lister a few months back as me about if I could help them get a bonnet/hood (the metal thing that covers the engine) for a non-Bugeye Sprite. I have forgotten that listers name. If you are in need of a bonnet still, contact me. So I will know who you are, I had mentioned a possible source, if you can tell me who that source was, I will know it is you. I know many folks out there are needing a bonnet minus the rust along the front of the nose. If you need one, send... MORE
Instead of elbow grease and blasting... A set of wire-brushes for an electronic drill (or more agressive if you like an angle-grinder) can do miracles! OK, it's a bit noisy, dusty, potentially dangerous (these brushes can also eat skin fairly easy...don't ask how I know this!) but cheap and almost as good as blasting. If finished, use a good rust-stabelizing/neutralizing primer to prevent new rust from developing (or directly hammerite as a finish as suggested). Cheers, Eeg. Eeg.Oberije@... 26654... MORE
-RE shot blasting,after a wheel is blasted or any steel a primer wants to be painted on within 20 mins after this time rust will be already starting to form,but you wont se this at the time,but you will when the rust comes back through your nice paint job and the worst type of blasting for this is sand,most blast cleanig firms will put primer on for you if you ask well the good ones will,and on this subject tyres are best removed a good job will not be done with them still on.If the jobs worth doing well... MORE
Chris Thanks for your input. Natural bodies and black painted arms seem to be the consensus. For longevity's sake I've decided to paint the bodies silver and arms black, so they don't look too yucky in a year or so's time. Nigel "amukdigiphoto" 26643... MORE
Jeremy I took your advice. I've etch primed the whole body's and will paint the body silver and the arms black. Nigel "amukdigiphoto" 26642... MORE
Cap'n Thanks for your input. I have (successfully) managed to removed the TRE's undamaged, and there seems no wear in them, so I'll probably be re-using them after a clean up and paint and new rubber gaiters; so the question of new TRE's is not as much of an issue as I previously thought. Knowing the new 'sealed' ones are as good as the old ones is handy to know however. Thanks Nigel "amukdigiphoto" 26639... MORE
I wrote the following post thinking about rostyles, but after I looked at the original post I realized you are asking about early steel wheels. Oh well, some of it is still pertinent, so here it is: I've had success using a combination of chemical stripper and sand blasting. I've used the enviro-friendly stripper (letting it sit for three hours) then I hosed off the residue and the remaining paint blasted off quickly at fairly low pressure. I agree that removing the tire it the smart thing to do. Then self etching primer, then a light coat of medium... MORE
If you leave the bodies natural they will look horrid within a year, especially the rears. Frost or Eastwood do what amounts to a metal varnish i.e. a clear coating or you could paint them in aluminium paint or a light coating of 'clear' waxoyl. As the rears are rarely seen I'd be tempted to paint them. The fronts will fair better in the relatively dry anvironment of the engine bay but very minimum I'd wipe them over with oil every so often. "Jeremy Cogman" 26635... MORE
Timster... This IS the way to go...bead blasting (glass)or the finest media you can get so as not to overly "pit" the surface as it's cleaned. Hit them with a metal cleaner and some zinc-phosphate primer then topcoat with a silver of your choice. Or, you can go all the way and have the blasted wheels "powder coated". This costs more but, it's a beautiful, tough, easily cleaned, long-lasting treatment. Alterntively, if not powder coated, a good tough, glossy paint is made by Hammerite. I've used this stuff in the past...it's pretty damn good and is what I would... MORE
no, ours are centre-laced (look at a TC's wheel for example of outside laced) It's difficult to compare the offset on centre-lock wires, because they don't have the same flat face that a bolt-on wheel has, as a datum point. Do Dayton say where they are measuring from? And will they exchange them/refund your money, if they don't fit? The 'direct replacement' 4.5"ers aren't exactly the same as stock, as stock are 4", so you are already starting off from a different position. I think the only foolproof way is to check them on the car, with tyres on,... MORE
I can only speak for my car, a'66 Midget Mk 2. As it originally arrived, the fronts were definitely left natural with the arms painted black, no question. The rears were also natural, but the arms were finished in what I think was probably a red oxide paint. The people who cared, fairly quickly painted them, however, as they seemed to be subjected to a real testing time under the rear wheel arches. "Roger Stinson" 26617... MORE
OK Gang, In my quest for a wider wire wheel, I have found Dayton makes a 13"x5.5" center laced wire wheel. I believe our stock wheels are bead laced? Not a big deal of difference I would think. Now, their direct replcement 4.5" wheels, have a 3.5" back space. The 5.5" wheels have a 3" back space. If my feeble mind is correct, that means an additional 1.5" would be to the outside on the wider wheels. I have a RWA Midget, so it shouldn't be a problem, right? wrong? maybe? I will try and measure tonight, but does... MORE
Terry... I am assuming you are working with a "rebuilt" shock under warranty?? If so, "good" rebulds are definitely hard to find...'cause very few know what they are doing or don't do a "proper" job. Go to www.gerardsgarage.com and click on Spridet and maintenance articles, wherein you will find an excellent piece on this "art" authored by Peter C. of Worldwide Auto Parts. Rebuilding levers is his specialty. The man does it right, and improves the product with modern materials while he does so. He can also provide optional valving as well. Instead of replacing under warranty, you MIGHT... MORE
Aw come on Phil, There is a very active midget and sprite group group in the Midlands. If you join the Midget andSprite club (the setters up of this web group BTW) For not many quids a year you get a monthly magazine , packed with pictures , area reports and information. In fact, if I remember correctly , not too long ago there was a bit of conflab regarding the copious amount of Frogeye sprite content and not so much of the midget. There are some beautiful examples of the sprite around locally, including a supercharged version in... MORE
