MAIN
Restoration
Previous Page | Next Page
Well... Sounds to me like you've got ignition timing mixed up with cam timing. The cam timing can be "staight up" or for a little heftier lower range at minimal expense to the top end, timed in no more than 4 degrees "advanced" per Vizard's recommendation. Assuming you are using a new timing chain, after initial chain "stretch" the cam will end up running 2 degrees advanced...perfect! For your application considering a small bore engine, and "long stroke" at that, I'd go "straight up" for the track, 4 degrees advanced for the road, most especially if you're planning to... MORE
"...all you can do is steer them in the right direction...." LOL......priceless, Nigel!! I recall when I could not get the toe to stay put on my '74 Midget when I first acquired it. After replacing tie rod ends, bearings, etc., I finally just broke down and replaced the whole suspension with new parts. And prior to this, it WAS "stiff" and while it became less stiff with much grease, it then became loose due to worn clearances, even as it became less stiff as we continued to grease it often. So diplomacy aside, it can be just as... MORE
Rod... Nigel may be right (probably is because his reasons are sound) but, go the "inexpensive" Cap'n Bob's suggestion first because grease in the steering rack will cause the same symptoms of heavy steering and an unwillingness to self- center and it's a lot less expensive fix, in the event!! :):) There is nothing "wrong" with the front end suspension set-up other than it's rather "crude" but Nigel is absolutely correct in that premature wear is caused mainly by a lack of proper maintenance as in not following factory recommended lubrication schedules. And yes, the king pins (and everything... MORE
Terry... Original manufacturer's workshop manuals do not grow on trees. Here in the States they ran about US60+ when sold new from a dealer way back when they were available in the car's later years. Bentley manuals are usually pretty much of a reprint of the factory maintenance manuals and can be had more cheaply, though at about US50 when new I believe. So it seems to me, the price of L25 is a good deal. Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 26321... MORE
Well, Alan (good morning, BTW!)... The VP3 would be "more" of a cam in the smaller rather than larger bore engines. The shorter the stroke, the more "square" the engine, the more "revability", all else equal (BIG caveat.. the latter!:). So, the long bore stock 1098 wouldn't be a "revver" but man, it has got to be one of the smoothest of all Series A varients with it's "silky" exhaust note. Martyn's 1098 is "built" though. Friend of mine owns an XK140....huge Jaeger gauges....a good 4.5" I believe for tach and/or speedo. Good point on the red lights...which is... MORE
Hi all,is there many of you out there who have used the engine from the marina/ltal for your cars,l have just fitted mine so l had better get on and put the rest of the car together so l can run it.While on this subject and if its a help to any one,l have used a inlet manifold from titon motor sports to mount a carb from an MG metro,but even using that manifold the carb was very close to the bonnet,so l cut 1/4" off the damper piston rod and then put the damper pot in the lathe... MORE
VP3 cam...oh, yeah!!! Martyn, this is about as hot as you can get for the road in a 1275 and still have decent low end for light to medium traffic. In your smaller 1098, it's almost a mild race cam! Hopefully, you have the larger main bearing "cc" engine because this cam's torque curve comes in at about 3200 on a 1275cc+ motor and will pull right through 7,000rpm with larger valves and 1.5 rollers. On my 1340, it would idle very nicely at about 1,000rpm (nice "lopey" sound) and behaved very well using a 45DCOE with a Weber... MORE
Alan Thanks for your quick response, yes, that would make a lot of sense. Sounds like he got a great finish, did he use rubbing compound and a buffer to bring up the shine after the paint had hardened? I agree that Cellulose does take some time to fully harden, about 4-5 weeks I beleive. Nigel "amukdigiphoto" 26281... MORE
I was out yardsaling yesterday (big surprise) and found a Jaeger gauge. This idiot selling it tried to tell me it came out of a GTO. He worked at a wrecking yard, and he took it out of one. Anyway I don't know what car it came in, but it is odd that a Brit gauge would say on the face Jaeger Electronique. That is frog language, isn't it?? BTW, I AM of French heritage, so I can say that! The bezel is 4 1/4" in diameter, and the gauge body is 2 1/2" deep. Any ideas on what... MORE
Sure - you can do a great paint job yourself. There're just a few things to remember. 99% of a good job is in the prep. Take time and do it right. Buy good quality paint. Ask the guy at the auto paint store. Find a reasonably clean place to paint. Use a decent gun and compressor. Don't paint when the humidity is too high or the temp too low. And, finally, don't worry about mistakes spraying. Sandpaper will correct them all for another go... "Jeffrey Holmes" 26255... MORE
"...the job is in the prep...." Correctomundo, Mssr. Holmes... Any imperfections in this respect will "show through" the best of paints in short order, once the paint "flows" and "settles". I picked up a Peterson book on painting and followed the directions using pro equipment in a buddy's "spray booth". This was acrylic enamel with poly hardner. First try...excellent job. But, the prep took the better part of 3 months working evenings and a good part of weekends. It came out beautifully and lasted for many, many years in daily driving...ice, snow, salt...the works. I have also had excellent... MORE
Bob Which is precisely the reason I'm painting my car myself. I think you've knocked the nail on the head, you CAN GET superb results using professional sprayers, but at a cost, and that cost is significant as you have pointed out. Long gone are the days you could get a decent respray for under 1k USD. This is partly because many of the 'pro's' will not guarantee a respray unless they do the prep and primer work, and of course as we all know, that part of the respray takes a considerable amount of time. The pro's over... MORE
And that would be the guy that wants 4-5,000 to paint a Bugeye that has been striped down to bare metal twice, takes the doors and the bonnet off, so he can paint it better, then when he reinstalls them, chips the paint. I am begining to think that I expect it to be "Perfect" and then I wax it and find all the flaws. I think clearcoat can be touched up and I have both a big and small sprayer, so may try the next coat myself in the carport. It can't be any worse than the professionals... MORE
The only reason that I am using the "professionals" is that they have a spray booth. I painted a Datsun P/U that I used to have and it came out great. I still have the compresser, and paint sprayers. I wanted a real good job, and I got ...... Bob, Troutdale, OR "Robert Webb" 26236... MORE
Car painted all 4 times with Chromabase 911 red & Clearcoat. Hardtop with Cromabase 817 white & Clearcoat. #1 Bought car, rolling chassie, in primer, so had painted (painter # 1) 5 months & paint job 7 out of 10. (I paid for this one) #2 Assembled car, Scratches, door chips from adjusting doors & Bonnet, etc... (Painter # 2) (I paid for this one too) #3 Runs in clearcoat, chips, spots on hardtop...(Painter # 3, # 2 in jail for drugs & driving without a licence) (No charge) #4 Runs in clearcoat & chips (Painter #3) Hardtop looks... MORE
Anyone in South East England on an MGB ring as well as this one. Got a person at work seeking an original and nice MGC roadster. Know of any? No rubbish but he appreciates it might have had to be restored. So many he has seen have been subject to the 'filler and respray' restoration then advertised as condition 2. Well the paint job might be but underneath is a different story. Terry "terry.isherwood" 26226... MORE
Hey guys, I am thinning out the heard(sniff...sniff!) as I am moving the hell outa the SF bay area to Fresno! I canactually afford to buy a house there(and get to work on and eventually my Girlfriend(fiance)'s dad's bugeye....so...here goes..later on I will get an early sprite of some sort(sooner than later, but the less to move/store the better..may e selling teh westfalia too..) 1963 Midget Right hand drive Roll-bar origional colour green, but been red most of life I think, currently hot rod black primer good running engine, drivetrain, suspension needs to be gone through as usual the... MORE
David I sympathise, I've been there. My current restoration efforts are at the second attempt. I did start working on the car about 13 years ago and welded in the new inner and outer sill and footwell side panel and had the new floor in position but not welded. I soon found other distractions and never went back to it! I only really, early this year, garnered the enthusiasm to get back to it. The only inspiration I can offer is to think of the car as 'sections of work' rather than an entire mass of 'things to do'.... MORE
Colin, Alan, etal, The combustion chamber on the 295 head should be 28.3cc according to the 'factory' specs. I tried cc'ing my 12G295 head and got 28 + cc's. The syringe I used was only gradulated in cc's so what the + factor was I'm not sure. It took more than 28 cc's and less than 29cc's. That measurement plus the deck height measurement you provided told me the one I have hasn't been shaved/machined/milled. Biff Jones '59 Bugeye, 'Kermit' '62 Sprite, 'Ole Gray' '71 Midget, 'Freebie' http://sprites2.homestead.com/ "Biff" 26222... MORE
I have a restored 60 Bugeye that I bought from a P.O. that had stripped, primmered the body, and installed the disc brakes, rear end, and brake system(new), had the engine, transmission, rear end rebuilt, bought ALL NEW chrome and glass for the car. I am self employed at an obscene hourly wage, so I don't work very much ($100.00 hr), so I had my car painted and then I assembled, re- painted, Bought & painted hardtop, re-painted car, repainted car & hardtop, in 14 months with a total cost (me + P.O.) of 18,000 in parts and labor... MORE
Nigel, Couldn't agree more. Concours isn't worth the effort. Like you, I bought my car to drive. I've loved LBC's since I was a kid. I actually bought and drove a '69 Triumph GT6+ when I was 19 and have been hooked ever since. Had to sell it after 9 months for the college fund but I sure wish I had it today. Unlike you however, I always planned a non-original car. In my opinion, driveability is somewhat compromised by MG technology which is a polite way of dissing Lucas. My best improvement to the car was dumping the... MORE
Colin at sprite parts wrote I happen to have a brand new 12G295 head, still in the BMC wax paper. So I measured it for you. It is exactly 2.754" thick. So, That means it's just inside the drawing tolerance of 2.75" +/- 0.005" However,Colin The depth dimension of the combustion chamber - could you give us a dimension of this please. ,( which is more critical to find out out if the engine face has been machined) In fact any dimensions for a brand new head would be useful. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I include part of an email I sent... MORE
Biff... The combusion chambers came stock with a certain cc capacity from the factory. This then, is the important number in terms of what is used for figuring compression ratio along with other factors of course. Eduardo, Aptfast or any of the other "usual suspects" would have the exact original factory "numbers", sir. Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 26198... MORE
I have two questions mostly revolving around the same issue involving my 3.9 diff I'll be transplanting to my Bugeye project. Has anyone on the list rebuilt a differential and if so how was the crushable spacer handled as I don't see this as a part that can be ordered from the normal sources. Second question, If I just replace the diff pinion oil seal how is the torque to the pinion nut handled? It's torqued to 140 ft/lbs but doesn't that have the potential to further crush that spacer? Ok, I'm going to take advantage of the list... MORE
Good news, my baby is sitting on the drive looking rather nice. I was goin g to replace the outer sills my self until I was quoted =A3100 a side, incl uding painting by a local garage. Since I am at work full time I said do i t. That was at the begining of the year. It was done as a fill in when th e guy was not busy, or on holiday. Then it grew to repairs to the inner si lls, footwell side panels, a new wing, repairs to the A posts and rear wing s,... MORE
