MAIN
Specifications
Previous Page | Next Page
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
Ok, thanks everyone for your input, - all taken on board. - The general consensus seems to be mixed, but slightly favouring the lever-arms if they are rebuilt to a better-than-original spec. And nobody seems to have used Moss's telescopic kit, just the Frontline one which is also worth knowing. My initial concern had been based on two things: 1. From word of mouth from other car folk that had bought 'uprated' lever arms in the 70's that had then leaked after a year or so, and even recently someone told me about a recently refurbished one leaking after... MORE
Ok, thanks everyone for your input, - all taken on board. - The general consensus seems to be mixed, but slightly favouring the lever-arms if they are rebuilt to a better-than-original spec. And nobody seems to have used the Moss telescopic kit, just the Frontline one which is also worth knowing. My initial concern had been based on two things: 1. From word of mouth from other car folk that had bought 'uprated' lever arms in the 70's that then leaked after a year or so, and even recently someone told me about a recently refurbished one leaking after... 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
Hi Colin- 1/2" travel at slave? Is this true of an early 70's 1275 model as well? Would like to make sure mine is "up to spec". Thanks much.....Paul "dfwip" 28044... 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
An LCB is an awful lot easier to fit to a Midget than a Mini. The only potential problem area is the hole where it has to go past the chassis rail; you might need to relieve the flange on one side to get the manifold to fit. The MG Metro inlet manifold will fit but there might possibly be carb/bonnet clearance issues (not 100% sure about this bit) There are several other alternative manifolds for a single 1" SU though, if this is a problem. Regards David PS reading recommendations should include David Vizard's 'Bible'! 27974... MORE
"1.75 SU bulge" Not if you buy the "correct" Titan manifold as provided over here by non other than Vizard's partner in crime, the "other" David at www.aptfast.com Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 27979... 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
Wouldn't a US spec '77 have a Zenith/Stromberg carb not SUs, so no external fuel feed to the jet? Sorry I don't know enough to offer any further advice though. David "David Jacobs" 27962... MORE
Hi, Alan... With respect to correctly sized LCB.... for the stock and/or short cammed engine (with largest Mickey D's in one hand and Vizard's book in the other) in a word NO, not in and of itself with respect to the stock engine, or even as part of a free flow system, unless you are cruising the highways at 70+ most of the time. For a trifle more power... The short 3-1 is better for fuel economy below the rpms associated with tooling around town and driving applications wherein rpm's associated with the above paragraph aren't likely to be... MORE
The height legislation was to do with the bumpers themselves. The performance/handling is a very good reason to leave them off (it's equivalent to about a 5 bhp increase, considering the improved power to weight ratio!) so a bit of time spent grinding off the front mountings is well worth it, especially since you already have chrome bumper front wings Are your CB wings original BL ones or pattern ones? The arch radius should be the same for both CB and RB cars. As I said earlier, the mountings are slightly different, so you would probably need to lower... MORE
G'day Paul I agree with everything Rex said. But after 20 minutes of running at 2,500 to 3,000 rpm and then 10 minutes of silence, I retorque the head and adjust the tappets. And I dump the oil and change the filter right then. There are ALWAYS some metal filings floating around in there, from when the block was re-bored etc, and after 20 minute of running they should all be in the oil by now. I don't want them floating around in the oil and through the bearings for another 500 miles, so I refresh the oil and... MORE
Peter, Right you are. I wondered if anyone would realize that the distributor drive gear is connected to the camshaft which actually turns the oil pump. Lots of wasted time doing it this way if you ask me. Its your money.....I heard of one fellow that hooked up a presurized bug spray can with oil in it to the oil gauge feed pipe or something and pumped oil through his engine before starting. I heard it killed bugs for miles when he drove by for years afterwards. LOL Really, I think that this is to anal for a common... MORE
Paul, Yes, there is a proper way to break in your engine. The first 20 min will tell if your engine will live a long life or die at an early age. Lots of people have differant ideas on how to run it in for the first 1000 miles. I will tell you how I do it at work and what I reccomend to my customers. When we go to start up a new one we always go through the same check list. All fluids up to specs. Gravity fill the oil cooler if installed. Make sure the fuel... MORE
yes, it's not too difficult a job; it's even possible to do the valve stem seals (is that what you mean?) with the head still on, though paradoxically it's probably trickier to do that way. There are no particular pitfalls I can think of, just make sure the engine's cold before you loosen anything, get a workshop manual for torqueing the nuts up in the right order, oh, and don't forget to refit the little bypass hose between the head and water pump *before* you screw the head down. Regards David "David Jacobs" 27776... MORE
"Sounds like you put a long bolt where a short one should go" Boy...this just lit up a bulb. There are two short screws behind the crankshaft timing chain pulley on the front face of the block. If one of thesse screws is a tad too long or is not fully home into the block, it will foul the crankshaft pulley. This may or may not be the source of the problem but just remembered this so thought I would "put it out there" for consideration. Hope you find the culprit, hope it's something simple and easily fixed, and... MORE
I need help. Here's what happened. Began restoration about 10 years ago. Thought it would go faster than it did, so early on I had the engine done. It was built by Dave Tabor of Comptune, the guys who built all the SCCA champ 1275 motors. Anyway, I told Dave I wanted a 1967 street spec high compression engine. I know he used a factory crank and cam. I believe he used aftermarket pistons that he preferred with a compression of about 8.9 to 1. He used a factory non-emission head, redone to run unleaded. Job was completed many... MORE
anything's possible, but the hassle of using a FWD engine is probably too much :- you can't use the crank, as the Metro has a tail that the flywheel/clutch mounts on, where the Spridget has a flange; the rear main bearing/oil 'seal' area is quite a bit different too (it can be modified to suit, given suitable engineering facilities) the front and rear engine plates are different; I *think* the oil pickup is different because of the Transmission-In-Sump, but I wouldn't swear to this; So basically, there's loads of detail differences that make it a tricky swap and you'd... MORE
Hi there - A Newbie here. I am wondering - is it possible to fit a 1275cc A series engine block from a Metro into an A.H. Sprite? I assume being an A-Series block it 'should' be possible - but I've head various stories of possible complications. What exactly is involved in performing this transplant? I only ask because a relation has offered me a VERY low mileage Metro (1275cc), with known history for FREE, but I need to act quickly otherwise it will be scrapped!!! Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance, T. W. P.S. I... MORE
My edition of David Vizard's book basically mentions the 12G206 head but goes on to ignore it as it is now very rare, even compared to the 12G295 which is pretty scarce now. The latter casting is the one he describes in detail. So I suppose the answer to Martin's question is "yes, it is worth the money, if you are selling one; no, it isn't if you are buying one!" Regards David "David Jacobs" 27650... MORE
I have listened to all the talk of hoisting the engine out of the car using the ceiling joists in the garage. The typical 2x4 ceiling joist on 24" centers gives a 10 pounds per square foot live load and 5 pound per square foot dead load at a max span of 9' 10" for Southern Pine #2. If you have Eastern or Western SPF it is less. The typical garage is wider than 9' 10" so you are working with much less strength if you have a conventionally framed garage. Engineered wood trusses may be damaged doing this... MORE
OK guys need some feed back on the 12G206 casting cylinder head, is it really worth the money for the 948? Per David Vizard it is touted as the best one for BMC A series engines up to 1000 cc has anyone used one and is it worth the price? Marty Cooper Martin Cooper 27630... MORE
Duncan I'm not really sure either, but I think it's by 'application' ie what car they were fitted to. eg AUD136 was fitted to the Midget MkII, 1098, 1964 and AH Sprite MKIII 1963/4 and MKIII, 1968/9 Needle sizes were RICH H6, STD AN, Weak GG Blue Spring Colour AUD266 was fitted to the Midget MkIII, 1275 USA spec 1968 Needle sizes were STD AN, Blue Spring AUD328 was fitted to the Midget MKIII, 1275 USA spec, 1968/9 Needle sizes were STD AAC, Blue Spring From what I can tell all the HS2 throttle sizes were 1/1/4. All info... MORE
From: amukdigiphoto [mailto: amukdigiphoto@... ] Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 5:46 AM To: midgetsprite@yahoogroups.com Subject: [midgetsprite] Re: SU Question Duncan I'm not really sure either, but I think it's by 'application' ie what car they were fitted to. eg AUD136 was fitted to the Midget MkII, 1098, 1964 and AH Sprite MKIII 1963/4 and MKIII, 1968/9 Needle sizes were RICH H6, STD AN, Weak GG Blue Spring Colour AUD266 was fitted to the Midget MkIII, 1275 USA spec 1968 Needle sizes were STD AN, Blue Spring AUD328 was fitted to the Midget MKIII, 1275 USA spec, 1968/9 Needle sizes... MORE
