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hello to group i must say that i do not have a sprite/ midget at this time but i have owned over 30 british cars in the past and loved them all, with the only brit in the stable at this time being a 1961 109 land rover wag.iam here to ask for some help with one of my more unusual restoration projects ,im looking for a rear end that will fit in the fenderwells of my 1946 crosley wag.is there some one in the group that can give me some help with demensions from face of brake drum... MORE
Hello group, I would like to top off the shocks on my 67 Austin Healy Sprite and 74 MGB. If my memory serves me correctly Moss Motors sells it but it should be a common staple at the local Auto Parts Store. What is it ? Thanks Just B Crusin crfkingfish@... 25577... MORE
The calipers are of uncertain age but were certainly in full working condition when they came off, discs have only done circa 150mls and pads approx 500mls. I replaced with Peter May big brake conversion. Anti tramps are the standard Moss items only been on the car for circa 3mths then changed rear suspension Make me a fair offer and suggest a method of transit dont know what post office max weight is. regards Peter. "Peter Whittle" 25572... MORE
I am having a bit of a clear out. All the following items are from 1972 1275 Midget which I have rebuilt for Hill Climbing Pair of Seats with head rests new covers serviceable but really need refurbishing 5 Rostyle wheels original distributor pair of SU on manifold with air cleaner original steering wheel front brakes callipers, new discs, hardly touched green stuff pads anti tramp bars complete kit effectively unused Make me an offer Based in Leeds UK "Peter Whittle" 25549... MORE
ahummm... Wasn't it a special bolt for the shock mountings regarding the amount of thread? I thought to remember that it only has some thread at the end (1 inch or so). So not really something of the shelf (regardless of the strength)....or can the original ones be replaced by full length threaded bolts without consequences??? Regards, Eeg. Eeg.Oberije@... 25538... MORE
Well, I'll say this: The suspension and other mechanical components were designed a half century ago, and I am unaware of any widespread failures due to underspecification of fasteners. The state of design at that time (no computers) meant that many things were overengineered. I suspect that is true of the fasteners. It is also true that modern grade 8 bolts are *probably* stronger than what was available at that time. If it were my car, I'd have no qualms about using grade 8 in any application except internal engine parts. If you can't sleep with that, you can... MORE
Okay, ED - Here's the story: Grades 5, 8, etc are American designations which were never used in England. I don't know, and you don't either, what strength bolts and in which applications were used in cars of long ago. Maybe some of them were not very strong, but I can assure you that some were very strong. They were often not marked since their use was controlled by part number, and one would have to refer to the parts drawings and the old British Standards to find out exactly what they were. That said, bolts in critical safety-related... MORE
When I replace my front shocks, are grade 5 mounting bolts strong enough or should I buy grade 8 bolts? Nelson 62 Sprite "witstock7" 25480... MORE
Thank you all for your considered reponses! It turns out after considerable investigation that indeed the car has suffered some kind of shunt to the right front.....the car drives very smoothly at 65- 70mph indicating to me that some alignment has been done....however, it still requires some straightening! I hope I can find a qualified shop! I live in Western Massachusetts...any recommendations? Thanks again Dave B. "Dave Bilodeau" 25456... MORE
Martyn.... BTDT. You poor ba$ta-d....and I speak from experience. What we did was pull the tank, pull the sender, find youthful human being with really thin arms (my mechanic's 16 year old was on hand, thank God) and get in there with a long needle nose pliers (or whatever) and wrench the clogged up filter netting right off the steel fuel feed line. This will take a lot of patience to finally get a grip on the stupid thing to the extent you have the leverage to disloge it from it's pipe, unless you get lucky...which I hope you... MORE
Yes depends on how much 'severe' is. As David said, you can rebuild the front end with the bushes of the top trunnion behind (inboard) the kingpin as opposed to in front of it. This gives the sort of negative camber (top of wheel further inboard than bottom) that even the lariest of race cars don't run with. "Jeremy Cogman" 25361... MORE
Dave You really need to find out what is causing the 'severe inward tilt', before you can contemplate fixing it! There is no means of camber adjustment because there is no need to adjust it - if the car is set up correctly it does not need adjustment. Unless you've been in a frontend shunt, or someone has whacked the car on the side in an accident - why would you need to straighten the frame? If you haven't been in an accident recently or whacked that sides wheel on a kerb or know of a PO that bent... MORE
You'll have to just take a looksee. Accident damage? Rusted out? Best scenario - the shock mounting bolts are loose. allowing the wheel to tip inward. Could be rotted out shock rubber bushes. Look for the simple and cheap first. Good luck. "Jeffrey Holmes" 25347... MORE
Well it's about time. My 71 MG is back and refurbed. While it was apart for a new clutch disc, why not put a Datsun 5 speed in it? 266 cam, lite lifters, right springs, new shells on the still-standard crank, Cooper S 163 head with rimflows and ported, 45DCOE, and LCB, with a Kenlowe to cut cooling losses. Cooper S dizzy. I want a merit badge for making the Rivergate kit work. It is not easy for one who must follow directions literally. Much more difficult than it needs to be, for me, anyway. I know many listers... MORE
It seems that nobody will tell you that the problem is caused by the driver's weight (|), and 40 years of sag. Anytime the sprite is driven, it has a driver. How often does it also have a passenger, ie; weight on the drivers side and nothing to counter-balance the car. I agree with the suggestion of reversing the springs fron the passenger side to the drivers side. That will even it out, in another 40 years. Lower the passenger side, I have enough problems with my MK I and clearance of the exhaust system without lowering it. The... MORE
Try just swapping springs (first just rear) from one side to the other. "Jeffrey Holmes" 25329... MORE
Worn springs ? N "amukdigiphoto" 25327... MORE
My Mk 2 Sprite has not been driven for over 30 years and as I continue the resurrection process I have a concern about the steering mechanism. I would like to flush out the old oil in the rack housing but am unsure about how to go about it. Is there a simple way to open it up and just run new oil through it to flush it or would I have to disassemble it completely? I have parts on hand to replace the front brakes with discs so it would not be challenging to remove the steering completely... MORE
Gerard I think you're right, as it stands it really is beyond economic redemption. However, if it was a Frogeye, it would be worth the 50 quid, just for the registration and v5 and chassis number which you could then transplant onto a rebuilt shell and build one up that way. Sadly it isnt a Frogeye so that option isnt available. Nigel "amukdigiphoto" 25291... MORE
Toyman wrtes...."I'll have you know...." Oh you will huh?! :):) I thought you owned a truck, also. Well, next "Tonka win" will be a truck then... I will try to get one with a rifle rack! :) Thanx for the music site...:):) Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 25266... MORE
Bob, Can't add much to your post. The same here. Until you are completely out of the SF bay area, going south more than 55 miles, the idea of just staying in the right lane is near impossible and even then, as you say, people passing someone in the left lanes who are not going the normal 5-10 miles above posted speed come up behind you at 70 plus mile per hour speeds. Then when you do clear city traffic and constant merge lanes and say travel I-5 south to southern California the traffic flow is 80 miles per... MORE
Pretty sure the diff in it is the 4.55, whether its original or not! As for the engine.. its a bored out 1275.. to 1380. although not much more is know about it apart from the idle has always been lumpy and the car went like stink! The car itself was used for hilclimbing, but this was with the original 948 engine taken out to 998. this engine had been tweaked beyond all hope, and a useless road engine as a result (hence the later bigger engine). It has disk brakes on the front, riley 1.5 drums on the... MORE
Dear Listers, After tinkering with my '75 Midget all summer I finally have the beast to some standard of reliability having (knock on wood) cured the lean running problem. My next endeavor is to swap the Stromberg for a pair of SU's and to replace the clutch due to weak springs, I hope. I will probably lighten the flywheel while I'm at it. Since I will be pulling the engine anyway why not address the unsatisfactory gearbox as well. Running 4000 rpm at 65 mph doesn't sound good to me. Unfortunately the 1500 engine doesn't have a nice swap... MORE
Ummmm, not sure of any other issues but offhand I would say that you should be really sure that the rear end is supported "by all means possible"! I hate to think what would happen if some shifting of weight knocks the Midget off its stands while revving to say 60mph?? Steve Steven Michelsen 25123... MORE
You can certainly put a RX7 rotary in a Midget, but you'd better put in the RX7 trans too. There'll be a lot of parts which will have to be fabricated - exhaust, guage hook-ups, cooling, etc, etc, etc. You'll then have a car which will go faster than either the suspension or brakes can safely handle. I'd suggest you just sell the Midget and buy a RX7. "Jeffrey Holmes" 25076... MORE
