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My '65 Riviera blue Midget has an original white removable hardtop which seals out the weather just fine - and it is quiet. I love the hard top and I do use it a lot here in Pennsylvania when the weather isn't so nice. Warning - they aren't light (the original ones at least.) When it's off the car it is very easy to carry around by yourself but you can't reach far enough over the car from any direction to be able to simply lift it on or off by yourself - it isn't a one man job... MORE
Otherwise known as killed spirits if my brain cells are connected right. I'll have a quick look in the book. Not recomended for electrical work though. R "Roger Stinson" 28288... MORE
Steve It's not an easy book to get hold of for some reason. I didn't even know it existed until I happened to spot one on ebay.co.uk by chance and got it. I think Amazon do have copies of it. I wouldn't normally advocate buying all books on Midgets and Sprites (lot of crap ones out there and the Lindsay Porter one is now very dated) but I've found this one to be invaluable for advice and reference, and pretty much rely on it exclusively now I'm almost at the 'fitting' up stage. Like most books you'll come across... MORE
Brad, I work for Sears and was in the tool dept. until recently. It is possible that Sears Parts may carry what you need if you haven't already tried them. Any Sears store can give you the phone number. Rob C Webfoot Leisure.com rob@... 630-841-6077 robbiesg@... 28273... MORE
'Restoring Sprites and Midgets - an Enthusiasts Guide' by Grahame Bristow (Brooklands Books) Nigel, Checked the garage library at noon and don't have a copy. Thanks for the check list, I'll see if I can get a copy of the book before I get too far. Steve Quandt Steve Quandt 28272... MORE
Steve Woohoo! Many congrats. I don't think I am ahead of you Steve, I'm just finishing off the final primer coats on the passenger side wing ready for colour - that will be the last 'bit' on the car that needs to be colour coated. I still have both doors, bootlid and bonnet to colour coat as well. I don't know if you have this book or not - 'Restoring Sprites and Midgets - an Enthusiasts Guide' by Grahame Bristow (Brooklands Books) but it really is a very useful book in terms of reassembly. It's been written with the... MORE
questionable "quality of rebuilds" Exactly, Nigel...this and the cost of new ones. And even the new ones of today are not done with the modern materials used by Peter C., which make his rebuilt levers even better than new! The ONLY thing against even Peter's levers is the inherently designed-in single rate response characteristic, a variable rate being preferred on normal roads (except limited access surfaces) as opposed to the relatively smooth surfaces of the track considering the speeds these cars produce under racing circumstances which most racers would proably agree, makes the seemingly "smooth" track surface rough enough... 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
Nigel, I paid $300 USD to triple chrime bumper plus both overriders. Not cheap, but it was a good job. Need to be careful with "neighborhood" chrome and metal re-finisher shops. Most BEs don't have a front bumper, and I personally think it makes the car. Alex "Alex del Russo" 28075... 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
Bill... We have a guy on the autox list (Jay Fishbein) who is in the insurance biz. This question has been asked many times before. He warns, with respect to "cheating" on terms, if you go "off the reservation" you're strictly on your own as the cards are with house and they have seen and know every trick in the book. They are insuring the car under a specific set of operating conditions. If these conditions are not met in your use of the vehicle, it is for all practical purposes....uninsured. The foregoing having been said, I have no... MORE
You don't need any other reading material other than the 'bible'! And I've also heard problems of bonnet clearance with that manifold and a 1 =3D=0D 3/4 SU, you may have to make a 'bulge' in it - eek ! Nigel "amukdigiphoto" 27978... 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
Zappa? Is that you Zappa? Leak is most likely caused by a sticking fuel float inlet valve. It may have a bit of grit in it. They are easy to replace, but try cleaning it first. Another likely culprit is the short length of flexible plastic tube that connects from the base of the carburetta bowl to the main jet. They come loose and leak at the bowl end. There should be a small neoprene washer, a brass washer and a gland nut. Don't overtighten the gland nut, but do make sure the pipe is pushed well into the... MORE
Without having the benefit of Vizards book along side of me. Cap'n Bob. Are tubular LCB manifolds worth the presumed hassle of fitting. I know they were a real B*st*rd to fit into a mini , apart from the noise I didn't really notice humungous amounts of increased performance. Given exhaust gas velocity exiting from a ported head (now that desription could apply to some listers LOL) is a LCB worth fitting along with a stainless straight through pipe with a single silencer? (Mufflers are what women use to keep their dannies and neck warm !) Or is the... 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
Nigel / Biff Thanks for the relies, I agree with you Nigel it isn't really worth mocking your own panels I spent a day making the riser brackets which I could have bought for 22 pounds. The main reason I make my own is to develop my metalworking and welding skills before I let myself loose on the important structural parts of my project car. The other advantage is that not all the repair panels are exact replicas of the original (even the good quality ones) either in exact design or metal thickness. I was very interested in Nigel's... 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
I should ask the guys at work, but I'm on holiday 'til the 5th Jan. so I'll ask you guys. Because of the action of the rods and pistons, doesn't the sump / crankcase, suck as well as blow? I know two strokes use this phenomena to suck in petroil / air mixture then transfer it by blowing it to the head ready for combustion. Alan BTW - Isn't it noticible that the number of posts have reduced during the holiday, which leads me to think that most group members use their PC at work to correspond. I bet... MORE
Lessee... The combustion process sucks, squeezes, bangs and blows...and... yep...the crankcase sucks and blows... definitely a two-way street! :) Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 27897... MORE
BECKERS states (in part).. "....it lowers fuel octane anyway" Yeah, this is true and a tough one to call (except in a high compression motor or when higher octanes are available at reasonable cost) against crankcase evacuation of vapors/pressures with respect to oil being forced passed seals or out the rear scroll "seal". But it's basically why I run "vented" instead of "evacuated", the thought of introducing oil (in any amount) into the combustion process "going against the grain" personally, though there are cases (Judson and to a lesser extent, Shorrocks applications) where this comes with the territory so... MORE
G'day Peter C I pack the oil pump with black moly grease (Molybdenum Disulphide). The oil picks up straight away, the moly does no harm at all to the bearings etc, and it all gets dumped out 30 minutes later anyway. Yes, I know you can prime the pump through the hole in the left rear corner, but my thumb get sore pushin down the plunger on that oil can. Now here's another way of priming the pump. You know where the oil line goes into the rear of the block on the right hand side? Well directly below... 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
