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MG Midget and Sprite General - Ace tomorrow?

Weather forecast looks good.
Anyone else going to be there?
Matt1275Bucks

I plan on coming (see post in the events section).

--- Josh
J Levine

yes

cooling system allowing of course

we got rather warm sat idling in a deerpark in Lincs yesterday when the fan switch forgot to turn on...

:)
Bill 1

Almost certain I'm coming as well
Geoff Mears

I'm back and I'll be going althougfh the started motor (only 2 years old) is on it's last legs but I suppose that the high compression engine is just a bit too much for it.
If anyone who's coming to the Ace happens to have a spare spring for the carb and can bring it along, I'd be most grateful as I lent my spare one to a Frogeye in france and mine snapped on the way home!
Gary & Gaps

hif 44 or std twin su?
or are you after throttle return springs. I may have a hif 44 in my box.
Matt1275Bucks

I'm after one or two springs which you might fine on twins to act as auxilary support for the existing spring and also to enable me to have a heavier pedal. Any spring (with a hook at each) end will do.
Gary & Gaps

Yes, I meant throttle return springs.
Gary & Gaps

Sorry, drawn a blank on those.
See you tomorrow anyway.
Matt1275Bucks

Gary won't be there but I think I have a pocketful somewhere and can post you some - after all, got to help the poor man who chose the wrong event to go to!!!!

Email me your addy if you want them - have to take a trip to the post sometime soon anyway.
rachmacb

No need Rach but very many thanks for the kind offer. Mr ebay has 3 winging their way to me anyday soon.
Gary & Gaps

Good oh - and no worries, you're welcome. Good old ebay :)
rachmacb

I've found a short one which MAY be what you want. It was part of my old twin carb set up but not sure what job it did. I'll bring it tonight on a just in case basis.
Geoff Mears

Superb, I will probably only be able to get there around 7.
Don't suppose that any of you would be able to give me a hand tweaking the mixture on my carbs?!

Cheers,
-- Josh
J Levine

That may well do Geoff.
Josh, I'm sure that those present (me excluded) will be able to help).
Gary & Gaps

OK

leaving now


later guys
Bill 1

Great, Looking forward to meeting you all.
I will be the young guy with a dirty white Midget 1500, with a hood held together with duct-tape!
Will probably park outside so that I can sneak away before it is too late.

-- Josh
J Levine

Great meeting last night, about fourteen or fifteen Spridgets and an assortment of Bs and Cs.



Aston Martin Vantage, lowered Hunter Estate and a dinky sized Fiat 600 amongst the rest. Several of the Imp family there to catch my eye too, I loves a Imp.

(When I excavate my camera from the travel debris in the car I will pop a couple of pictures in here)

Plus a wonderful melange of classics, usual "summertime" full car park by 7 o'clock. Geoff and I got there sometime after 5 o'clock-ish and upset the fuehrer for parking ourselves whilst he had his dinner, he wanted us up by the doors. oh dear…

Good to see so many from here and who'd been and enjoyed the day out at Burghley' plus Gary fresh back from France but minus Gaps whose starter motor has given up the ghost.

Josh's car was fine, very untouched just a few rustspecks in the usual places and he had set his own mixture before arriving. Ran nicely and had a steady tickover.

Josh check the oil in your dashpots, should be engine oil rather than a lightweight 3-in-one type. I kinda suspect that the funny rise in revs when we pushed down the wings was the pistons rising and dropping as we did it, just as if the oil is too thin.

Or missing entirely!


Had a good steady drive down with Geoff, feels odd driving in convoy though.

Doesn't feel so good when driving back in the dark we were pushed off the M40 in and back out again at Oxford.

Not too nice when we'd been back on the M'way for a while to have the red car in front flip up "something red" that smashed the drivers door mirror and left a humungous dint in the front of the mirror shell. I had a visual impression of "red", darned if I have a clue what it were though.

Still it missed me and I do have two other mirrors in the car
Bill 1

you could also use this in the dashpots - http://www.sucarb.co.uk/productDetail.aspx?id=26524

topping up the dashpots is in the owners Handbook :)

Bill,
some photos and a link to more (towards the end) here - http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=140&t=382447&mid=39637&i=3520&nmt=COOL+CLASSIC+CAR+SPOTTERS+POST%21%21%21&mid=39637
N Atkins

Good to meet you all last night, thanks for all the advice.
Got to see some amazing cars, including a very scary Lotus 7.
The dashpots are filled with the proper SU oil, so I don't know what the funny revving was.
Noticed some interesting tach movement on the way back, so there may be some impending electrical problem, think I will be switching to electronic ignition (or modern capacitors instead of those dodgy condensers) soon!
The plan is it put some more miles on it, and then break out the shorter springs and lowering blocks...
Having seen the Ford Model T, my friend is hoping to bring the 1902 James and Browne that he helps keep, it is a mascot (along with an assortment of other interesting old vehicles) for Imperial College where we study.

-- Josh
J Levine

Josh, good to hear your dashpots are full, check the Handbook for correct level as many overfill them (1" down from top IIRC)

as you say you might have electrical problems or just a worn gauge but do a proper diagnostics to find the fault(s) don't assume the cause, many threads or future help on here

if the Seven was scary then it's more likely to b a Westfield or Caterham or kit based car - unless my mate's got his scary Westie back and he's not told me yet - photos needed :)
N Atkins

I will indeed do a proper diagnostic, fortunately I am good with the electrical stuff.
Definitely a Lotus, I have tracked down some pictures in the linked gallery:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150212662121837&set=a.10150212659356837.312472.596176836&type=1
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150212660026837&set=a.10150212659356837.312472.596176836&type=1

-- Josh
J Levine

I cannot get into any of these facebook links



Sorry

The Scary Lotus has a 1500 Xpag (?) engine and no bodywork behind its rear axle except a curvaceous mudguard full width

A tremendous car but not a Caterfield of any description

(and I didnt get a picture, too busy yapping…)



anyway

a couple of mine

poor shot into the sunlight

Bill 1

'nother

Bill 1

other 'nother

Bill 1

mo' stuff

Geoff's car with travelling companion

Bill 1

could I keep up with this?

doubt it

These were trés vite in the day

wonderful wheels too

Bill 1

As usual the car park was "as full as an egg"

A great evening for a drive

Bill 1

Apologies to Josh

Bill,
I got a feeling I should know but what are the model details of the SIMCA in the last (but one now) photo?

and why are all these Spridgets so good, it's just so unfair (rattle out of pram now)
N Atkins

I rather think that was a Renault, didn't go very close but isn't that a diamond shaped badge ;)

A quick dose of Wiki suggests Renault 8/10 maybe a Gordini from the "set" of it on its wheels.
Bill 1

Bill I first thought Renault because of the badge type thing but my brain argued with me, if you've Googled it already then I'll argue back with my brain as my brain is quite weak
N Atkins

Did I understand that correctly?

If you lean on the wing he engine speeds up?
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

TBH I heard some guy say Simca last night then a "oh no it isn't"

Saw the Renault badge but didn't go round the back to hunt a model number or name…

So it isnt the brain faded, just a reasonable misidentification.

Wonder if he has the Driver's manual?
Bill 1

I think it was, bouncing the nearside wing made the engine speed up.
I do have a very long throttle cable, so it could have been that swinging around.

-- Josh
J Levine

Why were you bouncing around on the wing? when you were tuning the carbs? :)
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

Bob

no-one tuned any carbs, 'cos Josh had the car purring nicely by the time he came to the Ace

We bounced the front wing as he was concerned at how soft the suspension was

The oddity was that each time we did the revs rose fractionally then settled, for all the world as if the lift pegs had been moved a tad under the dashpots

Even holding the throttle cable whilst we pressed down it still happened


Which was why I wondered whether the pistons had maybe stayed still for a fraction of a second as the car went down, then dropped down in place again

Amazing what you think about driving up an unlit motorway in a fitful moonlight
Bill 1

>>Wonder if he has the Driver's manual?<<
yet another reason to have the owners Handbook, so you know what make and model the car is :)

perhaps you've bounced something loose on Josh's car, if anything goes on the car now that'll be the reason - how can you sleep at night knowing this
N Atkins

I always sleep well Nigel

I'm old :)

actually another thought, maybe one carb surging if the float level rises for a second

Josh bring it back in August for the next visit

lol
Bill 1

Josh don't Bill's only going to bounce the other wing to balance it out :)
N Atkins

nope, someone else can bounce it next time

I told you

I'M OLD!

:)
Bill 1

I reckon if Josh took those big rubber "dampers" he's got on at the front and back he could have pogoed home!
Anyhow at the price he paid I think we'd all be forming a queue!
Good to see one and all. Repeat next month?
Matt1275Bucks

August I think

Good to see you too
Bill 1

Currently pricing up hi-torque starters (see the other thread).
Gary & Gaps

This thread was discussed between 13/06/2011 and 16/06/2011

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