There is a sweet spot for modified Sprites, that makes for improved performance in every category without breaking other components. Sure, you can put in 200 HP, but then you’ll need to address the strength of the rear end, and other components.
[Read more…] about Supercharged, five speed walk around tour & video!
They get no respect. Water inevitably gets in your engine oil and sits on the sheet metal under the oil. Hard to believe that such a well-lubricated tray could rust from above, but the water sits below the oil and does the damage. (Remember, you need to change your oil at least once per year to get the water and sludge out. Even though you add quarts of oil through the season, you still have to change it.)
[Read more…] about Be kind to your oil pan
The 948 Sprite engine is a delightful little powerplant, and it works just fine for noodling around country roads, or for running up to the grocery store, or for taking the long way home. But it was designed in an era where there was no such thing as a 500 horsepower new car that you could buy from the local car dealer. It was designed when the everyday bloke had some free time, and didn’t have to rush home to check his instagram account. It was designed during a moment in history when 46 horsepower worked just fine.
[Read more…] about Keeping up with the Joneses
With supply chain issues and pandemic closures, it sometimes feels like the world is broken right now. But we had a jump on everyone else… British classic car world was broken long before the pandemic arrived. Our day is spent with broken things, and our job is to figure out efficient ways to keep everything moving forward nonetheless.
[Read more…] about Broken things scoreboard
I call this display our Rusty Swan Manifesto.
These are quarter elliptical springs from Greg’s Bugeye, which, as you might remember from last week’s post, were found to be sagging and rusty. Here’s how they look on the floor once Terry extracted them. One great way to make peace with messes like these is to call them art.
We cleaned out the spring pockets, rust-proofed them and loaded in new springs and shims. The photos below show the result. The available springs are all too tall but our wedges fix that issue, so Greg’s car now looks and rides right!
[Read more…] about Bugeye SwanPinion seals, (like everything else in our world), leak.
We change a lot of them. And while the $2.49 seal this is often a great solution (click here if you need one), we all need to be very aware that there is often more to the story. The seal is only part of the battle. What rides on the seal is often the issue.
[Read more…] about Pinion Minion
