Tremelune
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Forgive my ruminations. Winter wears heavy on New York City.
In the middle of researching NA Miatas I realized something—I don't want a Miata! I just want my '65 Sprite to always work! Yes, yes, part of the car's character and charm is in its delightful quirks, but it's not my only needy toy, and never will be. The effective result is that I have a car in a valuable garage spot that I've put roughly 50 miles on in five years, despite it being the most fun one I have to drive. I'm no collector. To me this is a tragedy.
What I am is rather pragmatic (if ignorant) engineer. What good is a charming car that you don't drive? This has since led me down even crazier avenues than the Miata...
Pathway into Darkness - Imagine an LBC with a 1.0L Ford EcoBoost. A turbo 3-cylinder motor that puts out 120hp and weighs less than any motor BMC ever put in a car. I get giddy imagining it. I do not get giddy imagining what it would be like to mount this motor in a Sprite, mate it to some or other transmission, and see what it does to the rear diff. I also wonder about gearing and the general perils of owning a Sprite that could reach 100mph. I'm just dumb enough to see what it's like.
Back to the Future - Across the pond, in a strange imperial land, these 50-year-old motors continued in production right up to the cusp of the 21st century. I wonder greatly what it would take to install a Rover 1.3i motor in place of my 1098cc motor. Weight and power would not improve much, but that's fine. What it would buy me would be glorious modern fuel injection. Is this a bolt-up operation or are these motors way more different from their predecessors than I'm giving them credit for?
Enhance - Modern EFI kit to bolt onto my existing 1098cc? I've never messed with MegaSquirt, et al...
A Bland Rational - I could, of course, try and fix whatever is causing my motor to run rough and stall out at temps above 180°F and plod along as per usual, hoping for the best. I just have this feeling that I'll never get to turn-key reliability from any carburetor, even with an electronic ignition. I've owned too many motorcycles. Yes, yes, your SU carbs are extremely reliable if you just get them adjusted perfectly, keep everything clean, adjust the points every season, and try to avoid moist air, stopped traffic, and disagreeable temperatures...I have enjoyed months of (somewhat) trouble-free operation, but California has that effect on classic cars. We now reside in a ruthless area, and the result is unfortunate confinement.
If the motor never gave me another issue for the life of the car, it would still have plenty of charm left in the suspension, defrost, lighting, wheel bearings, transmission, final drive, et al...So. How crazy am I in my desires?
In the middle of researching NA Miatas I realized something—I don't want a Miata! I just want my '65 Sprite to always work! Yes, yes, part of the car's character and charm is in its delightful quirks, but it's not my only needy toy, and never will be. The effective result is that I have a car in a valuable garage spot that I've put roughly 50 miles on in five years, despite it being the most fun one I have to drive. I'm no collector. To me this is a tragedy.
What I am is rather pragmatic (if ignorant) engineer. What good is a charming car that you don't drive? This has since led me down even crazier avenues than the Miata...
Pathway into Darkness - Imagine an LBC with a 1.0L Ford EcoBoost. A turbo 3-cylinder motor that puts out 120hp and weighs less than any motor BMC ever put in a car. I get giddy imagining it. I do not get giddy imagining what it would be like to mount this motor in a Sprite, mate it to some or other transmission, and see what it does to the rear diff. I also wonder about gearing and the general perils of owning a Sprite that could reach 100mph. I'm just dumb enough to see what it's like.
Back to the Future - Across the pond, in a strange imperial land, these 50-year-old motors continued in production right up to the cusp of the 21st century. I wonder greatly what it would take to install a Rover 1.3i motor in place of my 1098cc motor. Weight and power would not improve much, but that's fine. What it would buy me would be glorious modern fuel injection. Is this a bolt-up operation or are these motors way more different from their predecessors than I'm giving them credit for?
Enhance - Modern EFI kit to bolt onto my existing 1098cc? I've never messed with MegaSquirt, et al...
A Bland Rational - I could, of course, try and fix whatever is causing my motor to run rough and stall out at temps above 180°F and plod along as per usual, hoping for the best. I just have this feeling that I'll never get to turn-key reliability from any carburetor, even with an electronic ignition. I've owned too many motorcycles. Yes, yes, your SU carbs are extremely reliable if you just get them adjusted perfectly, keep everything clean, adjust the points every season, and try to avoid moist air, stopped traffic, and disagreeable temperatures...I have enjoyed months of (somewhat) trouble-free operation, but California has that effect on classic cars. We now reside in a ruthless area, and the result is unfortunate confinement.
If the motor never gave me another issue for the life of the car, it would still have plenty of charm left in the suspension, defrost, lighting, wheel bearings, transmission, final drive, et al...So. How crazy am I in my desires?
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