59 Sprite Tensioner Rings

[Geo Hahn]

Trying to help a friend but TRs don't have these gadgets so I do not know the answer. Think we're talking about item 48 in this pic:

https://www.mossmotors.com/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=36481

[ QUOTE ]
Tell me the story of tensioner rings. I finally removed the pulley with a series of 3 large C-clamps. Got the idea from viewing the problem from below, while car on lift...interesting.

Found that there was no felt seal left in the timing cover and there were 3 large pieces of what appears to be one tensioner ring. I see them in the blow up of the engine in the manual and in the parts list and in MOSS, but no reference anywhere as to how and where they go. I assume front and back of the cam sprocket. The question is what holds them on...MAGIC?

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Do these just press on? Hard to tell from the old ones when they are in pieces. Any help appreciated. Thanks!

 

[AlanT]

The rubber tension rings go in the slots of the cam gear. Single roller chains have two and double have one (if I remember correctly..It's been about twenty years since I've built a 948 engine)

Alan T

 

[Hap Waldrop]

Tell your friend now would be a good time to update his 948 to double row chain set up, I've got a nice used unit from a 1275, if he is interested. Also I would recommend if it doesn't have the later timing cover with the later seal, to do that as well, and harmonice balancer from the 1275 too is always a nice touch. By interchanging a few items into the 948 from the 1275, you can end up with some better solution for sure and if this is be a concours judged car then many things can be done without anyone knowing.

 

[jlaird]

You know I do not have the tension rings installed. This is the third 948 I have build over the years without them. Has never been a problem with a good chain and gears set up I guess. In fact to tell the truth, this time I just forgot. In the past, long ago you just could not get them.

 

[Geo Hahn]

Thanks for the advice. I don't know which engine he has or whether it is a double or single chain but I'll pass along all comments.

 

[Hap Waldrop]

If it's a 948 and original it's a single row set up, but the double row goes on to it without any mods.

 

[jlaird]

don't you have to replace the bottom bolts with counter sunk ones??

 

[Bugeye58]

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don't you have to replace the bottom bolts with counter sunk ones??

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Yes, Jack, you have to countersink the lower bolts on the front engine plate. If you don't, the crank gear will hit the bolt heads.
Jeff

 

[jlaird]

yep, did that then went with the single new chain, sigh.

 

[Hap Waldrop]

Yep I forgot about the front cover. It's still no trouble though Jack, you just counter sink the two bottom holes in just the front plate and use the counter sunk 1/4-28 bolts you would use in the 1275. Jack if you decide to go that route, let me know I have everything it would take for the conversion and be glad to make it a bolt on for you. What are you using for a timing cover the early or late seal?

 

[jlaird]

Hap, I have the early timeing cover seal, and the bolts are counter sunk as I was going to go with a double chain I had but changed my mind and went with new gears and chain, single. For what I am doing I think that will be fine. Once this thing is complete I just may go for a 1275 modified build for something to do. But that will be down the road a ways.

 

[Hap Waldrop]

I'll try not to plug myself too much /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif But rather inform people on what I do at my shop. I build a race cars for customers every once in awhile, but mostly we do is complete engines and engine components. I started off pretty much catering to SCCA Spridget racing crowd, because that was what I was involved in, but as time has grown, I moved into MGB and Spitfire race/performance engines as well. The street market, especially the street MGB crowd started becoming a bigger part of my business. Now I'm getting even more stockish engine work, just this week I made an agreement to do what the customer referred to as a stock 1275 for his Bugeye. If we have to replace a cam in his core engine, we may go with something just a little bit more and also with our replacement piston choice we'll get a slight bump in horsepower without breaking the bank, he should get a fair amount of improvement for a fraction of the cost of a big buck high performance engine. I've built 100% toatlly stock, I did a 948 a couple years back for a guy. Then we also for some race and street customer just do certain engine components, like build the cylinder head, modify rods or cranks, or do balance work, really whatever the customer wants.
Some people just want me to take care of everything in a complete engine build and if so I do that, but alot of LBCs owners want more control in the project, so I now offer a new engine program where for small fee I provide the customer with a itemized list of parts numbers, prices and where to buy, custom tailored to the engine they want, then they control the parts budget and I just do the labor, parts are not where I make my money anyway. my shop is more more labor oriented, I just dabble in parts. We also geting into providing customer with refurbished stock parts like the spin on oil filter housing and manifold you got from me, hopefully you will like those this week coming, you should get those by Wensday since it's the week of the fourth. In cases like the parts you bought, the whole idea is to get parts to you that are already cleaned and refurbished, so they lessen the prep time for the customer, rahter than buying some pig-in a poke crap off Ebay that might end up being junk when you get it.
Just for kicks because I know you guys would like to hear this, this is what currently whats on the slab at my shop.

(1) Finishing up installatioin in the car of a high performance MGB engine with a aluminum cross flow had and more goodies than you can shake a stick at.
(2) A complete MG Midget 1275 vintage race Engine, Carrillo rods, Comptune/tabor cylinder head the customer already had big valves, trick oversized valve springs, JE pistons, Titan roller rocker, tubular pushrods, Comptune race cam Winners Circle oil pat etc, etc.. This wil be a pretty trick motor with slightly lower compression than a full out sprint race motor, the customer want to make a run at HSR enduro series and that is what target goal is for this motor.

(3 & 4) Two MGB street motors, pretty much the same recipe, port and polish cylinder heads, solid bottom ends with a few upgrades for performance and reliabilty.

(5) Bottom end components for SCCA 948 HP race motor, Prepping the JE domed pistons, carrillo rods and billet crank for the customer to assemble his self, Did all the clearence work on paper so the customer could feed it to his local machine shop.

(6) pretty much the same deal as #5 with a SCCA FP 1275 race motor, just making repairs for this guy, sizing rods, checking the block over, prepping him another crankshaft etc.

(7 and 8) rebuild a repair a vintage BHP spitfore 1296 race engine and build a SCCA race 1098 race engine where the customer has been collecting some really nice components, but the time dead line for these two engine is much more relaxed due to the customers working on/building thier race cars and not being ready for the motors currently.

They are more small jobs like some SU carb rebuilding, stock flywheel lightening etc.

That's just a run down of what going on in the shop. I'll tell this much, I have to try very hard to find something to complain about after a day of work. I'm very lucky to be able to do for a living what I love to do.

 

[jlaird]

Note to self, visit Hap when in Greenville SC

Nice, letter Hap. Now we know a bit more about what you are about.