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78 Midget - fuel issue or distributor?? HELP!
- Thread starter lbc_newbie
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OP
lbc_newbie
Jedi Warrior
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Re: Motor is shot..... cryin' in my beer..
Mechanic did a leak-down test. #2 is only holding 10%. The rest is getting out through the rings into the intake, exhaust, and crank-case. I've never rebuilt an engine at this level. I've pulled heads and replaced motors, but never rebuilt one....
Mechanic did a leak-down test. #2 is only holding 10%. The rest is getting out through the rings into the intake, exhaust, and crank-case. I've never rebuilt an engine at this level. I've pulled heads and replaced motors, but never rebuilt one....
OP
lbc_newbie
Jedi Warrior
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Re: Motor is shot..... cryin' in my beer..
There's a guy on Craigslist with a 1098... don't think I want to down-size though....
There's a guy on Craigslist with a 1098... don't think I want to down-size though....
OP
lbc_newbie
Jedi Warrior
Offline
Re: Motor is shot..... cryin' in my beer..
What do you guys think of these options?
https://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MG-Midget...sQ5fAccessories
https://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/AUSTIN-HE...sQ5fAccessories
What do you guys think of these options?
https://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MG-Midget...sQ5fAccessories
https://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/AUSTIN-HE...sQ5fAccessories
ncbugeye
Jedi Warrior
Offline
Re: Motor is shot..... cryin' in my beer..
Check the obvious reputable sources for prices before you invest in an engine from a guy who happened to have a can of nearly correct green paint on the shelf.
In my view ACME (Hap Waldrop) or APT (David Anton) would probably give you more peace of mind.
Check the obvious reputable sources for prices before you invest in an engine from a guy who happened to have a can of nearly correct green paint on the shelf.
In my view ACME (Hap Waldrop) or APT (David Anton) would probably give you more peace of mind.
Gray_Cat
Jedi Warrior
Offline
Re: Motor is shot..... cryin' in my beer..
Ed
You mention pulling engines and even pulling a cylinder head before so think about doing a rebuild yourself. It just isn't that difficult to do, cost you less than even the used engine currently on ebay (shipping would be around 2 to 3 hundred dollars) and will provide tons of satisfaction when done.
Roy
Ed
You mention pulling engines and even pulling a cylinder head before so think about doing a rebuild yourself. It just isn't that difficult to do, cost you less than even the used engine currently on ebay (shipping would be around 2 to 3 hundred dollars) and will provide tons of satisfaction when done.
Roy
OP
lbc_newbie
Jedi Warrior
Offline
Re: Motor is shot..... cryin' in my beer..
How do I get a hold of Hap or Dave?
How do I get a hold of Hap or Dave?
Jim_Gruber
Yoda
Offline
Re: Motor is shot..... cryin' in my beer..
I'd still pull the head at least and take a look before you decide it's the rings. Could easily be a burnt head gasket or a burnt. crudded up valve. I agree with every one so far. the stuff on E-Bay just walk away, all that has been guaranteed is that the outside is freshly painted an almost correct shade of green.
Hap is Acme Speed Shop in SC. He advertises in the back of Classic Motorsports.
I'd still pull the head at least and take a look before you decide it's the rings. Could easily be a burnt head gasket or a burnt. crudded up valve. I agree with every one so far. the stuff on E-Bay just walk away, all that has been guaranteed is that the outside is freshly painted an almost correct shade of green.
Hap is Acme Speed Shop in SC. He advertises in the back of Classic Motorsports.
ncbugeye
Jedi Warrior
Offline
Re: Motor is shot..... cryin' in my beer..
Hap Waldrop frequents this site often, but go to www.acmespeedshop.com and look at the A-series engine pic on his home page and compare with what you saw on e-bay. Nuff said.
Dave Anton is at www.aptfast.com, but you have to ignore his website which is hasn't been updated for about five years,and doesn't work well with Firefox. Send him email at the address on his contact us page.
Hap Waldrop frequents this site often, but go to www.acmespeedshop.com and look at the A-series engine pic on his home page and compare with what you saw on e-bay. Nuff said.
Dave Anton is at www.aptfast.com, but you have to ignore his website which is hasn't been updated for about five years,and doesn't work well with Firefox. Send him email at the address on his contact us page.
Offline
Re: Motor is shot..... cryin' in my beer..
If you can do that - you can do this. I did - and have never done anything like it. You've likely already figured out ow simple these puppies really are.
Here's how it goes.
1. pull engine & transmission - 2 hours
2. strip down same. (don't forget to label)- hours
3. send it away to be boiled and measured - cost me $250
4. on that basis order what you need - rings/ bearings etc
5. reassemble - one day
6. reinstall - 2 hours
Bob's your uncle.
you need a torque wrench/ Harbour Freight engine stand/ valve spring compressor and what tools you aready have.
Hap can certainly do it - awesomely well - but you can do it well and you can say you did it
lbc_newbie said:
If you can do that - you can do this. I did - and have never done anything like it. You've likely already figured out ow simple these puppies really are.
Here's how it goes.
1. pull engine & transmission - 2 hours
2. strip down same. (don't forget to label)- hours
3. send it away to be boiled and measured - cost me $250
4. on that basis order what you need - rings/ bearings etc
5. reassemble - one day
6. reinstall - 2 hours
Bob's your uncle.
you need a torque wrench/ Harbour Freight engine stand/ valve spring compressor and what tools you aready have.
Hap can certainly do it - awesomely well - but you can do it well and you can say you did it
OP
lbc_newbie
Jedi Warrior
Offline
Re: Motor is shot..... cryin' in my beer..
So the engine and tranny <span style="font-style: italic">HAVE</span> to be pulled together?
So the engine and tranny <span style="font-style: italic">HAVE</span> to be pulled together?
OP
lbc_newbie
Jedi Warrior
Offline
Re: Motor is shot..... cryin' in my beer..
I guess it comes down to: Is this car worth the $2500 - $3500 for a new engine...that's what I'm struggling with. I bought this car with a blown rear end, so the only thing I could do was HEAR the engine start and run. I have since put a lot of time and effort into getting it cosmetically restored. Replaced the rear end, did all the brakes and lines, did the interior, new wheels and tires, new top, etc. I figure I have around $3k into it. And it still needs more in addition to the engine... shocks all the way around, paint, etc....
I guess it comes down to: Is this car worth the $2500 - $3500 for a new engine...that's what I'm struggling with. I bought this car with a blown rear end, so the only thing I could do was HEAR the engine start and run. I have since put a lot of time and effort into getting it cosmetically restored. Replaced the rear end, did all the brakes and lines, did the interior, new wheels and tires, new top, etc. I figure I have around $3k into it. And it still needs more in addition to the engine... shocks all the way around, paint, etc....
Jim_Gruber
Yoda
Offline
Re: Motor is shot..... cryin' in my beer..
Here's How To Do It. I'm not sure of the author, maybe Frank C.
At 250 lbs. a chain or rope hoist attached to a ceiling beam in the garaqe, that has proper reinforcements, can be used to pull the engine
Drain and remove the radiator.
Remove the dizzy, gennerator, and oil filter from the engine.
Remove the carbs and intake (as 1 unit) and set it on the inner fender.
Tie the exhaust manifold to the steering column.
Now all the extra stuff is out of your way.
Unbolt the tranny, drain the oil, remove the speedo cable and ground
strap.
Unbolt the 2 nuts from the steering column side of the motor mount.
Unbolt the 2 nuts AND the 3 bolts on the passenger side motor mount.
Place a thick rag or towel on the steering rack if you don't want to
scratch it.
Place the floor jack under the oil pan with a piece of plywood on the
pad so you don't scratch or bend the oil pan.
Jack it up until the pan clears the cross member.
Now is the time to remove the slave since you can reach it.
Roll the jack forward a bit and jack it up a bit more so the pan clears
the steering rack.
Now the fun part, either balance the engine on the rack and pray for it
to stay there, or have a helper hold it long enough for you to slide
the
jack out from the car. Now slide the engine over the rack. the towel
helps with this too, and back on the jack. It fits between the rad
supports with no filter or dizzy. It's out, roll it anywhere you want
while it's on the floor jack.
I have used a jack stand under the tranny to help balance it while I
relocate the floor jack.
I can have the engine out this way by myself before I set up the engine
hoist. My hoist is 1/2 the size of a Sprite so I always have it
dismantled and stored otherwise my 2 car garage would only hold 1 car
and a hoist.
The engine weighs about 250 lbs, it's not that heavy.
And for you Square body Spridget owners....
Unbolt it all, Place a 2x8 on the bonnet latch cross member, climb in
and stand on the shocks, grab the motor mount ears and lift it out with
a grunt. Set it on the 2x8, climb out and slide it down another 2x8
ramp. 2 guys makes this a piece of cake but I have done it myself more
than once when I had a younger back
Reinstallation
Bolt the steering column side loosely to the body,
Keep the passenger side unbolted.
Bolt the rubber mounts to the metal pieces.
Slide the engine in, you might have to lever it with a pry bar to get
it
to set on the steering column mount, now offer up the other side mount
to the engine, lower the works and bolt the metal part to the body.
And like Peter said, make sure you do not have the metal parts
reversed.
Here's How To Do It. I'm not sure of the author, maybe Frank C.
At 250 lbs. a chain or rope hoist attached to a ceiling beam in the garaqe, that has proper reinforcements, can be used to pull the engine
Drain and remove the radiator.
Remove the dizzy, gennerator, and oil filter from the engine.
Remove the carbs and intake (as 1 unit) and set it on the inner fender.
Tie the exhaust manifold to the steering column.
Now all the extra stuff is out of your way.
Unbolt the tranny, drain the oil, remove the speedo cable and ground
strap.
Unbolt the 2 nuts from the steering column side of the motor mount.
Unbolt the 2 nuts AND the 3 bolts on the passenger side motor mount.
Place a thick rag or towel on the steering rack if you don't want to
scratch it.
Place the floor jack under the oil pan with a piece of plywood on the
pad so you don't scratch or bend the oil pan.
Jack it up until the pan clears the cross member.
Now is the time to remove the slave since you can reach it.
Roll the jack forward a bit and jack it up a bit more so the pan clears
the steering rack.
Now the fun part, either balance the engine on the rack and pray for it
to stay there, or have a helper hold it long enough for you to slide
the
jack out from the car. Now slide the engine over the rack. the towel
helps with this too, and back on the jack. It fits between the rad
supports with no filter or dizzy. It's out, roll it anywhere you want
while it's on the floor jack.
I have used a jack stand under the tranny to help balance it while I
relocate the floor jack.
I can have the engine out this way by myself before I set up the engine
hoist. My hoist is 1/2 the size of a Sprite so I always have it
dismantled and stored otherwise my 2 car garage would only hold 1 car
and a hoist.
The engine weighs about 250 lbs, it's not that heavy.
And for you Square body Spridget owners....
Unbolt it all, Place a 2x8 on the bonnet latch cross member, climb in
and stand on the shocks, grab the motor mount ears and lift it out with
a grunt. Set it on the 2x8, climb out and slide it down another 2x8
ramp. 2 guys makes this a piece of cake but I have done it myself more
than once when I had a younger back
Reinstallation
Bolt the steering column side loosely to the body,
Keep the passenger side unbolted.
Bolt the rubber mounts to the metal pieces.
Slide the engine in, you might have to lever it with a pry bar to get
it
to set on the steering column mount, now offer up the other side mount
to the engine, lower the works and bolt the metal part to the body.
And like Peter said, make sure you do not have the metal parts
reversed.
Jim_Gruber
Yoda
Offline
Re: Motor is shot..... cryin' in my beer..
Ed,
The question is, are you having fun yet? The fact that you haven't pushed it outside and set fire to it yet says you are actually enjoying the head scratching and cogitating, and waking up in the middle of the night to solve one engineering problem after another. You are close to being addicted. At this point, I'm going to suggest having another local Spridget owner of a well sorted Spridget, Bill M. are you listening, I think you are local or know someone who is local, come over, hand you the keys to their Spridget and say come back in 30 minutes and go have fun. IS it worth all of this frustration and aggravation, YES, YES, YES!!!!!!!
Ed,
The question is, are you having fun yet? The fact that you haven't pushed it outside and set fire to it yet says you are actually enjoying the head scratching and cogitating, and waking up in the middle of the night to solve one engineering problem after another. You are close to being addicted. At this point, I'm going to suggest having another local Spridget owner of a well sorted Spridget, Bill M. are you listening, I think you are local or know someone who is local, come over, hand you the keys to their Spridget and say come back in 30 minutes and go have fun. IS it worth all of this frustration and aggravation, YES, YES, YES!!!!!!!
Pythias
Jedi Knight
Offline
Re: Motor is shot..... cryin' in my beer..
When I had my engine rebuilt, I only took out the engine. It seems easier to ME to do it that way. By only removing the engine, you don't have to mess with the drive shaft, undoing the tranny mounts, draining the tranny, or fussing with the shift boot can in the interior. You don't have to jack up the whole car to get room to swing the assembly either. You DO have to undo the bolts that hold the two together, (10?) and it can be a problem getting the clutch to re-align, but I had no problem. .. YMMV
lbc_newbie said:
When I had my engine rebuilt, I only took out the engine. It seems easier to ME to do it that way. By only removing the engine, you don't have to mess with the drive shaft, undoing the tranny mounts, draining the tranny, or fussing with the shift boot can in the interior. You don't have to jack up the whole car to get room to swing the assembly either. You DO have to undo the bolts that hold the two together, (10?) and it can be a problem getting the clutch to re-align, but I had no problem. .. YMMV
OP
lbc_newbie
Jedi Warrior
Offline
Re: Motor is shot..... cryin' in my beer..
The fact that I went about the whole thing backwards is frustrating. Getting the car all sorted out and cosmetically appealing (mostly while I waited for parts) should have come AFTER the mechanical issues. Not sure what I'm gonna do at this point. I don't have the heart to part her out now...but don't have the time and $$$ to fix it right.
Jim_Gruber said:
The fact that I went about the whole thing backwards is frustrating. Getting the car all sorted out and cosmetically appealing (mostly while I waited for parts) should have come AFTER the mechanical issues. Not sure what I'm gonna do at this point. I don't have the heart to part her out now...but don't have the time and $$$ to fix it right.
OP
lbc_newbie
Jedi Warrior
Offline
Re: Motor is shot..... cryin' in my beer..
All the thing good about the car are the things I've done... it was a mess when I got it. I'm going to the Portland Auto Jumble on the weekend of the 24th in hopes of maybe finding something. Otherwise, I'm willing to entertain the endeavor of rebuilding it myself.. with massive help from you guys!
All the thing good about the car are the things I've done... it was a mess when I got it. I'm going to the Portland Auto Jumble on the weekend of the 24th in hopes of maybe finding something. Otherwise, I'm willing to entertain the endeavor of rebuilding it myself.. with massive help from you guys!