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Have I made a mistake? Car is dying :[

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My mood can change to pleased and happy just going to the garage and speeking with Miss Agatha.

Not only that but she is so cute when she gets up on her tippy toes and does the lets go dance.
 
Well hopefully my car will be dancing very soon. In disassembling the rocker shaft assembly it was evident that it was destroyed, the insides of the rockers had areas in them that almost scratched my fingers they were gouged so bad, everything is going to need replaced. I had plans on doing this originally but then thought well maybe it just needed adjustment. I think this is my little car's way of telling me "NO ADJUSTMENT!! REPLACE PLEASE!!!!!, I am listening. One rocker arm was even placed incorrectly, almost looked upside down or backwards or something. It is amazing the car ran.

Luckily because of this board and the genuine kindness of John K. I have access to local parts for the rocker shaft assembly and local guidance for repairs.

I still think that it will be a good idea to do the ignition parts, replace them I mean. But I can't find them at the local auto store, Advanced. Anywhere else I should look?

I am very happy to have found this forum, it is different than any one I have experienced. I am not humilated to come here and say I don't know anything about this car because you are all so open to teaching about it and not downing someone because they don't know about it.
 
We can "diss" ya if it'll make ya feel better... But ya gotta ask. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/devilgrin.gif /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/jester.gif

You'll have some challenges, for certain. But this place will likely keep you on track and get things sorted properly. The li'l machines are relatively easy to work on and there are a LOT of us here who've had 'em apart down to component level and back again. Numerous times in many cases. You'll do just fine.

/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/thumbsup.gif
 
H82WRK said:
One rocker arm was even placed incorrectly, almost looked upside down or backwards or something. It is amazing the car ran.
Click to expand...
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i can appreciate that comment. i have learned that you have to do a lot to these little engines before they completely give out.
.
wait until your engine is rebuilt/repaired! it'll be like nothing before.
 
These have always been cheap cars, and owned mostly by people of the "wee-tight" mentality. (Sorry if I'm stepping on toes.) Therefore, when trying to get them running correctly we often find bodges the the Dreaded Previous Owner (DPO) inflicted on the car. But I always remind myself that often these "bodges" may have kept the car out of the crusher, and now I have the opportunity to set things correct.

Keep us posted on the progress.
 
Hay, nothing is too good for Miss Agatha. It is up to us the current custodians to lavish tender affectionate care so these little cars are around long into the future.
 
Heh heh. The guy who buys my car is going to hate me. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/devilgrin.gif
 
And remember that if you are trying to but parts for your '66 Sprite but tell the auto parts place that you want parts for a '66 MG Midget the odds are far better that they will have them, and they are the same parts.
Bill
 
Billm said:
And remember that if you are trying to but parts for your '66 Sprite but tell the auto parts place that you want parts for a '66 MG Midget the odds are far better that they will have them, and they are the same parts.
Bill
Click to expand...

Wait a minute you mean Sprites and Midgets are the same?! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/devilgrin.gif
 
DPO = Dreaded Previous Owner? Cool - always thought it meant "Dumb" or in really bad cases "Dumba**" Previous Owner. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif I DEFINITELY have a DPO as well.
 
The D could stand for many things!
 
Only to us.
 
Well I wish I had some good news to report...but I don't! I was able to get a great condition rocker shaft assembly from John K. got it installed in the car, now the car won't start up, turns over and now I can hear a knocking noise, real deep sounding, think it is a piston slapping a valve or something. So I am stuck once again! I think I am going to have to pull the motor and rebuild, I am at a loss at what else to do???

My hubby is mechanically inclined but is frustrated at the car so I really think I need to just handle this myself.

Anyways, I am just wondering cost comparision to having a motor rebuilt professionally to me doing it, is there a savings benefit to be realized or is it not worth it in the long run? I also want to replace the wiring harness if I go this route, just get everything up to speed and know where it is at would save me a lot of headache chasing someone else's bad repairs.

I dunno, what would you do in my shoes at this point? I just want to drive my car!!!!
 
Well, as you say, much cheeper to do it your self with the machine shops help.

Me, I would rebuild. Engine out in about 3 hours, tear down about the same. Off to machine shop for their work then about the same times to put all back together.

But then I have done it many many times so your time will vary but it is not an impossible job by any means.
 
Engine out is not too difficult, and rewiring the car is pretty simple. I've done both recently, and had not prior knowledge of what I was doing. It's not that difficult. Patience is the key here. Relax, and pull out the bits to be fixed. These cars are not complicated (as cars go), and everything can be fixed.

A few pictures from my adventures:

Rewiring: https://www.drooartz.com/index.php?page=32

Engine removal: https://www.drooartz.com/index.php?page=36
 
Didn't John K. say he had a read-to-go engine for your car? If so, you may consider a swap. Once you pull the engine, you may go down a dark and twisting road that ends nobody knows where.

If you bought your car to work on it (as many of us did), rebuilding the engine is fun. If you bought the car to drive it, engine rebuilding is a frustrating and expensive chore that can really suck the fun out of owning an LBC.

Just being honest.
 
Well I must admit I did buy my car to drive and work on as I drive. Figuring on doing little things here and there to get it up to perfect condition and just the way I wanted. That is why it was so impt. when I bought it that it was mechanically sound and rust free. I am very disappointed at the way this person described the car becuase I feel that it was not described properly for what it is. I was told it was a running driving mechanically sound car with some valve train noise that would need addressed sometime down the road. When I get it the front brakes were froze to the rotors, the back calipers are deteriorated and leaking fluid everywhere and the brake pedal was stuck to the floor. I have driven the car not even 50 miles before it has kaputed on me.

Bah humbug! on bad ebay sellers! I should have been more careful and that is my fault for sure.
 
In my case I'd use the abbreviation CPO, careful previous owner. ncbugeye was a California car he acquired in 1976 or so. He kept it garaged for the 30 years, replaced a lot of the parts that just perished with age, like the seats, but rarely drove it, eventually realised it wasn't his thing any more, and as a result I have a 95% rust-free 1958 Bugeye, which I would imagine is a rather rare beast.
 
Rachael,

Look at it this way. Nothing that is worth doing in this world comes to you on a plate. This is worth doing - you will be so pumped when you fix this for yourself, and be assured, there is absolutely nothing on this car that you cannot fix. Take the high school girls of Team Sprite as an inspiration.

It is good old-fashioned engineering - there is nothing complicated or electronic or computerized anywhere, and many of the mechanical parts are still available very inexpensively - various folks on this forum offer stuff at a discount. It is nigh on impossible to make an expensive mistake unless you are really careless, which your posts suggest you are not.

You will receive loads of encouragement from the denizens of this forum, and there really is no such thing as a stupid question, as I have discovered, coming back, as I have, to LBCs after a 30 year hiatus. Check, ask questions, double check, and torque it up. I have found myself encountering something I wasn't sure about, coming in from the garage, asking a question on the forum, getting the advice I needed, and returning to the garage in less than 15 minutes.
 
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