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I hope thats all that is left to go wrong?!$$$?!

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M

Midget78

Jedi Trainee
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Hey guys,...I need to vent. As of today my car has been at the mechanics for a month. The journey all started over a month ago trying to put on the Weber conversion for my 78 Midget. I had an air leak that I didnt see and ended up throwing my hands in the air and towed it over to the mechanic in the area that works on these cars. I thought it needed rejetted but sure as ever he found the air leak underneath the manifold causing it to run very lean. Upon taking it all back apart to correct the air leak he found a crack in the exhaust header so I waited for a new header from Moss and he put that on upon putting it back together. So today I figured I would run over to see if it was fianlly done and found out he has got it running back to almost like new yet before they were ready to call me to pick it up it wouldnt restart. So they feel it is the electronic ignition and ordered a new Petronix unit. The car never had problems with "NO SPARK" before yet I understand things can come up. The battery, coil, rotor, distibutor cap, spark plugs are all new so Im praying this will fix the no spark issue. Could it possibly be anything else? My bill is already at $1000 easy with all that has gone wrong.
 
Bummer. Good part is, it'll be good to go now!
 
The easy way to check to see if the Pertronix unit IS the problem is to reinstall the points and condensor. Whether is starts or not you know. Then IF it is the Pertronix, you install a CRANE unit...... hey, speaking of which, i hear that CRANE CAMS file for bankruptcy protection! ...
 
Bill, The old distributor has the Electronic "Opus" unit on it that does not have points or a condensor. The mechanic ordered the Pertronix unit to replace the electronic unit that is the original and gone bad. These things I understand do not give you any warning when the are going to die. I think he said it would be here tomorrow so it is probably to late to mention the "Crane" unit. I just hope the thing does the trick and I dont have some other issues. This thing should be like a new car when its done.
 
Nothing wrong with a Pertronix unit as long as you carry a spare. I HAD a Pertronix, (its failure was due to my poor installation) and replaced it with a Crane, but I still carry a spare dizzy already set up with properly gapped points, so that in case of a failure I can do a quick swap out. I HATE $200+ towing bills!
 
I feel for you! I am in the same boat. I have a 78 Midget that runs horribly (I have not had it driveable until recently). I'm in the middle of rebuilding my Weber carb now and working out the crank-case ventilation in hopes of avoiding what you're going through. I have a Lucas electronic distributor waiting to go in, but have not heard much about their quality or reliability. From the sound of this e-mail thread, I'm going to have to get a bigger tool bag for the trunk.....
 
Not sure if your getting the new pertronix II or not. If its not do not leave the ignition on with the car not running this could cause the unit to heat up and fail.
Make sure he installed a ballasted coil. I assume it will be if he knows about the pertronix unit but one nevers knows .If not you will be buying another unit.
 
Hey Chris, You touched on something that was bugging me concerning the ballasted coil. When I first got the car I had some issues with the Zenith acting up but didnt quite have it determined that it was the entire problem. Anyway, I replaced the coil due to some of the research I was doing possibly pointed to the coil with the way the car was acting. So for the heck of it I called AutoZone and they had one. Went over and picked it up and put it in. The body diameter was a little larger but pretty much the same size. There was no information on this thing anywhere and I was always a bit concerned whether it was a ballasted coil as some MG's need them and some dont. I do still have the resistor next to it that is wired in. Im thinking about putting the old coil back in that I know still works upon the mechanic putting in this new Pertronix unit. I know its not the Pertronix II unit.
 
My bill is already at $1000 easy with all that has gone wrong.[/quote]

Jeez, you're getting off cheap. If I had all that done by my mechanic, I think it would be higher than that. Good luck.
 
Don't worry about it. Part of the joy is learning to fix these cars yourself. This will not be the last thing that goes wrong but hopefully you'll get some spring time driving in that will make up for the $ and frustration. In the '60's approaching 70 in Dayton this weekend. It's driving time!!!!!!!
 
Don't know if this will make ya feel any better, but...

I read an article a few years back... "should you own a british car" I can't find the article now, but... look here..

[https://motorheadltd.com/ShouldI.htm]

The point of the article was/is .. $100 a month. Think of it as a car payment. If you don't spend it for a few months, save it up, you'll probably need it. I was just doing some rough figuring for myself... I've had the car for about 13 years.... my expenses...

Car $2500
Engine Rebuild $2500
5 Speed + Installation $2200
Hood Repair $2500.. (I had it fixed then immediately dinged it again!)
Hard Top $2500 (It's a long story. Been told on BCF already)
Peter C. Shocks, 3.9 rear end, Master Cylinder rebuild, Radiator Re-core, Carb Rebuild, .. another $2000.
Various parts and pieces... I'm in for about $13000 not counting fluids. Right at $100 a month....
 
I think guys the reason why its eaten at me so much is I like working on the car myself and some of the stuff thats happening now are things I can easily handle. The mechanic did what I needed and got the Weber squared away but he wont let it leave the lot until its running correctly so he covers his butt which I understand. Probably if I put my foot down I could get it but I need to just work on the patience side of things. Whats bad is everytime something goes wrong you have to order it the part. 3 to 4 days go by waiting for the part. I guess its all part of the british car world. The good thing is I can see sun light on the horizon and the temps are slowly kreeping back up. I guess in the mean time I can work on putting together a small set of emergency tools to keep in the trunk.
 
Pythias said:
The point of the article was/is .. $100 a month. Think of it as a car payment. If you don't spend it for a few months, save it up, you'll probably need it.
Click to expand...

And if I own a Jaguar??? :smile:

I was investigating Silver Shadows and was told by multiple sources to budget $750 a month. So I stopped investigating!
 
One thing to remember...

These cars are relatively cheap to own IN THE LONG RUN!

How many cars can you buy today, drive for years, have tons of fun & smiles, and when you finally decide to get rid of them discover that they have kept most or all of their purchase value?

Can you say that about your $25K-$50K "daily driver"? :nonod:

Fix what you can yourself, hire a professional when necessary, consider the occasional expense an investment in happiness & in keeping yourself young, and never regret the experience! :driving:

Then when/if you ever sell it, laugh your @$$ off at how little the car has depreciated!! :thumbsup:

"Cheers!" :cheers:

-Bear-
 
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