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RobSelina

RobSelina

Jedi Warrior
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SORRY! LOTS of questions tonight! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Okay, first question: is the 'rocker oil feed kit' available from moss a good buy? This is for a 1500.

Also, I'm going to pick up a reprint of the original owners manual, the factory service manual and the haynes manual. My current literature boils down to moss/vb/other parts catalogs and "How to Power Tune Midget & Sprite". Of the three new books I'm considering, any one of them redundant? Anything else highly advisable?

Sorry for all the questions tonight! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hammer.gif
Thanks! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
Rob
 
First, I am about 30 "dumb" questions ahead of you. Don't feel intimidated and don't limit yourself. You'll have other questions.

Like you, I have been building a restoration library. The best book I have purchased, so far, has been "Original Sprite and Midget: The Restorer's Guide" by Terry Horler. It is a great source of material describing original features, colors, part numbers, etc. It also details running changes to the cars during their production run. It starts with the Bugeye and continues through the production run of the MG Midget. There are lots of good color pictures to illustrate how these cars are supposed to look. I also have "Austin-Healey Sprite: 1958 - 1971" which contains reprints of period road tests. There are lots of cut-away drawings and specifications. Do not waste your money on Porter Manuals "MG Midget & Austin-Healey Sprite Service Guide and Owner's Manual." What a ripoff. It has details on how to check your oil and fill the tyres (this is to show they know British cars.) If you need that kind of help, you are in big trouble. When it comes to anything requiring an actual tool, they advise you to see a qualified service technician. I got a reprint of the factory owner's manual. Neat to read, but not that helpful during serious repairs. I am looking for a good Haynes manual, but have not gotten far enough along to need it yet.

Good luck, and keep asking questions. (Sorry...I can't help with your latest ones.)
 
Hello Rob,
I would personally favour the official Triumph Workshop Manual over the Haynes one, as it is far more detailed. The only gain with the Haynes is that they sometimes can suggest an alternative method to the 'Special tool method' listed in the official manual.

Alec /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
the more books the better.

How do you plan to hook up the oil feed Rob? i have seen these, but am not sure where the bolt up.

mark
 
I've heard of the rocker oil feed kit, but I haven't felt the need to add it to my racer. I'm concerned that this kit might bleed some oil pressure away from more important areas (such as rod bearings). If the car has regular oil changes and the rocker arm is cleaned up, I'd guess you'd be OK without this kit.
 
I wasn't getting oil (almost at all) to the top of the engine and added the feed kit. Problem solved! Now the problem was to track down all the new spots the oil leaked from in the valve cover area. The oil was stagnating in the gasket area, but is now stagnating in the rocker, where it should. Pressure remains the same, but flow is tremendously improved. If you have a problem, add it, but if there's fresh oil spraying around when you take off the valve cover and run it, don't worry about it. I don't believe it starves the bearings as the same pressure should be seen at the rockers if everything else is functioning properly anyway and the holes to disperse the oil are unaffected. It only remedies the issue of insufficient supply to the rocker. If the pressure is the same and the 'nozzles' are the same diameter (which they are) the flow rate will also be the same, if I'm not mistaken.

Also, If you decide to fit it, be sure that the bolt which bolts into the head, through the banjo, has the proper crush washers and is not over tightened. I broke one and had to buy another from moss at the low low price of 17.00! Its an insufficient design and they won't stand behind their product.
 
good deal, thanks for the info on the kit guys. I think i'll see what I'm sitting like without it properly first.. I want to add an oil cooler too, probably higher priority....
 
For Body work, I was able to find a Haynes Restoration Manual for Midgets by Lindsay Porter on Amazon.com UK. They will ship to the USA. This book is great for body work. They really get into with lots of photos...I like lots of photos!
 
Matt:

I believe that you are correct about oil-pressure being unaffected, assuming that you block off the original oil-supply ports that go the rocker arm. If the original oil supply ports are still open, that might be another matter.
There is a pretty good back-and-forth view of the merits of this kit at this site (about half way down the page):

https://www.totallytriumph.net/spitfire/engine_building.shtml

Rob:

I have not been running an oil cooler and have not had any concerns of high oil temps to date. I ran a temp probe in one event last year and after 2 hours of hard running, oil was still in the safe zone. The 1500 has a good size cooling system (radiator) that tends to keep the engine cool (including the oil). A simple and cheap way to reduce overall engine temps (including oil temp) is to fit a 180 degree F (or even 160 degree F) themostat (and they're easy to get....same themostat as a Chevy).
 
One advantage to the external oil feed is that the extra oil delivered splashes down on the valve springs and keeps them cooler. Which may not be a problem on a street car anyway.
On one of my heads for the racer, the boss at the back of the head wasn't machined perpendicular to the hole, so it wouldn't seal with the crush washer. I just re-tapped it to 1/8"NPT and used an NPT to #3 AN adapter in the head, and put an AN fitting on the hose. Problem solved.
Oil pressure and flow rate, (judging by bearing wear over the course of a racing season) have been just fine. This is in an engine that regularly sees in excess of 7600 RPM. Sometimes, unfortunately, over 8000.
As to the oil cooler, it may not hurt in Socorro. A good idea is to plumb in an oil thermostat so that oil only goes to the cooler when the temperature warrants it. Oil that is too cool is just as bad as oil that's too hot.
Keep asking questions, Rob. We'll get you going yet!
Jeff
 
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