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ok to interchange?

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Z

zimasprite

Jedi Hopeful
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Hey there,

I currently have a 62 sprite that I've been working on. It's pretty rough with rust and needs new inner/outer rockers, floors, a-post, etc...normal stuff. I'm in the initial stages. Here's the deal, I just found a guy closeby that is selling an 80% done 68 sprite. I kinda want to keep the looks(side curtain, no door handles, dash, etc) of the 62 since it was my dads car growing up. Can these things be swapped without too many problems? It would cost me 10x as much $$ and time to get my 62 going strong. Just an idea I have...what do you think?

Thanks - Drew
 
Sorry, doors and windshield and top do not switch over.
 
And... any job worth doing is worth doing right. The '68 may not be as "finished" as you think, and some of the work may end up needing to be redone. I'd stick with your dad's old car and fix it right so that you know it is done to your standards.
 
What Treyor said but the floors and sills WILL swap right over. I know you didn't want to hear that /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif
 
The engine and drivetrain are interchangeable, correct? I really don't know the condition of my smoothcase, so it may be nice to jump up to the 1275 and ribcase. Not a perfect donor car as far as years go, but price is right.

Thanks for the reply's guys...good information.

- Drew
 
The drive train would swap over, and the rear end if they are both wirewheel or disc. You could also use the disc brakes on the '68 to replace the front drums on the '62.
 
Engine and drive train are interchangeable, as are a bunch of other bits. Much of the under-structure is the same from Bugeyes to the last Midgets.
 
FYI:

It would be easy to "gut" the doors and remove the vent windows on the newer car. Smoothing off the outside door handles shouldn't be too hard either. You might have to do some fabrication to get side curtains that'll fit.

You could buy the newer car and built a set of "twins".

I have a '73 and I would like to do the side curtain conversion at some point.

Other that the improved engine and trans, the only big, technical difference between the two cars is the disk brakes and the rear springs (older has 1/4 elliptic.....newer has 1/2 elliptic).

The disk brakes are nicer. The rear springs are a toss up.
 
Build & drive the '68 while you spend the time o rebuild your dad's car as you can afford it.
 
Whatever you do, if the price is right, consider the later car for all the parts. If you can drive it while redoing the body, its win win all the way. Motor, tranny, rear diff, front disc brakes, gauges,axles, master cyl assemblies are all things that first come to mind to save. I really think a real education comes when you strip a car and think of what to save and not save.
 
yeah, i did a 68 to 67 refurb and that was enough to know that a 68 to 62 is not going to work. better to take the advice of previous posts and consider the 68 rebuild as a driver and then tackle the 62.
 
If you want to do a swap with a '63 Sprite that is in really good condition and moderately cheap ($1500.00) a friend of mine has one for sale but it is out here in Seattle. A '62 and a '63 LOOK virtually identical but this one already has the disk brakes.

Bill
 
If it were a bit closer... but my wife would kill me...

Sidescreen box Sprites are pretty little cars.
 
Thanks for all the replys guys. I think the answer is to go ahead and get it, take a little time to make it driveable and decide what I want to do with it later. If I want to swap anything to my 62, I can, if not I can just drive it, sell it, whatever. The comment someone made that there are a lot of 68's but not a lot of 62's makes me want to keep the 62 project going solo. That and my dad drove it when dating my mom back in the late 60's early 70's.
- Drew
 
Drew, I think that's a good plan.
My brother in Ca. is doing a '62 that we bought in a storage unit auction. I have a very rough '63 here, and a RH drive '61 in California. I really like the side curtain cars! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/thumbsup.gif
Jeff
 
Side curtain cars are cool!

And if you ever feel the need to get rid of that RHD 61, Jeff, you know who to call...
 
sorry if this is a stupid question but what do you mean by side curtain's? ive not heard the term mentioned in the UK.
 
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