People are telling me that Facet fuel pumps work well. My mechanic
aquantence who autocrosses an MGB says throw an SU fuel pump as far as
you can and put in a Facet electric. You can also use wider wheels,
either late-model Spridget (4.5"), fake minilites (5.0" from Victoria
for about $120 ea) or Vega GT rims (6.0'?).
^
Wow, I'd worry about knocking down cones with those
rims... That'd make a Spridget about 15 feet wide! :-)
Seriously, though, Vega rims (as well as those from
the badge-engineered Pontiac Astre) will fit Sprite/
Midget bolt patterns, and are a good source of inexpensive
upgrades. Note that 1962-1971 and post-1975 cars might
have some clearance problems at the rear with wider
wheels; Sprite Mk Is and '72-74 Midgets have round
rear fender arches, which simplifies fitting wider
wheels and tires. (Check your class and see whether
you can legally bang out the fenders if you've got
a square-arch car.)
I believe the Chevy Monza and other GM cars of that
genre also used the same wheels as the Vega, but I
wouldn't bet money on it. Still, check it out as
a source of inexpensive upgrades.
As long as you're upgrading wheels and tires, check Revolution
and Panasport as well. Both companies are top-of-the-line
racing wheel manufacturers, and with the continued success
of Spridgets in F, G, and H Production racing and in various
autocross classes, it's simple to find wheels with a wide
selection of offsets and dimensions to fit your need. They
might not be the cheapest solution (Vega rims from a
junkyard probably hold that honor) but they will work and
fit if you're Doing The Right Thing.
Tires will be determined by class and racing genre. The
hot setup for vintage appears to be the Yokohama A001R in
175-70HR13. Stock-class autocrossing ought to rely on
the A008R, in either that size or in 185-60HR13 if you've
got Rostyles and a '72-'74. Yes, they really do fit on
the Rostyle wheels. I used that size on a '74 Midget
(though there was some clearance problem at the rears,
on the inboard side of the wheels -- get a set of wheels
made that are offset 0.24" wider than stock so that
you're still legal for Solo II Stock rules. :-) In
Prepared class, of course, you'll probably want Goodyear
Eagle racing slicks. 20 x 8 x 13 on 13 x 6" Revolutions
work really well on a lightened Sprite, I can say that...
Sway bars, get from The
Winner's Circle in Ohio, MUCH better stuff than ADDCO. They can also
tell you why you shold put in a Panhard rod if you are going to get
sticky tire on big rims. (216) 333-4666 for Winner's Circle.
Another source of information for Spridgets is the Austin-
Healey Store (818/996-5212). The owners, Gary Neuer and
Tom Colby, build vintage, autocross and production race
cars for themselves and for customers, and they also sell
a pretty complete line of parts for Big and Little Healeys
alike. They've got a dynamite Frogeye with a just-under-1000cc
engine that routinely dusts 2-liter cars (and up) in vintage
racing. They have also developed a rear disc brake conversion
that is meant to provide the same level of braking as the
factory Sebring/Le Mans cars had, but using modern equivalents.
(That is, it's a *great* mod for a street/autocross sprite,
it might not be legal for Production, and it's nominally in
the character of vintage if you're willing to stretch things).
They also have a great selection of front and rear anti-roll
bar kits, springs, tube-shock conversions, roller rockers,
carburetor swaps, camshafts, valve springs, pistons, rear
axles, etc. if you're serious about racing a Spridget. In
addition, they sell the complete Moss line (usually at
prices a little better than Moss) of restoration parts.
I don't get any money from the Healey Store (and they haven't
gotten any of mine in a while, though that will change soon.)
I like Tom and Gary a lot, in spite of the fact that I bought
my 1963-1/2 Falcon Sprint from Tom two and a half years ago.:-)
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