Brian said:
>I drove it a week ago and I have some questions. This is the only sprite
I've
>ever driven, and it seems under powered. Not quick away from a light. Now
this
>is compared to my 100-4, but 2nd gear was required to make a steep hill. Is
>this typical?
>
>Also, I had to really mash the brakes to get it to stop. Again this is
compared
>to my 100-4. I thought the front disks would help stop this little car on a
>dime. I also noted they faded once stopped, requiring ever greater pressure
to
>hold the car still on a hill. The owner said the master cylinder unit was
>replaced a few thousand miles ago. This owner is a club member so I believe
>him.
>
>The car seems to be as reliable a driver as one can expect from a 36 year
old
>British car. Are these things I've mentioned problems or typical of a tiny
>inexpensive sports car?
The acceleration issue could be caused by a bad vacuum advance. The
diaphragm sometimes decays after a few decades, and although the Lucas
dizzies are no longer made, rebuilt units are available if you have a good
parts vendor or if you monitor ebay (risky). I haven't heard of people
being overjoyed about the performance of the Mallory dualpoint dizzies in
the Moss catalog. As far as power is concerned, my '74 Midget had very
little until I gave it a tune up, the first it had probably had in years.
With the valves set with 0.012 - 0.013 clearnaces, the engine breathes much
better.
The brakes on my Midget are the best I've ever had on any car, domestic or
foreign. They should be completely faultless, no fade, not spongy, when in
good condition.
As far as reliability, mine only breaks down at home, in the garage. My
parts replacement/repair/restoration budget has been averaging about $100
per month. Like the big healey, all spridgets eventually require a
front-end rebuild.
Regards,
Charles
'74 Midget
'68 Sprite
cdsorkin@ix.netcom.com
Bloomfield, NJ
"How about we duck inside for a Hen?"
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