It sounds like Greg REALLY wants to buy the black V12, but can't
rationalize it (yet). As it's the cheaper of the two, immediately
affordable, and requires less BAD work (which would YOU rather do, replace
a tranny, or replace a dashboard in a late 70's car?) my vote would be for
the V12. You know what's in it, and you already have a feel for the car.
If it makes you feel better about the smog dolts, when I took my Sprite in
for testing at purchase time, I was told that it wouldn't pass because the
hot air hose was torn (it was the heater air duct), there was no PCV valve
(it's the mushroom on top of the rocker cover), and it ran too rich. After
showing the "mechanic" where the carbs were, and then doing the mixture
adjustment myself, the car passed just fine. Oh yeah, since he couldn't
find the Austin-Healey designator, I have an extremely rare Aston-Martin
Sprite according to the log.
Good luck deciding!! sf
Stan Fickes British Cars
Wireless Communication Tech. 1951 MGTD (under restoration)
Advanced Technology Group 1965 Austin-Healey Sprite (daily driver)
Apple Computer, Inc.
408 974-7653
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