[Spridgets] 20-minute engine swap

[Deikis, John G]

So, Rick Fisk came down in his red Caddy to help do the Works Midget
engine swap.  We needed to pull the street motor out of the race car and
put it back into the bug-eyed Frankensprite. Then we needed install the
SpecSprite motor and make another valiant effort to get it right.  I'm
hoping sitting on the garage floor for 2 years taught it a valuable
lesson and it will behave this time!



Well we both tried talking with New Jersey accents...then we tried those
wife beater shirts, like Brando used to wear. We ordered strombolis and
cheese steak hoagies from a dago carry-out. We even put on fake gold
neck chains and loitered around the Caddy.  Nothing doing!  We could not
do the swap in 20 minutes. No way. Never. Maybe with a '48 DeSoto, but
not a Spridget.



So, maybe one of you clever guys can give me some ideas for simplifying
the radiator-and-shroud R&R on a stock-bodied Spridget.  Seems like the
way it wedges in above the little valence behind the grill, it doesn't
need all those machine bolts and de-captivated captive nuts.  Has anyone
tried any simple modification?  Vice grips? Zip-ties?  Arc welding?



It's a stock cross-flow rad with all the stock shrouding in place.



JohnD