[Spridgets] kind of spridget related

[lotuspilot at frontier.com]

Mike,
 
I know what I would do.  Have you ever seen or better yet driven a
2010-2012 Honda Fit?  That 1500 Honda Fit engine is the ultimate "new"
Coventry Climax 1500.  Standard with no tweaking - it puts out 120 hp on
regular 87 pump fuel.  They even make all of the stand alone engine control
electronics as it is used to replace Formula Ford 1600 engines.  They have to
actually detune the engine to run it in Formula F.  The entire engine is
aluminum and it is SOHC with i-vtec.  The engine has good torque low end but
wakes up above 5000 revs.  redline area begins around 7000.  Once the vtec
changes the valve timings it is a serious screamer.   The engines from low
mileage wrecked Fits sell very cheaply on ebay -around $500.  All you would
need to do is make an adapter plate etc. for a Spridget trans.  Even the
clutch looks like a Spridget/BMC part.
 
Cool eh.
 
Mike
________________________________
From: Mike Rambour <lists at dinospider.com>
To:
Spridgets <spridgets at autox.team.net> 
Sent: Saturday, May 18, 2013 2:20 PM
Subject: [Spridgets] kind of spridget related


    11 years ago I was a
younger man (pretty interesting eh ?) and I had 
a unique opportunity to buy a
very rare 1934 Singer and when you already 
own a 1934 Singer and say this one
is rare you know its unique.

  I have not touched this Singer because I did
not want to have 2 cars 
apart at the same time and so I told people it was
going to be my 
retirement project, well retirement is too far away and I want
it on the 
road.  The reason I mentioned something about being younger is that
as 
I have gotten older, I no longer enjoy the moments broken down on the
side of the road and I enjoy the trouble free driving more so I am 
thinking
of doing a engine swap.

  The original motor is a 1493cc 6 cylinder motor of
early 1930's 
technology (59 mm. by 91 mm bore-stroke) and I have no idea the
HP 
rating of it but it can't be very high. The gearbox is a crashbox with
four speeds with ratios 5.22, 6.65, 10.68 and 19.43 to 1 and 26.4:1 
reverse
with silent second and third gears, no idea the rear axle 
ratio.  Fueled by
twin Solex sidedraft carbs.  The motor has had cracks 
brazed in the side of
the block on both sides, the freeze plugs corroded 
out decades ago and were
covered by bondo (yes Bondo) to prevent leaks I 
assume.  I removed the oil
pan and found wood screws jammed into the 
block because the oil pan studs
were broken so they drilled small holes 
and used wood screws.  The oil pump
strainer was cut off (presumably to 
increase oil pressure after too much
sludge plugged up the strainer) and 
there appears to be a crack between the
number 2 and 3 cylinders which 
allows coolant into the oil sump.  The motor
can be fixed but its 
ridiculously expensive and I want reliability.

  I have
a Spridget 1275 complete with carbs and gearbox, I have no idea 
the year but
it has a 10CG (or is it 10GG?) head which implies its a 
later 1275 motor, no
idea of its real condition but its free turning and 
just turning by hand
appears to have compression in all 4 cylinders, of 
course a full rebuild is
in order.

  I am thinking a newer 1275 will have more HP than a 1930's 1500
motor, 
it will also be lighter and extremely very easily fit into the chassis
with no permanent mods to the Singer and that the 1275 motor would work 
well
in this car.  When I have done motor swaps it was usually to make a 
hot rod
with much larger more powerful motors, I have never gone down in 
size before
am I stupid to try this ? should I find a 1500 motor from 
some other make ? 
There is one of these cars in New Zealand with a VW 
2Litre from a modern car
in it but they also swapped the rear axle and I 
want to avoid that.

  My
goal would be to make it reliable and be able to get to freeway 
speeds so I
can take it places, if it takes a while to get to that speed 
that is ok with
me.

  Wow, long message...

        mike
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