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Re: Signs of Sagging

To: spridgets@autox.team.net
To: hubbard@idir.net
Subject: Re: Signs of Sagging
From: type79@ix.netcom.com
Date: Tue, 2 Mar 1999 09:10:45 -0600 (CST)
Reply-to: type79@ix.netcom.com
Sender: owner-spridgets@autox.team.net
On 03/02/99 07:42:38 you wrote:
>
>Fellow listers:
>
>I looked at a '65 Sprite yesterday - a project type car.  One of the 
things
>I know one should look for is sagging.  I understand a test for that on
>half elliptic sprung cars is to look for the door gap to be closed at 
the
>top and open at the bottom.  On this car, I saw this on the driver's 
side
>door, but the passenger's side door fit very well all the way around.  
The
>driver's side door also stuck out about 1/4" at the rear bottom.  
>
>Is this a sign that the car is sagging or just that the driver's side
>rocker is worse than the passenger's side or something else?
>
>As always, all thoughts are appreciated.
>
>Philip
>1974 Damask Midget - Arioch, Lord of Chaos
>
>

Phil,
Sagging is a new one on me, at least concerning Spridgets. 

Look at the spring box areas under the car ahead of the rear axle fo 
signs of rot or  improper repair.

Look at the rockers. If they have been repaired, determine whether or 
not the sills have been repaired. If the sills have not been repaired, 
then the sills need to be replaced as well as the rockers, again.

Original rockers actually have a lip on the bottom where the curve under 
the car approxiately 1/8" to "accept the inner sill. A good car will 
still exhibit this feature. An original inner sill will sit "inside" 
this lip. There should also be spot wels at the front leading edge of 
the rocker as well as the rear trailing edge of the rocker.

Look at the box sections behind the front wheels as well as the bottoms 
of the cowls.

If the car has been repainted, it will be harder to see what has been 
repaired and how it was repaired. I heavily discount previous repairs as 
they are usually fancy bondo pop-rivet jobs.

Easy test is to look for factory spot welds and contours. Good example 
of this is at the rear. Look at the outside bottom lip of the rear 
shroud. This is the seam under the license plate/bumper where it meets 
the floor. Get on your back and inspect this seam. There should be spot 
welds/dimples acros the entire seam. Most cars rot in this area, but if 
not, you can see a good example of spot welds and at the same time get 
an indicator of how good the car is.

Some of what you describe on this car may be a fault of door adjustment. 

If you want to start cutting and welding and wanta it done properly, 
this is a big project and more than a matter of cut-out the old and 
weld-in the new.

Jay Fishbein, CT
AN-5
HAN-6
Innocenti-S





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