Gotta go with Adrian on this one. I have a 1500 Midget that has 70K+
miles on it. I rebuilt it (myself) about 10 yrs ago, it was burning oil.
I have no complaints. It still runs about 50 psi at speed. The
compression in #3 is a little low and the check suggest I need rings.
That will have to wait for a while as the Midget is my only car, but hey
I rebuilt it once - figure I can do it again. No bttom end rattle that I
can detect, and I don't listen to that damn fan all of the time. Seems to
me the fan masks a lot of engine noise that could lead others to early
detection of an engine problem. Never knew how noisy it was until I put
an electric fan in and took the clutch fan off.
Larry
On 4/23/99 11:55 PM so and so (J. Adrian Barnes) said. (And I quote:)
>You'll get a lot of opinions on this one for sure! heh heh
>
>I have found that a properly maintained and properly rebuilt 1500 engine is
>quite strong, powerful, and reliable. I used to "commute" from Baltimore
>to Knoxville TN round trip once a month (1100 miles), went 80+ mph and got
>32MPG. Didn't burn oil, never broke down, over the course of a year. I
>rebuilt it myself. Very minor mods (boring .020, grinding crank .010.
>That's it). Maintenance that entire year? Fan clutch needed replacement.
>
>You'll hear the bottom end isn't strong. It is if you put it together and
>torque it correctly. The bad image of the 1500 comes from people
>improperly reassembling it, from my experience. That results in a rod
>being thrown through the block. Which is why I rebuild them myself. My
>current project is being built as a road car...something to take trips in.
>
>Other opinions will vary, but that is my personal experience.
>
>adrian
Larry Macy
78 Midget
Keep your top down and your chin up.
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