Dear Leigh Ellen
Phil Plumbe has passed on to me a copy of your email outlining your
gearbox problems, as I have a Mark 1 Sprite
If it's still original, your Mark 2 should have a smooth case gearbox
behind its 948cc motor. This is the same 'box as a Morris Minor so you
shouldn't have too much trouble in finding some-one to fix it, or for
that matter another 'box. The acquisition of new/rebuilt gears is
another matter - they are available but at what cost? The Morris Minor
Company in Melbourne Phone 03 95551793 offers rebuilt Minor gearboxes
for $550, which includes new bearings, layshaft etc but uses the best
secondhand gears they can find - a 'box with new gears will set you back
about $1,000.
Another good contact is a guy called Tony Benetto, who runs the Bugeye
Barn in Melbourne 03 9758 8669 - a great guy, who's very honest and
helpful, and an expert on Sprites.
A better 'box is the rib cage 'box as fitted to Mark 2A Sprites with the
1098 cc engine but they're a bit hard to find and probably quite
expensive - I've never had to source one but Tony will know.
I have heard of Datsun and Corolla 5 speed gearboxes being
fitted to Morris Minors - my son fitted a Corolla 5 speed to his car but
it was a lot of messing about. Worked fine but whether it was worth
it???? There's not a lot of space under the Sprite, so you may have a
problem there. Someone would have done something like this I'm sure,
but if you want a cheap and quick fix, you'd be well advised to stick
with the original, in my opinion. Tony Benetto could certainly advise
you better.
What part of the country do you live in? Do you have a local
Morris/Sprite expert?
Finally, my fully rebuilt Sprite normally runs at about 60 psi - I'm not
sure what the books say (will look them up for you over the weekend) but
my guess is that oil pressure should be somewhere between 50 and 75 psi
in a good engine, dropping back to 25 - 40 at idle. Penrite HPR30 or
HPR40 oil will probably give oil pressure a boost if needed.
Good luck!
Neil Wakeman
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