Welcome!
I'm not one of the experts ...
What is your definition of restoration? You say that it is roadworthy, but
that the body is rough ... Does this mean that you are contemplating
restoring the body as the first step?
I, too, recommend having the reference manuals.
My idea of restoring my Sprite, was to have a "rolling restoration", or in
other words, a car that I could tinker with 'and' drive. When I bought the
car, it was safety inspected and the work necessary for the car to be
roadworthy was done by those mechanics. Subsequent to that, I would remove
components, clean and paint them, use never-seize on the bolts to facilitate
future removals, and put them back on. The plan was to continue to do this,
piece by piece, until I was ready to have someone do the body for me, at
which point, it should have been a simple matter to strip the car of
bolt-ons and send off the shell for restoration. It didn't quite work out
that way, as this spring, as I removed a fender, I found structural work
that the car requires. It had been patched and hidden by a previous owner.
If you are going the rolling restoration route, I would recommend ensuring
that your brakes work well, as the first step. If you are heading for body
work first, there are people on-line that wil tell you of their experiences
and give you the benefit of their experiences.
There are many sources of parts and catalogues that can be quite useful as a
reference in addition to the manuals. www.mossmotors.com ( did I get that
right? ) will mail you their parts cataloques for free.
http://www.ahspares.co.uk/ is a good website to check out. There are a few
vendors on the list, and more than enough people that have experience on
just about any question that you can think of. Ask the list about their
preferred brands before you place an order for parts as not all parts are
created equal.
Then, of course, you have to evaluate the advice that you do get.
What are your plans for the car?
Robert Duquette
Ottawa ON Canada
http://www3.sympatico.ca/robertduquette
RobertDuquette@Sympatico.ca
'65 RHD BRG Sprite
-----Original Message-----
From D McFarlane <djmac at execpc.com>
To: spridgets@autox.team.net <spridgets@autox.team.net>
Date: August 8, 2000 9:46 PM
Subject: Suggestions for a "Newbie"
>Here goes, at the risk of really sounding like an idiot to all you
>experts ....
>
>I am looking for some ideas/tips from you folks on the best way to get
>started on the restoration of a recently purchased 1966 AH Sprite.
>Specifically, what are some of the do's and don'ts that you have
>experienced that my son and I should watch out for. Our car has a rough
>body, but the engine runs, and it is roadworthy.
>
>The seats that are in the car are from a late model MGB, so we are
>interested in getting some new-old seats if anyone has a line on a pair
>for an AH..
>
>Any suggestions would be appreciated.
>
>Dave Mac
>djmac@execpc.com
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