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Re: Morris vs British Leyland

To: toyman@htcomp.net
Subject: Re: Morris vs British Leyland
From: Scott Fisher <sefisher@cisco.com>
Date: Wed, 12 May 1999 20:33:03 -0700
Cc: spridgets@autox.team.net
Organization: Cisco Systems
References: <B0002892823@hamextw01.htcomp.net>
Reply-to: Scott Fisher <sefisher@cisco.com>
Sender: owner-spridgets@autox.team.net
toyman@htcomp.net wrote:
> 
> Not wanting to start a feud or nuthin'

Hoo boy!  Which is better, Zen Buddhism or Sufi Islam? :-)

One piece of information I've heard is that as installed in the
Spitfire, the 1500 has *much* better underhood airflow than it does in
the Midget.  This, I've read, is alleged to be responsible for some of
the reported reliability troubles in 1500 Midgets; as a practical
solution, fitting an oil cooler and using synthetic oil is a reasonable
thing to do (well, assuming you're not effectively pouring that $6/qt
Redline right straight through onto the ground, that is :-).

I've driven a 1500 Midget, back to back with my 1275.  The
longer-stroke, higher-displacement 1500 did have more usable torque
below 3000 RPM which made for a flexible, pleasant car to drive, and
with the added ride height acquired along with the rubber bumpers, a
"Spitfidget" (as a friend calls them) could make a much more comfortable
car if the daily commute included rougher roads and lots of stop-and-go
traffic.  I can think of worse cars to drive every day.

The chief advantage of the 1275 is that it's so rev-happy when treated
right, with *lots* more snap at the top end due to the twin SUs as
compared to the single Z-S in the 1500.  And there's really no
comparison when it comes time to point the car into a set of bends.

But of course, it's mainly a religious issue, and having fallen in love
with a 1275 Midget, I'm afraid I'm stuck.  Guess I'll go put on my
orange robe and sit under a waterfall for the next few hours...

--Scott "What is the sound of one dashpot clapping?" Fisher

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