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1974 Midget Carb and Alternator Progress

To: spridgets@Autox.Team.Net
Subject: 1974 Midget Carb and Alternator Progress
From: Philip Hubbard <phubbard@carroll.com>
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 19:03:35 -0400
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Lists!

Your vacation from me is over as my vacation is also over and I'm back from
my trip to my wife's native Poland.  A good time was had by all, but being
back in the states means it's time to get cracking on the Midget again.  I
think some real progress was made on my latest two concerns:

Carb Float Bowl Overflow

Gave the grose jets (spelling?) a good clean to make sure they weren't
sticking, put new gaskets in and a new fuel filter while I was at it and no
overflow.  Yahooo!  I actually wanted to change the jets and as part of my
rebuild kit I got new needles and seats, but I couldn't get the old jets
out easily so I thought I'd just try a thorough cleaning with the carb
cleaner first.  I've got the plastic float assemblies.  Do I just get a
wrench on the dang things and bully 'em out?  I didn't have the right sized
wrench or I may have already tried that.  :)

Battery Dead, No Start without Jump and Dieing on the Road

Alternator.  Got the nice shiney new multi-plug connector crimped on and
soldered tight.  This allowed me to do the test.  Started the car and
warmed it up.  Unplugged the alternator.  Touched positive lead of
multi-meter to center post of alternator connector and negative to housing
of alternator.  Reading was zilch, nada, 0 volts.  Just to test myself, I
plugged the connector back in, took off the back of the plastic connector
so I could touch the lead and repeated same test with multi-meter.  This
time I got about 10 volts.  Probably right since I'm not sure I charged up
the battery all the way from when it ran dead and I've been running it a
little since then while I was doing various tests.

So, anyone got a line on a nice alternator for a 1974 Midget?  :)  I can
order non-Lucas locally for about $80 if I recall correctly (other places
went to more around $100.  Motorhead is $165 for Lucas and Moss is $135ish
for Lucas, but they specify that it is a replacement type from Lucas.  Do
folks think it has to be Lucas?  I lean that way, but I know Frank C. and
others have done marvelously with Mitsubishi.  I just don't want the extra
effort of the bracket conversions though.

Thanks for letting me share the progress.  Things are coming along.

Philip
1974 Damask Midget - Arioch, Lord of Chaos

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