As far as the vacuum unit for the Spridget dizzy, M & G Vintage Auto Co. has new
and rebuilt vacuum units for British cars. I called on an ad in Hemmings Motor
news about rebuilding the vacuum unit from my Bugeye and the guy there said what
about a new one?
For about the same price ($60) I bought a brand new unit. When it arrived it
was not the correct one. It had the large nut on the side. My original one had
no nut where the vacuum line was threaded to it. I called them and they said
send it back. Couple weeks later, the correct unit arrived. I seem to remember
giving them some numbers off the original unit the second time.
There is also an article in a back issue of Austin Healey Club USA magazine
about rebuilding the unit yourself. It won't look original because you have to
drill holes all the way around the circumference and install nuts and bolts to
re-seal it. But hey, you probably save a bundle instead of buying a new one.
You can point to it with pride and say "I rebuilt it!"
I will look up the article and fax it to interested parties if anyone
thinks they would like to try this.
Mike MacLean-60 Sprite
"Charles D. Sorkin" wrote:
> Brian said:
>
> >I drove it a week ago and I have some questions. This is the only sprite
> I've
> >ever driven, and it seems under powered. Not quick away from a light. Now
> this
> >is compared to my 100-4, but 2nd gear was required to make a steep hill. Is
> >this typical?
> >
> >Also, I had to really mash the brakes to get it to stop. Again this is
> compared
> >to my 100-4. I thought the front disks would help stop this little car on a
> >dime. I also noted they faded once stopped, requiring ever greater pressure
> to
> >hold the car still on a hill. The owner said the master cylinder unit was
> >replaced a few thousand miles ago. This owner is a club member so I believe
> >him.
> >
> >The car seems to be as reliable a driver as one can expect from a 36 year
> old
> >British car. Are these things I've mentioned problems or typical of a tiny
> >inexpensive sports car?
>
> The acceleration issue could be caused by a bad vacuum advance. The
> diaphragm sometimes decays after a few decades, and although the Lucas
> dizzies are no longer made, rebuilt units are available if you have a good
> parts vendor or if you monitor ebay (risky). I haven't heard of people
> being overjoyed about the performance of the Mallory dualpoint dizzies in
> the Moss catalog. As far as power is concerned, my '74 Midget had very
> little until I gave it a tune up, the first it had probably had in years.
> With the valves set with 0.012 - 0.013 clearnaces, the engine breathes much
> better.
>
> The brakes on my Midget are the best I've ever had on any car, domestic or
> foreign. They should be completely faultless, no fade, not spongy, when in
> good condition.
>
> As far as reliability, mine only breaks down at home, in the garage. My
> parts replacement/repair/restoration budget has been averaging about $100
> per month. Like the big healey, all spridgets eventually require a
> front-end rebuild.
>
> Regards,
>
> Charles
> '74 Midget
> '68 Sprite
> cdsorkin@ix.netcom.com
> Bloomfield, NJ
> "How about we duck inside for a Hen?"
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