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Re: Looking for a little guidance

To: "Geoffrey P. Muttart" <gmuttart@mtdc.ns.ca>, Spridgets <Spridgets@autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: Looking for a little guidance
Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2000 20:11:27 -0500
References: <NDBBIJMHALGNBMLAJLPJAEIDCDAA.bstevenson@imagictv.com> <01a201bfe140$85fefb60$e300005b@associategpm>
If you are willing to get the books, Tops on your list should be a Bentley
Manual (reprints the owners manual and shop manual in one) that was
invaluable to me when I got my first "Toy" car. Second I would recommend the
"Original Sprite and Midget" as a reference to what each series of the cars
had to offer and if you were to find a basket case it would help with photos
of how some things should look and it has production and chassis #'s to help
you determine if what you are getting is truly what the current owner says
it is. I have heard of the I.D. plates being switched from time to time. And
as always, remember, there are many of these cars still to be found, so
don't panic and jump on the first one you come across. See if any other
listers are in your area that can offer help and advice on selecting a good
project (they are all projects, some are just closer to that fabled state of
completion than others). Best of luck and welcome to the list, Brad Fornal

"Geoffrey P. Muttart" wrote:

> Hi Brad & welcome from a Lurker!
>
> What part of "Eastern " Canada are you from?  If you're truly in the
> East, then you're close to me and Terry (another Lister) here in Nova
> Scotia and you should consider joining the British Automobile Touring
> Association of Nova Scotia (with members from all of the Atlantic
> Provinces and beyond - see:  www.BATANS.ns.ca)
>
> Spridgets are great cars to work on yourself, if you're willing to learn
> a few new cuss words.  Parts, for the most part, are easy to find.
>
> Performance is in the eye of the beholder (as is beauty).  You'll see
> lots of comments in the archives about 5-speed conversions, 1275 cc
> blocks, etc., and Bugeyes vs. later Spridgets vs. Spitfidgets  For me,
> there's nothing more beautiful than driving a Bugeye with a 948 cc down
> a winding country road (and not much that's more painful than spending a
> lot of time on the highway at 110 km/h but I used to do it regularly).
> There are lots of quality books on mechanics and body but this List tops
> them all!  If you're interested in originality, I suggest you get the
> Sprite Concours Standards.
>
> The biggest challenge you'll face, I suspect, is locating a car in
> Canada that is relatively rust-free.  The body is the expensive part of
> maintenance, in my experience.  I recommend developing contacts in local
> Clubs to assist with finding the car that's right for you.
>
> Geoff Muttart
> gmuttart@mtdc.ns.ca
> Bugeye Sprite
> Nova Scotia, Canada
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Brad Stevenson" <bstevenson@imagictv.com>
> To: "Spridgets" <spridgets@autox.team.net>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2000 5:05 PM
> Subject: Looking for a little guidance
>
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I've been lurking on your group for a few days now, so I thought it
> only
> > polite to introduce myself.
> >
> > My name is Brad Stevenson and I live in Eastern Canada. I've been an
> LBC fan
> > ever since I was I teenager, but for reasons of practicality I've
> never
> > owned one. I currently don't have a garage at my house or an abundance
> of
> > extra $$, however by this time next year I plan on being in a position
> where
> > I have a garage and perhaps a little extra money to spend on some
> > non-necessities. So, for now I'm doing my research to try and minimize
> any
> > huge blunders when I go to purchase my first LBC.
> >
> > The things I consider to be important in a little sports car would be
> > 1 Performance
> > 2 Looks
> > 3 Price
> > 4 Availability and price of parts
> > 5 Availability of resources (advice, tech books, local mechanics, etc)
> >
> > Living where I do, there's not a lot to choose from. I'm prepared to
> do a
> > little traveling to get something worth while. I'm certainly not a
> mechanic,
> > but I'm not completely mechanically declined either. Given a book, I
> can
> > usually learn to do anything. I would say my budget to get started
> will be
> > less than $5000. This car isn't intended to be my only vehicle, so
> down time
> > won't be a problem.
> >
> > Alright, so I'll just get to the questions:
> >
> > - Is this just crazy for some one of average mechanic ability and who
> can't
> > afford to have a 'real' mechanic always working on my vehicle?
> >
> > - I guess given the things that are important to me, I'm leaning
> towards say
> > 67 - 74 MG Midget. This seems like a reasonable entry level purchase,
> based
> > on what I've read so far, but I'd like to hear what the voices of
> experience
> > have to say. Hopefully not "My God man, don't buy one of them!"
> >
> > - Any specifics books you recommend I read over the next few months?
> >
> > I picked this car because they seem reasonably priced. Reasonably
> plentiful,
> > so there should be some parts around. They are a damn fine looking
> car, and
> > seem to have a bit more guts than some of the earlier Spridgets.
> >
> > Anyway, I'd sure appreciate any advice/words of wisdom anyone might
> wish to
> > share. Also, if anyone would like to take the time to give their
> thoughts on
> > a compare and contrast discussion around Midget vs MGB (given the
> criteria
> > above), I'd be real interested in listening. Possibly same discussion
> on
> > Spridget vs. TR6?
> >
> > All right, time to take a breath.
> >
> > Thanks for taking the time to read this lengthy post! I truly look
> forward
> > to hearing your comments and opinions.
> >
> > Brad
> >


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