bishel@lobby.ti.com (Geoff Bishel) writes >
> I've got to admit I like the square wheel arches better on
> Spridgets.
Sure, until you can't get wider tires under them. Decide what you want to
do with this car. Stock tires and wheels with ADDCO sway bars (from J. C.
Whitless, of course) will give you a LOT of fun on the roads. If you want
to run an autocross for fun and don't care that you get blown away by
faster cars, that is fun, too. If you want it to be fun and not have the
autocross times embarrass you, then you want the Winner's Circle (216
333-4666) sway bars, 5.5" or 6" wheels and 186-60-13 sticky tires. These
will not fit on a square arch without some flaring, but they clear round
arches just fine.
> So, now for a few questions:
> 1) I've got 5 good stamped steel wheels, and 7 possibly good wire
wheels,
> with hubs etc. Is there any big deal to putting the wire wheel
hubs
> on the disk wheel suspension? Is it correct that the front hubs are
> swappable between bolt-on/knock-off wheels,
The brake disk is not the same. There is a different offset required to
correctly line up with the caliper. The spindle and caliper are the same.
> but that rear axle shafts
> need to be changed (not just hubs)?
Not just the halfshafts, but the whole darn axle housing. The housings
are not the same length. I did a no-charge-to me swap in a shop once.
The shop owner collected from the wire-wheel recipient for his employee to
work on that car. I did the work on mine. Neither the employee nor I are
super-fast mechanics. The total time was about nine hours. Anyway, the
shop owner, when confronted with the fact that the disk-wheel halfshaft
was not making it all the way into my housing, took the shaft and
shortened it with a cut-off saw. I was getting what I wanted free, so
what the heck, but I pitied the other owner with a less-than complete
spline in the diff. Later, I had lots of trouble with oil seals, and I
needed spacers to get my tires to clear the springs. Bottom line is:
change the whole thing.
> What sort of regular maintenance
> is necessary for wire wheels? How often do they need to be trued,
> etc? Assuming there are no broken spokes, and they true up okay,
> are they really usable for daily street driving? How much would
wires
> be worth? (i.e. if I sold them all could I afford to buy a nice
set of
> minilite lookalikes?)
Go with the bolt-on wheels. Trust me on this one. A LOT less trouble.
Inner tubes. Rusty spokes that can't be trued. Worn splines. Much more
that I don't want to remember.
I understand that the new Mini-Lites being imported by Select Sales in
Florida (305-888-2828) are cheaper than Panasports and are pretty nice.
Of course, they are not magnesium like the originals.
>
> 2) Are there any major differences between '70 and '74 heads which
would
> preclude me swapping the good head onto my current block until I
get
> the other motor re-assembled?
I think you can swap any 1275 Midget heads around.
> 3) What's involved in re-bushing throttle shafts on SU carbs? Is
this
> a "non-do-it-yourself-er"?
This is a job for a machine shop. Preferably a specialist, as they have
the reamers. Apple Hydraulics springs to mind. I never had this done, as
it only adversely affects the idle. My Midget ran great after Bob Bownes
set the carbs, and I didn't care that it idled at 1500 RPM.
> 4) Tube shock conversions: I'm pretty much convinced I want to go with
> these in the rear. I seem to remember somewhere seeing a kit that had
> just the brackets and in the mailing list digest #960, Marcus Tooze
> mentions a "Monroe type conversion" - can you actually get correct size
> shocks at an auto parts place?
I just answered this again via private mail. This is becoming common
enough that I might just as well repost my old soapbox on the issue:
--------------------------
DODD@ELMO.EL.WPAFB.AF.MIL writes \
\ I want to convert from the standard lever shocks to tubes on the front
of my
\ 73 Midget.
\ Where did you purchase your conversion kits?
J. C. Whitney, 312-431-6102 24-hour phone ordering. This is the "WeRace"
unit
out of Oregon, but Whitney specs their own shocks 'cause they can buy them
cheaper than WeRace (or just about anyone else!). You can buy the unit much
cheaper this way, and you get all the same hardware, which looks like good
stuff.
\ and for how much?
Should be about $110. Watch for sales.
\How long did it take to install it? (And was this your
\first job on a Midget or your fourth conversion.)
First time, easy job. By drilling a small pilot hole from outside the inner
fender well, I was able to avoid removing the generator to drill from
inside.
This does not make sense to you now, but it will when you see the parts. Took
me less than a full day, and I had clearance trouble because my car had been
hit before I owned it. Tip: Make sure the shocks they gave you are good for
the entire suspension travel. Mine were OK. One of our netters got a WeRace
kit from a shop in California which had shocks too long. He had a lowered car
and broke the shock mounts on bottoming. I had no trouble. When your shocks
wear out, buy the replacements direct from WeRace, the phone number is
right on
the unit on a chrome-mylar label.
\ To those of you who have tried several different kits, is one better than
\ another?
The Cararra ones from Winner's Circle are surely first cabin. But unless you
are seriously going racing, I doubt you will need them, and they cost over
twice as much. The WeRace is so much better (and less trouble) than the
Armstrong levers that it will amaze you.
\ I have wire wheels, will this make the task easier or more difficult?
No effect on difficulty of installation.
--------------------------
The rears are probably easier to install, but I hear that the old ones can
be hard to remove due to difficulty reaching the bolts. I had no trouble
with my rear levers (the fronts were a nightmare), so I never messed with
them.
> 5) Any thoughts on powder coating the wire wheels rather than painting?
> Any thoughts on do-it-yourself wire wheel painting?
Let the new owner do it. You can have your steel wheels powdered.
Seriously. I thought wires would be neat. And they are. But they are
not as rigid as steel wheels, let alone alloys. And they are just too much
trouble. If you insist on using them, buy stainless spokes and have the
rim and hub powder coated.
Phil Ethier, THE RIGHT LINE, 672 Orleans St, Saint Paul, MN 55107-2676
h (612) 224-3105 w (612) 266-6244 phile@stpaul.gov
"There is nothing like a complete money-is-no-object restoration.
And this is going to be nothing like one." - Phil Ethier
|