My LBC addiction is getting worse, as I have just added to my collection a
1972 round wheel arch Midget!
Damask red (a new paint job that really looks sweet), lots of new parts,
desmogged, new interior and carpets, no cracks on the dashpad, and a
completely clean engine bay and boot. Too bad it was raining so hard
yesterday, as I had to drive it back from Pennsylvania (3 hrs.) with the
hood up.
A couple of small faults need to be addressed, most of which I think are no
problem:
1. The fuel guage reads about 1/2 tank too high, meaning that when I
stopped to fill up at what I though was 1/2 left, I was surprised to find
that I could fit 7 gallons in to my 1/2 full 7 gallon tank! Is this an
issue with the sender, the voltage stabiliser, or the guage itself? Can it
be fixed by just adding a resistor somewhere?
2. Drivers side window won't roll-up more than an inch. I haven't opened
up the door yet, but what is normally the pathology behind stuck windows?
3. It sounds like I'm getting a high-pitched rhythmic squeaking sound from
the front drivers side wheel, which is proportional to speed. The wheel
bearings themselves seem to be fine (no play when shaking the wheel), is
this a brake issue, or related to the suspension? Both have been recently
rebuilt, but I'd like to get this addressed as soon a possible.
4. There are no seat-belts. Should I just go with the inertia-reel belts
in the Moss catalog? Are any special tools required for installation?
5. This is the big problem: The transmission is extremely noisy, every
gear sounds like 1st, or wosre. And very clunky. It didn't grind all that
much going from gear-to-gear, just extremely loud. What are the odds that
this could simply be an issue with the clutch slave cylinder? Another
symptom is that when idling in neutral, there is quite a bit of clutch sound
with the pedal out, but the engine quiets down substantially when the clutch
pedal is pressed. The age of the transmission is unknown.
Anyhow, the car is beutiful, although I promised the Missus that it would be
getting rid of the '74 in order to make room for this one, now I'm not so
sure... They sure look sweet sitting side-by-side in the garage.
I also heard that there is a company in California that makes baby car seats
for classics, including LBSs. (Only 17 days to go 'til the due date of our
first baby!)
Happy Memorial Day everyone!
Regards,
Charles
'74 Midget
'72 Midget
'68 Sprite
Bloomfield, NJ
cdsorkin@cdsorkin.com
"How about we duck inside for a Hen?"
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