FWIW, I recently received the latest edition of Daniel
Stapleton's "How To Power Tune Your S/M For Road and
Track", and I heartily recommend it. It is a nice
complement to Vizard's "epic", and it is obvious from
the type of information given that Stapleton regularly
drives a Spridget on the road, and the information is
useful for many states of tune and budget. It is less
exhaustive than Vizard, but still contains a lot of
information. He references Vizard's book frequently,
and I think the combination of the two is a wise idea.
--- Brad Fornal <toyman@digitex.net> wrote:
> 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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