Subject: [Spridgets] Texas OSHIT Week 2 recap

From: Greg Gowins via Spridgets <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 30 May 2022 15:12:13 +0000

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Hello fellow Spridgeteers,

We last left off with ordering a bunch of parts last Sunday, based on what
we discovered over the weekend.  I had to work during the day, so wasn't
available as much as I liked Monday to Wednesday.

On Monday, my Dad proceeded to finish the removal of the interior on his
car.  He had a couple of stubborn bolts for the seat rails, both with the
bolt in the captive nuts, as well as the two through nuts.  He was able to
grind the heads down and got them out.  While this was going on Mark worked
on prepping the engines for the installation of the parts we ordered.  Once
I was done with work I joined in for a couple of hours of work that
evening.  After much PB Blaster and continuous application of the impact
wrench and gentle persuasion from a BFH, the crank pulley finally came off
of my Dad's engine.

Tuesday ended up being more of the same, doing prep work in anticipation of
the parts arriving.  I painted my gas tank with truck bed liner, and we got
it installed along with the ancillary bits.  I was missing a couple of
items, so I borrowed (stole) them from the cache of parts my Dad had
previously ordered for his Sprite.    That evening, Jack and Kathy Orkin
arrived from Atlanta, and swung by to see what kind of progress we'd made,
and what to expect over the next three days.

On Wednesday, we anticipated the arrival of the parts.  I had 7 boxes of
stuff arriving from three different carriers.   Usually UPS and FedEx
arrive mid-morning, but today I was at the end of the delivery line.  Most
of the stuff arrived around 3pm.  Once the parts arrived, there was a
flurry of activity.  Mark started on getting the Vernier timing gear set
installed on my engine.  We discovered that the coolant bypass on the
bottom of the Pierce aluminum head was tapped differently than the bypass
on the cast iron head.   Got a hold of Pierce, and it was tapped 1/4 NPT,
so just had to find the right fitting at a home improvement or auto parts
store.

On Thursday, there was more work getting the parts installed.  Mark and
Jack worked on my engine, getting the head re-installed, the new serpentine
pulley put on the crank, the timing gear and sump gaskets in place.   I
took off work in the early afternoon, and started on the pieces for the VW
Rabbit radiator conversion.  I got the radiator in the general spot, and
started to plan out where mounts needed to be fabricated to get it into
place.   My Dad worked on fabricating the mounts for the tensioners out of
1 x 1.5 aluminum bar.   That was slow going with the tool we had, and the
thickness of the material.  After a long day of work, we ate as a group at
The Salt Lick BBQ restaurant in Driftwood.

Waking up on Friday, our goal was to get my engine in place and to get it
to fire by the end of the day.. We got the Datsun 5 speed mated to the rear
of the engine, then spent quite a bit of time getting the serpentine
pulleys to align.  The alternator ended up being the difficult child, and
we spent a couple of hours grinding and filing surfaces, finally getting it
to line up.  Got the serpentine belt installed, then got the drive train
back into the car.   After we got the drivetrain back in, I then started
working on plumbing the new radiator.  My setup was just enough different
from the examples on Creative Spridgets that I had to deviate quite a bit.
But we got it in place.  Mark double checked the torque on the head bolts,
and we then proceeded to get oil into the transmission and engine.
Unfortunately we discovered that the fuel pump would not come back to life,
so we used a "Jack Tank", which was Jack Orkin holding a bottle with fuel
and squeezing it to deliver fuel to the carb.    Here was what happened:

https://wx.greggowins.com/weewx/videos/index.html

The first time the engine had fired since end of 2000/beginning of 2001!
Didn't have to do anything to the Weber carb even after it was sitting all
that time.     We then had a celebratory beer, followed by another group
dinner at the Hays City Store (try the onion rings).   After dinner we said
our goodbyes to Jack and Kathy, who were heading back to Georgia the next
morning.

On Saturday, the plan was to do the work to dial in the engine and get the
radiator fully working.  Here is where Lord Lucas reared his head.  There
is some kind of demon that possesses the timing of my engine.  We got the
pulley mark to TDC, and then pulled the valve cover to confirm that yes,
the engine was at TDC.  The engine would not fire at all.  We move the
distributor around, and get it back to a spot where the engine would start
and run. Get the timing light down there, and the mark was nearly 90
degrees off of where it should have been.  Rock the mark back to TDC, pull
the valve cover, checked the valve position, and verified we had the plug
wires connected as expected.  The engine would only run at the bizarre
marking.  Not sure if anyone else has experienced anything like this, all
we could figure is that there was something really strange going on with
the dog on the distributor.   So from that point we fine tuned the timing
and got the carbs dialed in.  The engine will fire on the first crank, and
instantly responds to throttle input.   That evening, we took Mark to his
first pro rugby match, and the hometown Austin team beat San Diego.

Sunday morning we took Mark to the airport for his flight home, then we
headed to a pick-a-part to find some stuff for my Dad's Sprite.  He wants
to put Miata seats in his, as well as the Creative Spridgets rear disc
brake conversion.  We completely struck out.  None the Miatas had seats,
and all of the Sentras had rear drums.  I poked around to see if there was
a SLK with an Eaton Supercharger, but none of those were to be found
either.

Thanks to Mark and Jack for coming out to help get these projects going,
after both cars have been sitting so long.   I'm planning to get mine
reassembled and inspected within the next couple of weeks.   It will be
ugly, but able to be on the road.   My Dad is planning to spend quite a bit
of time here in July getting body work done on his, and treating the rust
that we've found.  We've buttoned his engine back up, and it will be ready
to reinstall when we get to that point.

It was an eventful 10 days!  Always great to spend time with fellow
Spridget folks and work on these cars.   There were many mentions of Frank
during the time we were working on these, and I have one of the stickers to
put on the glass once the project is finished.

Greg Gowins
Driftwood, TX

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<div dir=3D"ltr">Hello fellow Spridgeteers,<div><br></div><div>We last left=
 off with ordering a bunch of parts last Sunday, based on what we discovere=
d over the weekend.=C2=A0 I had to work during the day, so wasn&#39;t avail=
able as much as I liked Monday to Wednesday.=C2=A0=C2=A0</div><div><br></di=
v><div>On Monday, my Dad proceeded to finish the removal of the interior on=
 his car.=C2=A0 He had a couple of stubborn bolts for the seat rails, both =
with the bolt in the captive nuts, as well as the two through nuts.=C2=A0 H=
e was able to grind the heads down and got them out.=C2=A0 While this was g=
oing on Mark worked on prepping the engines for the installation of the par=
ts we ordered.=C2=A0 Once I was done with work I joined in for a couple of =
hours of work that evening.=C2=A0 After much PB Blaster and continuous appl=
ication of the impact wrench and gentle persuasion=C2=A0from a BFH, the cra=
nk pulley finally came off of my Dad&#39;s engine.=C2=A0=C2=A0</div><div><b=
r></div><div>Tuesday ended up being more of the same, doing prep work in an=
ticipation of the parts arriving.=C2=A0 I painted my gas tank with truck be=
d liner, and we got it installed along with the ancillary bits.=C2=A0 I was=
 missing a couple of items, so I borrowed (stole) them from the cache of pa=
rts my Dad had previously ordered for his Sprite.=C2=A0 =C2=A0 That evening=
, Jack and Kathy Orkin arrived from Atlanta, and swung by to see what kind =
of progress we&#39;d made, and what to expect over the next three days.</di=
v><div><br></div><div>On Wednesday, we anticipated the arrival of the parts=
.=C2=A0 I had 7 boxes of stuff arriving from three different carriers.=C2=
=A0 =C2=A0Usually UPS and FedEx arrive mid-morning, but today I was at the =
end of the delivery line.=C2=A0 Most of the stuff arrived around 3pm.=C2=A0=
 Once the parts arrived, there was a flurry of activity.=C2=A0 Mark started=
 on getting the Vernier timing gear set installed on my engine.=C2=A0 We di=
scovered that the coolant bypass on the bottom of the Pierce aluminum head =
was tapped differently than the bypass on the cast iron head.=C2=A0 =C2=A0G=
ot a hold of Pierce, and it was tapped 1/4 NPT, so just had to find the rig=
ht fitting at a home improvement or auto parts store.</div><div><br></div><=
div>On Thursday, there was more work getting the parts installed.=C2=A0 Mar=
k and Jack worked on my engine, getting the head re-installed, the new serp=
entine pulley put on the crank, the timing gear and sump gaskets in place.=
=C2=A0 =C2=A0I took off work in the early afternoon, and started on the pie=
ces for the VW Rabbit radiator conversion.=C2=A0 I got the radiator in the =
general spot, and started to plan out where mounts needed to be fabricated =
to get it into place.=C2=A0 =C2=A0My Dad worked on fabricating the mounts f=
or the tensioners out of 1 x 1.5 aluminum bar.=C2=A0 =C2=A0That was slow go=
ing with the tool we had, and the thickness of the material.=C2=A0 After a =
long day of work, we ate as a group at The Salt Lick BBQ restaurant in Drif=
twood.=C2=A0=C2=A0</div><div><br></div><div>Waking up on Friday, our goal w=
as to get my engine in place and to get it to fire by the end of the day.. =
We got the Datsun 5 speed mated to the rear of the engine, then spent quite=
 a bit of time getting the serpentine pulleys to align.=C2=A0 The alternato=
r ended up being the difficult child, and we spent a couple of hours grindi=
ng and filing surfaces, finally getting it to line up.=C2=A0 Got the serpen=
tine belt installed, then got the drive train back into the car.=C2=A0 =C2=
=A0After we got the drivetrain back in, I then started working on plumbing =
the new radiator.=C2=A0 My setup was just enough different from the example=
s on Creative Spridgets that I had to deviate quite a bit.=C2=A0 But we got=
 it in place.=C2=A0 Mark double checked the torque on the head bolts, and w=
e then proceeded to get oil into the transmission and engine.=C2=A0 Unfortu=
nately we discovered that the fuel pump would not come back to life, so we =
used a &quot;Jack Tank&quot;, which was Jack Orkin holding a bottle with fu=
el and squeezing it to deliver fuel to the carb.=C2=A0 =C2=A0 Here was what=
 happened:=C2=A0=C2=A0</div><div><br></div><div><a href=3D"https://wx.gregg=
owins.com/weewx/videos/index.html">https://wx.greggowins.com/weewx/videos/i=
ndex.html</a></div><div><br></div><div>The first time the engine had fired =
since end of 2000/beginning of 2001!=C2=A0 Didn&#39;t have to do anything t=
o the Weber carb even after it was sitting all that time.=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=
=A0We then had a celebratory beer, followed by another group dinner at the =
Hays City Store (try the onion rings).=C2=A0 =C2=A0After dinner we said our=
 goodbyes to Jack and Kathy, who were heading back to Georgia the next morn=
ing.</div><div><br></div><div>On Saturday, the plan was to do the work to d=
ial in the engine and get the radiator fully working.=C2=A0 Here is where L=
ord Lucas reared his head.=C2=A0 There is some kind of demon that possesses=
 the timing of my engine.=C2=A0 We got the pulley mark to TDC, and then pul=
led the valve cover to confirm that yes, the engine was at TDC.=C2=A0 The e=
ngine would not fire at all.=C2=A0 We move the distributor around, and get =
it back to a spot where the engine would start and run. Get the timing ligh=
t down there, and the mark was nearly 90 degrees off of where it should hav=
e been.=C2=A0 Rock the mark back to TDC, pull the valve cover, checked the =
valve position, and verified we had the plug wires connected as expected.=
=C2=A0 The engine would only run at the bizarre marking.=C2=A0 Not sure if =
anyone else has experienced anything like this, all we could figure is that=
 there was something really strange going on with the dog on the distributo=
r.=C2=A0 =C2=A0So from that point we fine tuned the timing and got the carb=
s dialed in.=C2=A0 The engine will fire on the first crank, and instantly r=
esponds to throttle input.=C2=A0 =C2=A0That evening, we took Mark to his fi=
rst pro rugby match, and the hometown Austin team beat San Diego.=C2=A0=C2=
=A0</div><div><br></div><div>Sunday morning we took Mark to the airport for=
 his flight home, then we headed to a pick-a-part to find some stuff for my=
 Dad&#39;s Sprite.=C2=A0 He wants to put Miata seats in his, as well as the=
 Creative Spridgets rear disc brake conversion.=C2=A0 We completely struck =
out.=C2=A0 None the Miatas had seats, and all of the Sentras had rear drums=
.=C2=A0 I poked around to see if there was a SLK with an Eaton Supercharger=
, but none of those were to be found either.=C2=A0=C2=A0</div><div><br></di=
v><div>Thanks to Mark and Jack for coming out to help get these projects go=
ing, after both cars have been sitting so long.=C2=A0 =C2=A0I&#39;m plannin=
g to get mine reassembled and inspected within the next couple of weeks.=C2=
=A0 =C2=A0It will be ugly, but able to be on the road.=C2=A0 =C2=A0My Dad i=
s planning to spend quite a bit of time here in July getting body work done=
 on his, and treating the rust that we&#39;ve found.=C2=A0 We&#39;ve button=
ed his engine back up, and it will be ready to reinstall when we get to tha=
t point.</div><div><br></div><div>It was an eventful 10 days!=C2=A0 Always =
great to spend time with fellow Spridget folks and work on these cars.=C2=
=A0 =C2=A0There were many mentions of Frank during the time we were working=
 on these, and I have one of the stickers to put on the glass once the proj=
ect is finished.</div><div><br></div><div>Greg Gowins</div><div>Driftwood, =
TX</div></div>

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[email-masked]

Archive: http://www.team.net/pipermail/spridgets  http://autox.team.net/archive

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From: Ron Soave via Spridgets <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 31 May 2022 06:56:06 -0500

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FYI:

https://damperdoctor.com/

Ron Soave

> On May 30, 2022, at 9:43 PM, Rick Fisk via Spridgets <[email-masked]=
.net> wrote:
>=20
> =EF=BB=BFMust be a viscous type with fluid in a chamber.  High tech stuff c=
ompared to my Spridgets which have the old fashioned elastomer type damper. =
 :-)=20
>=20
>> On May 30, 2022, at 10:26 PM, Billy Zoom <[email-masked]> wrote:=

>>=20
>> =EF=BB=BF"If your "harmonic balancer" is solid metal it's not a harmonic b=
alancer, it's a pulley.=E2=80=9D
>> Agreed, but it=E2=80=99s a big chunk of machined metal & they said it was=
 a harmonic balancer.  It=E2=80=99s not the stamped pulley like the early A-=
series. I ordered a HB from England, and that=E2=80=99s what I got. I just a=
ssumed that=E2=80=99s what they were all like.
>>=20
>=20
> ------------------------
>=20
> [email-masked]
>=20
> Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html
> Suggested annual donation: $12.75
>=20
> Archive: http://www.team.net/pipermail/spridgets  http://autox.team.net/ar=
chive
>=20
> Unsubscribe/Manage: http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/spridgets/soaver=
[email-masked]

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<html><head><meta http-equiv=3D"content-type" content=3D"text/html; charset=3D=
utf-8"></head><body dir=3D"auto">FYI:<div><br></div><div><a href=3D"https://=
damperdoctor.com/">https://damperdoctor.com/</a><br><br><div dir=3D"ltr">Ron=
 Soave</div><div dir=3D"ltr"><br><blockquote type=3D"cite">On May 30, 2022, a=
t 9:43 PM, Rick Fisk via Spridgets &lt;[email-masked]&gt; wrote:<b=
r><br></blockquote></div><blockquote type=3D"cite"><div dir=3D"ltr">=EF=BB=BF=
<span>Must be a viscous type with fluid in a chamber. &nbsp;High tech stuff c=
ompared to my Spridgets which have the old fashioned elastomer type damper. &=
nbsp;:-) </span><br><span></span><br><blockquote type=3D"cite"><span>On May 3=
0, 2022, at 10:26 PM, Billy Zoom &lt;[email-masked]&gt; wrote:</spa=
n><br></blockquote><blockquote type=3D"cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><=
blockquote type=3D"cite"><span>=EF=BB=BF"If your "harmonic balancer" is soli=
d metal it's not a harmonic balancer, it's a pulley.=E2=80=9D</span><br></bl=
ockquote><blockquote type=3D"cite"><span>Agreed, but it=E2=80=99s a big chun=
k of machined metal &amp; they said it was a harmonic balancer. &nbsp;It=E2=80=
=99s not the stamped pulley like the early A-series. I ordered a HB from Eng=
land, and that=E2=80=99s what I got. I just assumed that=E2=80=99s what they=
 were all like.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type=3D"cite"><span></spa=
n><br></blockquote><span></span><br><span>------------------------</span><br=
><span></span><br><span>[email-masked]</span><br><span></span><br>=
<span>Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html</span><br><span>Suggested annu=
al donation: $12.75</span><br><span></span><br><span>Archive: http://www.tea=
m.net/pipermail/spridgets &nbsp;http://autox.team.net/archive</span><br><spa=
n></span><br><span>Unsubscribe/Manage: http://autox.team.net/mailman/options=
/spridgets/[email-masked]</span><br></div></blockquote></div></body></htm=
l>=

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[email-masked]

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From: Mark Haynes via Spridgets <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 31 May 2022 12:41:34 -0600

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The pulley is solid Aluminum, cam timing is spot on with the crank, timing
mark on the new pulley was likewise spot on. When I put a pointer on the
5/16" bolt of hte timing cover, I marked the pulley beneath it with the
timing mark on TDC, turned the engine and filed the mark into the pulley.
There shouldn't be any question as to the alignment, but when running the
dynamic timing light (on Cylinder #1), the mark is ~ 45=C2=B0 down (as in
retarded or c'clockwise). When its lined up with the timing mark, it's
OBVIOUSLY NOT correct.
It's now timed by ear and runs well AFAIK.
Yes, it has a pertronix, but I'm not sure how that would affect the spark
timing as it relates to the pulley TDC marks.
Its a puzzle which I'm anxious to know the solution to.

Mark Haynes
It only goes one way- Pay It Forward

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<div dir=3D"ltr"><div>The pulley is solid Aluminum, cam timing is spot on w=
ith the crank, timing mark on the new pulley was likewise spot on. When I p=
ut a pointer on the 5/16&quot; bolt of hte timing cover, I marked the pulle=
y beneath it with the timing mark on TDC, turned the engine and filed the m=
ark into the pulley. There shouldn&#39;t be any question as to the alignmen=
t, but when running the dynamic timing light (on Cylinder #1), the mark is =
~ 45=C2=B0 down (as in retarded or c&#39;clockwise). When its lined up with=
 the timing mark, it&#39;s OBVIOUSLY NOT correct. <br></div><div>It&#39;s n=
ow timed by ear and runs well AFAIK.<br></div><div>Yes, it has a pertronix,=
 but I&#39;m not sure how that would affect the spark timing as it relates =
to the pulley TDC marks.<br></div><div>Its a puzzle which I&#39;m anxious t=
o know the solution to.<br></div><div><br></div><div><div><div dir=3D"ltr" =
class=3D"gmail_signature" data-smartmail=3D"gmail_signature"><div dir=3D"lt=
r"><div>Mark Haynes<br></div>It only goes one way- Pay It Forward<br></div>=
</div></div></div></div>

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[email-masked]

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