Subject: [Spridgets] Texas OSHIT Weekend 1 recap

From: Greg Gowins via Spridgets <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 23 May 2022 14:33:55 +0000

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The Texas OSHIT has started!  Mark Haynes flew into town on Friday
afternoon, and after picking him up and heading back to my house, we got
started.  We got a lay of the land of the two Sprites and came up with the
gameplan on how to tackle things.   Both Sprites had been sitting for quite
a while, with my Sprite always garaged, and my Dad's Sprite sitting outside
in his backyard.  We weren't too hopeful for the prospects of getting his
running quickly, so we decided to make the main focus to get my engine
running.

I had planned to take my engine to the machine shop, then start ordering
from Hap, but when I contacted  my machine shop last month they told me
they have a three month backlog.  Mark took a look at my engine, and
confirmed that it actually looked ok, and I didn't damage my pistons or
cylinder walls when I ingested a washer from the Weber downdraft air
cleaner.  We grabbed a mill bastard file and some scotch-brite, and he
lightly filed the head down and cleaned up the pistons and cylinder walls.
We also worked on removing the gas tank from my Dad's Sprite.  Opened the
drain plug, and just a trickle of fuel came out.  Surprisingly, the nuts
holding it on turned easily, and weren't rusted solid.  We drop the tank,
and it weighs a ton.  It is full of varnish sludge, and was rusted through
in a couple of places on top.

On Saturday we woke up nice and early to get back to work.  Right as we
started, the AC guy showed up to install the coolant lines for a mini-split
AC I put in a room right off my garage.  Which was a godsend, because it
got up to 101 that day, and by using a fan, it can spread that cold air
into the garage.  We then work to get the engine and transmission out of my
Dad's Sprite.  The SU carbs are seized, which to us didn't bode well to the
rest of the engine.  We pull off the valve cover, and to our surprise, it
looked pristine!  A light sheen of oil on everything, and looked perfectly
normal.  We drained the oil out of the transmission and engine, and it was
all oil, no water.  A very promising sign.  We pull the plugs out of the
head, and then try to turn the engine.  We can do it by hand!  After
sitting outside since the late 1990s, it hadn't seized.

After lunch, we are visited by a new Sprite owner from a nearby town
Richard R., who bought a Sprite for his daughter.  They are new to LBCs,
and we spent a few hours visiting and answering questions they had on
various things about their new purchase.  He had a strange issue with the
wipers where they would jump up to vertical, then only wipe about 20
degrees side to side, and would have to be moved manually back to the down
position when turned off.  But if you had newspaper under the wiper blades,
it operated as expected.   Mark and I took a look, and nothing was jumping
out to us.  Mark and I proceeded to get back to the Sprites, and find that
I had done some screwups when I installed the Rivergate 5 Speed back in
2000.  I didn't remove the facing piece off of the clutch pressure plate,
and it had sheared some retaining rings for it off, and knocked the pilot
bushing out as well and broke it into several pieces.  We found the piece
of the pressure plate in front of the throw out bearing.  So I had to order
both of those parts so we can get things put back together.

On Sunday we started bright and early, and got both Sprites out of the
garage.  They both are on wheel dollies, which makes it much easier to move
them around.  I also have a guest in the garage, a Harley Dyna-glide which
is owned by my boss.  It has a bigger engine than the Sprites, and probably
weighs more as well.   My Sprite had become a bit of extra storage space in
the garage, so I cleaned everything out and removed the old interior.
 Then I pulled out lots of boxes of stuff I ordered from Vicky Brit back in
2000 when I was planning to redo the Sprite.  I had a full interior kit
which was still in perfect condition.  While I was doing that, Mark worked
on doing a three card monty with trunk handles and locks.  My Dad's trunk
lid was shot, and I had a new lid for mine, so Mark worked on the removal
and reinstall of the handles.  Around lunch time, my parents arrived from
Fort Worth, so after introductions to Mark, we walked my Dad through what
we'd done to his Sprite.

We are going to do the Creative Spridgets serpentine belt conversion on
both of them, so after lunch we started on the process of removing the
crankshaft pulley.  After tracking down a 1 5/16th socket, we pulled out
the impact wrench.  The one on my Dad's engine didn't budge.  This was the
first connector that we've had an issue trying to remove.  Mine spun off
easily.  We then proceed to remove the timing cover and sump pan on mine.
There was a lot of slop in my timing chain, so ordered a new set to install
this week.  We've ordered the reinforcement plates from British Car Fixes
for the timing cover and sump pan coming to install as well.

That's the wrap up for the first weekend.  Mark is staying through the
week, as is my Dad.  Jack Orkin and his wife are driving in from Atlanta
tomorrow evening, and will be here until Friday morning.  So we'll have an
extra set of hands to tackle engine reassembly once the parts arrive on
Tuesday/Wednesday.

Looking forward to seeing what we can get done this week!  The goal is to
get mine to fire by Memorial Day.  For being outside so long, my Dad's is
in surprisingly good mechanical shape.  There is a lot of surface rust, but
the engine/transmission seem to be completely solid.

Greg Gowins
'69 Sprite
Driftwood, TX

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<div dir=3D"ltr">The Texas OSHIT has started!=C2=A0 Mark Haynes flew into t=
own on Friday afternoon, and after picking him up and heading back to my ho=
use, we got started.=C2=A0 We got a lay of the land of the two Sprites and =
came up with the gameplan on how to tackle things.=C2=A0 =C2=A0Both Sprites=
 had been sitting for quite a while, with my Sprite always garaged, and my =
Dad&#39;s Sprite sitting outside in his backyard.=C2=A0 We weren&#39;t too =
hopeful for the prospects=C2=A0of getting his running quickly, so we decide=
d to make the main focus to get my engine running.=C2=A0=C2=A0<div><br></di=
v><div>I had planned to take my engine to the machine shop, then start orde=
ring from Hap, but when I contacted=C2=A0 my machine shop last month they t=
old me they have a three month backlog.=C2=A0 Mark took a look at my engine=
, and confirmed that it actually looked ok, and I didn&#39;t damage my pist=
ons or cylinder walls when I ingested a washer from the Weber downdraft air=
 cleaner.=C2=A0 We grabbed a mill bastard file and some scotch-brite, and h=
e lightly filed the head down and cleaned up the pistons and cylinder walls=
.=C2=A0 We also worked on removing the gas tank from my Dad&#39;s Sprite.=
=C2=A0 Opened the drain plug, and just a trickle of fuel came out.=C2=A0 Su=
rprisingly, the nuts holding it on turned easily, and weren&#39;t rusted so=
lid.=C2=A0 We drop the tank, and it weighs a ton.=C2=A0 It is full of varni=
sh sludge, and was rusted through in a couple of places on top.=C2=A0=C2=A0=
</div><div><br></div><div>On Saturday we woke up nice and early to get back=
 to work.=C2=A0 Right as we started, the AC guy showed up to install the co=
olant lines for a mini-split AC I put in a room right off my garage.=C2=A0 =
Which was a godsend, because it got up to 101 that day, and by using a fan,=
 it can spread that cold air into the garage.=C2=A0 We then work to get the=
 engine and transmission out of my Dad&#39;s Sprite.=C2=A0 The SU carbs are=
 seized, which to us didn&#39;t bode well to the rest of the engine.=C2=A0 =
We pull off the valve cover, and to our surprise, it looked pristine!=C2=A0=
 A light sheen of oil on everything, and looked perfectly normal.=C2=A0 We =
drained the oil out of the transmission and engine, and it was all oil, no =
water.=C2=A0 A very promising sign.=C2=A0 We pull the plugs out of the head=
, and then try to turn the engine.=C2=A0 We can do it by hand!=C2=A0 After =
sitting outside since the late 1990s, it hadn&#39;t seized.=C2=A0=C2=A0</di=
v><div><br></div><div>After lunch, we are visited by a new Sprite owner fro=
m a nearby town=C2=A0 Richard R., who bought a Sprite for his daughter.=C2=
=A0 They are new to LBCs, and we spent a few hours visiting and answering q=
uestions they had on various things about their new purchase.=C2=A0 He had =
a strange issue with the wipers where they would jump up to vertical, then =
only wipe about 20 degrees side to side, and would have to be moved manuall=
y back to the down position when turned off.=C2=A0 But if you had newspaper=
 under the wiper blades, it operated as expected.=C2=A0 =C2=A0Mark and I to=
ok a look, and nothing was jumping out to us.=C2=A0 Mark and I proceeded to=
 get back to the Sprites, and find that I had done some screwups when I ins=
talled the Rivergate 5 Speed back in 2000.=C2=A0 I didn&#39;t remove the fa=
cing piece off of the clutch pressure plate, and it had sheared some retain=
ing rings for it off, and knocked the pilot bushing out as well and broke i=
t into several pieces.=C2=A0 We found the piece of the pressure plate in fr=
ont of the throw out bearing.=C2=A0 So I had to order both of those parts s=
o we can get things put back together.=C2=A0=C2=A0</div><div><br></div><div=
>On Sunday we started bright and early, and got both Sprites out of the gar=
age.=C2=A0 They both are on wheel dollies, which makes it much easier to mo=
ve them around.=C2=A0 I also have a guest in the garage, a Harley Dyna-glid=
e which is owned by my boss.=C2=A0 It has a bigger engine than the Sprites,=
 and probably weighs more as well.=C2=A0 =C2=A0My Sprite had become a bit o=
f extra storage space in the garage, so I cleaned everything out and remove=
d the old interior.=C2=A0 =C2=A0Then I pulled out lots of boxes of stuff I =
ordered from Vicky Brit back in 2000 when I was=C2=A0planning to redo the S=
prite.=C2=A0 I had a full interior kit which was still in perfect condition=
.=C2=A0 While I was doing that, Mark worked on doing a three card monty wit=
h trunk handles and locks.=C2=A0 My Dad&#39;s trunk lid was shot, and I had=
 a new lid for mine, so Mark worked on the removal and reinstall of the han=
dles.=C2=A0 Around lunch time, my parents arrived from Fort Worth, so after=
 introductions to Mark, we walked my Dad through what we&#39;d done to his =
Sprite.=C2=A0=C2=A0</div><div><br></div><div>We are going to do the Creativ=
e Spridgets serpentine belt conversion on both of them, so after lunch we s=
tarted on the process of removing the crankshaft pulley.=C2=A0 After tracki=
ng down a 1 5/16th socket, we pulled out the impact wrench.=C2=A0 The one o=
n my Dad&#39;s engine didn&#39;t budge.=C2=A0 This was the first connector =
that we&#39;ve had an issue trying to remove.=C2=A0 Mine spun off easily.=
=C2=A0 We then proceed to remove the timing cover and sump pan on mine.=C2=
=A0 There was a lot of slop in my timing chain, so ordered a new set to ins=
tall this week.=C2=A0 We&#39;ve ordered the reinforcement plates from Briti=
sh Car Fixes for the timing cover and sump pan coming to install as well.</=
div><div><br></div><div>That&#39;s the wrap up for the first weekend.=C2=A0=
 Mark is staying through the week, as is my Dad.=C2=A0 Jack Orkin and his w=
ife are driving in from Atlanta tomorrow evening, and will be here until Fr=
iday morning.=C2=A0 So we&#39;ll have an extra set of hands to tackle engin=
e reassembly once the parts arrive on Tuesday/Wednesday.=C2=A0=C2=A0</div><=
div><br></div><div>Looking forward to seeing what we can get done this week=
!=C2=A0 The goal is to get mine to fire by Memorial Day.=C2=A0 For being ou=
tside so long, my Dad&#39;s is in surprisingly good mechanical shape.=C2=A0=
 There is a lot of surface rust, but the engine/transmission seem to be com=
pletely solid.=C2=A0=C2=A0</div><div><br></div><div>Greg Gowins</div><div>&=
#39;69 Sprite</div><div>Driftwood, TX</div><div><br></div><div><br></div></=
div>

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