Calling Austin Healey Sprite Owners

[Floss69]

Hi, I've just purchased a 1969 Sprite and wondered if there were many others on here? This is our first classic to restore and mechanically is sound most of the work needed is cosmetic. So will be a bit of a rolling project.

Look forward to receiving handy hints and ideas and sharing the good (and bad!) elements of restoration.

[Brian_M]

Practical Classics magazine have been restoring one for the last few months. Plenty of hints, tips and useful photos to help you.

[SB - Nigel]

I used to have a '69 Spridget and now run a '73 Midget

There is just far too much to tell you, try using the Search facility here and have a look at threads and posts in

• MG PH forum
• http://www.mg-rover.org/
• http://www.mgcars.org.uk/

The more you drive the car the better it'll get, don't leave it unused for weeks or months or you're almost starting all over again

Do FULL and proper servicing, get the Owners Handbook to find out what that means - as the '69 Sprite is exactly the same as the '69 Midget except for the badges you can use that Owners Handbook (AKD 7596), with this you'll know a lot without it you'll not know when you're told wrong by those that only think they know

I would advise being very careful about the quality of any parts you get be they brand new, s/h or reconditioned/refurbished

below cut and pasted from a previous post of mine, good luck

I'd recommend generally for classics,

• a good battery
• electronic ignition (or better still 1-2-3 dissy if available)
• good or uprated alternator
• good or uprated starter
• electronic fuel pump
• electronic cooling fan
• s/s braided brake and clutch hoses
• silicone water hoses (see Classic Silicone Hoses, very helpful)

I personally also like SLICK-50 and 4-LIFE

Edited by SB - Nigel on Sunday 4th July 00:30

[Floss69]

Thanks for the tips and pointers of where I can source info. I can see lots of winter evenings spent between researching on the internet and the garage.

[chard]

Enjoy your car. I loved my 1275 midget although it took me a year to get right. Very rewarding.

Chard

[lowdrag]

So many happy memories of my Frogeye and Midgets. I often say that when i am too old and doddery to properly drive my Jaguar I'll go back to a modded RWA Midget. Got to have a folding hood because anyone who had the previous type knows that you were well soaked by the time you got it up!

[SB - Nigel]

Floss69 said:

. . . researching on the internet . . .

Helen I wouldn't trust info off the internet too much as there are errors and not enough distinctions between models

You have a Mark 4 Sprite same as a Mark 3 Midget, both had changes over the years but don't worry about having things too original (most cars are altered)

As above the best information comes from the Owners Handbook (AKD 7596) which is for the MG Midget also covers your Sprite with pages at the back for the earlier model year

A great book to find is:
STEP BY STEP MG MIDGET & AUSTIN HEALEY SPRITE SERVICE GUIDE AND OWNER’S MANUAL

As I’m not a mechanic I find the Haynes guide to be of very limited use

Of interest would be MG Midget Gold Portfolio

And if you can get one for originality this one : Original Sprite and Midget

Wow, see the price of the hardbacks and I gave my copy away years ago to someone who gave me a lift

Edited by SB - Nigel on Wednesday 21st October 13:08

[SB - Nigel]

Sorry I forgot this very important publication, the Parts List (catalogue) very, very useful Parts list

And whilst there here a link for your most important purchase, if you only buy one book this should be it, well worth £8: Owners handbook

[lowdrag]

Having finished my current project, I am getting warm on the subject of recreating a modern version of the AH Fright but this time with a 300/308 XJR engine. At the moment it seems a good idea but convince me otherwise please! Frankly 400bhp in 800kgs seems somehow appealing..................

[chard]

sounds lively.

[StuStu]

I have owned a Froggie for the last 10 years,

Now running a 1275, with Disc Brakes and Modern(ish)electrics

Excellent fun ....

Good luck with the resto

[john2443]

If you have specific Sprite Questions and can't get an answer here, try http://healey.hyperboards.com which is the UK based forum for all Healey topics.

John

[odyssey2200]

Halogen Headlamp conversion.

[dandarez]

I'm after a pair of Frogeye (Sprite 1) rear chrome over-riders.
I can get new at around 90 quid a pair, but don't really want to pay this much.

Are they really that difficult to obtain in good nick secondhand and will I have no choice but to buy new?

[5Valve]

Welcome to Spridget motoring, your first port of call should be joining the Midget and Sprite Club, lots of help and experience to keep you afloat! After which you will find out that you can buy absolutely anything for spridgets, from parts to allow you to get the car back to original spec, or, a 200bhp per ton Q car with prodigious performance or anything inbetween. (Wallet permitting!) Make no mistake they are very entertaining and totally addictive, whatever other car(s) you have or drive.

[nibs1970]

Hi there

I've also recently bought a 1966 Healey Sprite but fortunately it doesn't need any restoration but does have a cooling problemi believe this is a problem with the water pump as the car had only overed about 1000 miles in the last years and i buy it and cover nearly 400 in one go, i guess something had to give up 9think its the waterpump. Now with regards to the association with the MG midget can you put the larger 1500 engine in without any mods?

Thanks
Darren

Good luck with the restoration

[SB - Nigel]

nibs1970 said:

Now with regards to the association with the MG midget can you put the larger 1500 engine in without any mods?

I think you'd find a lot of differences between having your present A-series BMC engine and ancillories and the entirely different 1500 (Truimph) engine

And why would you change the engine if the car doesn't need restoration (?)

See my posts above to get yourself more information about the car you own

And I'm not being smug here as I've more than once bought a model of car that I knew next to nothing about until I owned them including my first classic, the very well known but not to me, MGB GT

See here for more info and help http://www2.mgcars.org.uk/cgi-bin/gen5?runprog=mgb...

Excluding the original AH Sprite (Mk1, Frogeye) MG Midgets and AH Sprites are (apart from badges, and a few bits of chrome trim on the earlier MG Midgets) the same as each other so are often reffered to as "Spidgets"

Edited by SB - Nigel on Sunday 4th July 00:29

[Pigeon]

A-series is a better engine anyway, capacity isn't everything

WRT the cooling problem take the thermostat out and give the block and radiator a jolly good flush. Then put a new thermostat in just to be on the safe side These engines don't have fally-aparty water pumps like some modern engines do, more or less guaranteed that if it goes round it'll be pumping water.

[davepoth]

nibs1970 said:

Hi there

I've also recently bought a 1966 Healey Sprite but fortunately it doesn't need any restoration but does have a cooling problemi believe this is a problem with the water pump as the car had only overed about 1000 miles in the last years and i buy it and cover nearly 400 in one go, i guess something had to give up 9think its the waterpump. Now with regards to the association with the MG midget can you put the larger 1500 engine in without any mods?

Thanks
Darren

Good luck with the restoration

The 1500 engine is a bit rubbish as standard and was only fitted to later cars because it was the only engine that fitted the car with enough torque to overcome the US smog equipment. It runs a different gearbox, so I would think a lot of the other mountings are different too. The 1275 engine is much sweeter, and can be made to make serious power since it's more or less the Mini Cooper S engine.

If your car is otherwise original (i.e. drum brakes and early gearbox) you'll want to upgrade everything else at the same time to match the power increase.

[perdu]

I wonder if I should get Terry to autograph my hardback copy of OS&M? Had it since 1989...

Sprites and Midgets are great cars to drive, been taking mine to Le Mans every year since 2003. Not this year though sadly but there's a very good reason for that

If you want 1500 power you'd be better off buying a rubber bumper car than to attempt changing the engine and box, as has already been mentioned

Join a club for the marque, I've a vested interest in MASC myself but there will be plenty of advice in the other marque clubs too. (Midget and Sprite club was started by a bunch of friends who wanted a one make club at a time when the "bigger" clubs were not especially interested in "little Midgets and Sprites".*) Attitudes are changing lately in part because we got the AHC, MGOC and MGCC with HDC to join us promoting Spridget50 back in 2008.

This and other website you have been advised of are good sources of help too

Water pumps do fail, sometimes due to corrosion making the fan inside come loose on the spindle (less than a zillionth of a chance of this by the way) or the glands giving way and allowing the spindle to rust and leak

Less than twenty quid for a new one usually, look for pumps for minis, likely to be less expensive if the shop is stocking for a big car population, instead of niche markets. Most A series parts fit most A series engines, with a few exceptions for front wheel drive cars only, check in the parts book

Change the thermostat too and as advised clean out the cooling system for a sense of safe driving fun

Next year to celebrate the fiftieth birthday of the first production MG Midget, there will be a huge celebration at Burghley House on the 12th of June

more here

http://www.midget50.com/

Terry Horler, author of "Original Sprite And Midget" was one of the founding members of the Midget And Sprite Club and is still very much involved at his local branch

Edited by perdu on Monday 14th June 20:32

Edited by perdu on Monday 14th June 20:33