Acrylic headlamp covers – an offer from Nigel Cluley – see “Your Comments” 27…

ACRYLIC HEADLAMP COVERS – an offer from Nigel Cluley – see “Your Comments” 27 Nov

BRAKE & CLUTCH PEDALS FOR SEBRING PEDAL BOX
Can one of you Sebring Replica builders kindly remind me in what way and by how much the pedals have to be extended or modified, please. I expect it’s mentioned somewhere on the website. Oh, for a search facility! Feedback

NEW WEB PAGE:
HAN9-R-250
the 4th ‘works’ Roadster
In 1968 (left) and 2014 (right)

STEVE NASH is progressing with his Sebring build – see his Facebook page. It’s going to be colourful underneath!

Nikolaj Mortensen displays his 2014 Trophies (above) and would love to be invited to compete in the Les Leston Trophy race at Goodwood in March.

See hundreds of old photos like these on the Stanford University – Revs Library website. [David Morys]

American WSM Sanction 2 owned by Bill Emerson won best in show award, also on Facebook
[John Egan]

FITTING SPEEDWELL DOOR HANDLES
Dave Pratt wanted guidance so I drew this sketch

PEDAL BOX DIAGRAM
For those wanting to make their own Sebring pedal box assembly here is a measured drawing

UP FOR SALE
Peter Warren’s lovely Lenham GT was for sale on the car & classic website
at £19,500
[now withdrawn or sold]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEALEY MUSEUM
On Monday 24th it will be 2 years since Hans van de Kerkhof opened his museum in the Netherlands. Seen here with the late ‘Bic’ Healey at the opening.

Bic and Hans celebrate (2012)

Graham Robson has also been invited to participate in the Les Leston cup at Goodwood with his WSM
(A date for the 2015 diary)

Ian Burford is delighted to have been invited to compete in the Les Leston Cup at the 73rd Members Meeting at Goodwood on 21/22 March 2015

The discussion between Kees and Lew about fitting a Fastback continues in “Your Comments”

Nic Callewaert’s Spridget which needs those headlamp covers. See his other cars on “Your Comments”

BMC “D” WHEELS (right)
Ed Valpey has a set on his Ferret, see “Your Comments”

ADJUSTABLE ARMSTRONG SHOCK-ABSORBERS for sale in France – 800 Euros
(like this one)
[Laurent Derancourt]

MARK HOLLAND on those Perspex Headlamp Covers
in “Your Comments”

MORE ON FITTING FASTBACK
from Lew McAllan
in “Your Comments”

Stephen Bowen fetched WJB 707 all the way from northern Holland last weekend and says: “how enjoyable it was to speak to people and see the interest in the car at the NEC and all in all I found it an enjoyable and worthwhile trip”.

Mike Prangnell’s Coupe for sale at £24,000
(E.Sussex, UK)
Classic Cars For Sale
[Mike Wood]

187 PPF sold again on ebay, this time at £4,107.90

PROBLEMS FITTING SEBRING FASTBACK
Kees van Beijmerwerdt comments on the different profiles of the Sprite Mk1 compared with later models. See “Your Comments”

ON THE SAME SUBJECT:
I think Lew needs to remove the “rear cockpit trim frame” entirely, fit his Fastback and then adapt the frame in order to refit it. MEI

The MG Midget Coupe mentioned last month failed to turn up at the Show. Apparently it was not sufficiently advanced.

Pierre Lequeux continues to put together the history of his car, 2080 PO. He recently received this action photo of it competing at Gaisberg in 1967.

REPLY TO MIKE WYLIE’s MESSAGE
(lower down the page) “Mike Wylie in his comments states ‘Self Interest of course but perhaps of interest to others?’ From my point of view any scrap of information that can be found, verified and disseminated is of interest. After all the beauty of any tapestry is woven from many thousands of threads”. David Rawsthorn.

RESPONSE TO PEDAL BOX QUERY BELOW:
Alan Anstead, Kent representative of the Midget & Sprite Club, and a pretty competent mechanic tells me that the earlier tandem master cylinder can be re-sleeved to create a hybrid unit with the correct bore and piston size for the 1275 clutch. He recommends a firm called Past Parts http://www.past-parts.co.uk/ to do the job.

PERSPEX HEADLAMP COVERS
I received an inquiry from Nicolas Callewaert who urgently needs some Perspex covers for the headlamps on his “Ashley Silverstone” bonnet. This was the name given to the W & P design Motobuild were using with their Ashley GT. They cannot supply him. It sounds as though they have now ceased production. Any ideas? Feedback

SEBRING PEDAL BOX
I had another query, this from Jan Waldburger from Switzerland, who wondered if the Sebring pedal box get him out of a difficulty: he has a Midget Mk 2 (1098) fitted with a Mk 3 (1275) engine. He needs to have the right master cylinder to match the slave cylinder. How would he best solve this problem? Feedback would be appreciated

CLASSIC MOTOR SHOW – BIRMINGHAM
It was good to see so many familiar faces at the NEC including Stephen Bowen, Michael Meerlo, Alan Anstead, David Scothorn, Paul Woolmer, Bill Price, Tony Wilson-Spratt, Bob Kemp, Brian Wheeler, Stephen Griffiths – the list goes on. An enjoyable day.

I presented Stephen Bowen with the Ian Ashfield Trophy for the best Sebring on display – WJB 707 [MASC stand]

Stephen Griffiths’ Fastback on the Severn Classics’ stand.

Paul Woolmer chats to Bill Price on the AHC stand

Lorraine Noble-Thompson‘s WSM on the MGOC stand

The ex-Butch Gilbert ’59 Sebring car sadly For Sale again!

MIKE WYLIE
on Northern Irish registrations –
see ‘Your Comments’

Sven’s Rep has gone home to Germany from Archers’ and the “Sleepng Beauty’s” motor should soon bark again.

WJB 707 TO GO UP FOR SALE – SEE IT AT THE SHOW
Stephen Bowen has decided to offer his ex-Ian Walker Sebring Sprite for sale in the new year. The car is one of the original 5 (or 6) Sprinzel cars built by Williams & Pritchard, now fully restored and ready to go. See it on the Midget & Sprite Club stand 510 at the NEC this weekend 14/16 November.

LWD in background

A CORRECTION: LNX 629E and LWD 959E
John Phillips has kindly pointed out to me that I had both these ‘works’ cars recorded as taking part in the 1968 1000kms in the hands of Clive Baker and John Handley, No.44. It was actually LWD (TFR 5) that they drove there. Apologies for the error.

Jack Wheeler/Max Mosely

PROBLEMS FITTING SEBRING FASTBACK – LEW McALLAN (USA)

“I found a problem with the fit of my Sebring fastback. My donor car is a Mk IV Sprite and I had planned to keep the rear cockpit trim frame to build a parcel shelf back to rear windscreen and to seal the boot area with a hinged Mk 4 divider panel . After removing the inner Bugeye guards and B pillars, basically back to scratch, the problem was still evident – the fastback hits on the cockpit trim rail and won’t allow it to pivot forward to align flat where the B panel meets the sill/rocker panel. Wish I had used a Bugeye as the donor! Next job, cut that cockpit trim rail down by maybe 1/2 ” (or remove it completely) then re-weld the inner guards, B pillars and bonding panel back in place. New welder should do a better job anyway, so not all bad. So, anyone thinking of using a Mk 3 or 4 as a donor car for a Sebring fastback, beware! Mk 2 may be a better choice if no Bugeye available, as the rear is “more” Bugeye , but I still think the rear cockpit trim rail would need to be lowered – trimmed – by 1/2″ or so, if you want to keep it. Cheers, Lew”

If you can help please send me a message via Feedback and I will forward it.

MIDGET 1500
Reg No: WHP 94S
Founder of the Frogeye Spares Co., Colin Cooper would very much like to be re-united with this car which he used to own. It is still on the road (according tothe DVLA) If you know of its whereabouts please contact me via Feedback

That FROGEYE REBUILD PROJECT is back on ebay.
Sven Eckhardt investigated its history with David Scothorn: Girling brake master cylinder & 8″ rear drums, late Spridget front disc brakes; mechanical rev counter to 8000 rpm; early 1098 engine & smooth-case gearbox; LCB; based near Manchester. Some discrepancy on registration. If anyone would like more info I can forward Sven’s info. Please use FeedbackSOLD at £4,107.90 – expired 18 Nov

FALCON SPRITE SET-BACK
Roger Sieling went to collect the Falcon from his local body shop where some of its aluminium panels were being repaired, and on his way home with it on his trailer he was rammed from behind: “I hit the RH guardrail, then spun the whole rig into the LH guardrail. The trailer impacted very heavily on the right rear. Both right side wheels were broken off. The Sprite is a mess. The new nose is broken on the right-front corner, the tail fibreglass is broken in two, right in the center. The RH frame rail that holds the fuel tank and back of the body is bent and proken, the RH rocker panel is badly bent and will need to be replaced and the tub inside the rocker panel (inner rocker) is bent and the floor is buckled in that area . The boot and bonnet are both bent into rolls. Each door is bent at the top corner where they are suppose to merge into the dash and even the dash (which was perfect) is now bent”. A sad tail indeed but fortunately Roger was unhurt and cars can always be re-built can’t they? But that must have set back his restoration quite a long way.

SPEEDWELL REV COUNTER
for sale on ebay
– SOLD £315 (17 Nov)
[but does it work?]

A write-up on the Pre War Classic website asks “Does Healey History Need Re-writing?” The text is quite a muddle!

Jim Dougherty won a trophy with his Bugeye at an all-British show in Fairhope, Alabama on Oct 25th – Congrats Jim

Alex & Jane Postan’s
Bonneville Sprite, FEY 678
appears in the December issue
of Classics Monthly

Sorry it’s been removed

ANYONE UP FOR A CHALLENGE?
The remains of a Frogeye with identity for sale on ebay. Currently at £120, exp 9 Nov
[Kees van Beijmerwerdt]

DAVID SCOTHORN’s RESEARCH ABOUT JJO
Having often wondered why my Sprite was first registered to Morris Motors it was interesting to learn from David that it was one of many bought by BMC employees using a discount scheme often enabling them to sell their cars after a year with little or no depreciation, and buy another.