JUST GOES TO SHOW, EVEN THE MOST EXPERIENCED & CAPABLE ENGINEER CAN HAVE A MISHAP IN THE GARAGE!
Colin Dodds has been organising a meet at which over 100 Sprites were present yesterday, Sunday 30th, and has had little time to complete the preparation of his Fright (3.8 litre Jaguar engined Bugeye):
“Sadly, the Fright will not arrive under it’s own power but on a trailer. I simply ran out of time. It’s finished cosmetically, but there are the usual teething problems. There is a misfire under load, which I have not been able to track down. I’ve changed distributor, hot-wired the ignition to by-pass the switch, all the usual solutions, but the misfire remains. Everyone tells me it’s not fuel related, but I’m convinced it is. It’s running very rich, blowing huge clouds of black smoke on initial acceleration, and I think it’s flooding on full throttle. I have leaner idle jets on order, but they just didn’t arrive in time. I decided today to check if it was misfiring when stationary (ie: not under load) so I started the engine from the engine bay with the bonnet up. However, I had just backed it into the workshop and the car was still in reverse gear, so when it fired up it accelerated backwards. Now normally that would be a drama, as it would have reversed into all the other cars in the workshop. Fortunately, my foot was in the way of the front wheel, so when the car drove over my foot it stalled. Sadly, for me 
at least, it stalled with the wheel on my foot. I didn’t dare hit the starter solenoid in the engine bay, unless the car fired up again and backed into the workshop. Had I not been in pain, I might have thought to remove the ignition wire from the coil, but that didn’t occur to me at the time. In my haste to get up from the ground, with foot under the front wheel, it seems I grabbed the brake booster and twisted the mounting bracket and pipes that I had so carefully arranged to be perfectly neat. So now here I was, trapped with right foot under the front wheel, with ignition on and car in gear. Do you know what a 3.8 ltr Jaguar engine weighs? I’m not sure of the exact weight, but I can tell you it’s enough to completely flatten the big toe of the right foot. It took me about 5 minutes (not exaggerating) to wiggle my foot out of my shoe and sock. They were still under the tyre, but at least my foot was free. The toe didn’t hurt at all. It was totally numb! I rolled the car back, released the shoe and sock, recomposed myself (lots of deep breathing) and again tried to start the engine. The (new) starter solenoid jammed with a closed circuit. The starter motor spins all the time. OK, cut the ignition with the kill switch, and fit another new starter solenoid. That’s enough, I quit. The Fright will be there tomorrow, but arriving on a trailer. I simply have run out of time, and I’m not making the drive to the show it’s maiden drive! avagoodnight Colin www.Spriteparts.com.au
CARBURETTOR HEATSHIELDS for Webers and SUs are available in stainless steel from Stainless for Classics
[Pierre Lequeux]
This ASHLEY with W & P bonnet now resides in Japan.
SEBRING HUBS
will be ready from Orson Equipment next week for all those who placed an order (the batch now pretty well all sold). Dave Wood is producing nuts for the rear hubs at 70 degrees chamfer to match at about £2 each. Let him know if you want some: 01902 906290
Mike Haigh’s LENHAM LE MANS in action at Goodwood and Mallory Park – see the Lenham LM Gallery
“Need a car for the 2016 Revival? This Sebring Sprite may be for you”. So reads the caption on the Goodwood RRC website where WJB 707 is being offered for sale by CCK in Sussex at an asking price of £85,000. Take a look.
SVEN (ECKHARDT) (Germany) has been troubled with oil leaks:
“My blue Sprite has been inspected again and I have managed to sort the oil loss problem at last. I did drop the 948 of the Sebring in which had had a complete strip down and the rear oil seal conversion- it was leaking at least as bad as the other engine so out it came again. The original rebuilt engine with standard scroll properly centred has gone in now. One possibly interesting piece of information: The 948 Sebring engine was definitely leaking from the cover of the oil pump which as you know is soldered onto the back plate. I have checked the three backplates I have and all were leaking. The covers of all the back plates have been resoldered. Since the bored 1098 which is in the Sebring at present is p—ing oil I strongly suspect this to be the problem. The engine will come out the next couple of days I shall keep you posted. The registration of the blue car will be RO Y 221 H- neither H, S or X were available to go before the 221 but maybe she is a secret member of Team 221”.
Roger Friend recently commissioned these replica Alfin Drums for his project. Cost is 763.00 pair +
postage, if anyone is interested. Email him
MORE FROM DVLA (received from a contributor today:)
“Just had an interesting phone call from the DVLA regarding age-related plates for historic vehicles. In short the problem area is when a car is rebuilt i.e it has had a new body fitted, what has happened to the old body? Is it scrapped or sold, – if sold someone could repair it, rebuild it and claim an age-related plate, so that means there are two cars from one. They do not check all cars – only ones where things don’t tie up paperwork wise. He also warned that things will get tighter if we adopt the EEC regulations which the FBVA are fighting including road-worthy certificates for all historic vehicles”.
PETE TAYLOR’S NEW STREAMLINER
is making good progress after many delays; the chassis now fully painted. However a further set-back is that he has been told that to obtain FIA HTpapers he can only have 6 mounting points for the roll cage – he has 8. A bit more head-scratching required!
WHAT BONNET? Can anyone identify this bonnet style – could it be early Alexander? No prizes – Feedback
Michael Meerlo recently took his Sebring Fastback on holiday to the Oldtimer Grandprix at the Nurburgring in Germany. Now with a Weber and producing 96 bhp.
[Photo from earlier date]
SHORROCK BOOST GAUGE
A very rare item which Dave O’Neill is willing to sell at £300. Email him if you’re interested.
An early Ashley bonnet for sale (without the grille) on ebay and currently at £270 – expires 1st September.
TICKET FOR GOODWOOD REVIVAL
Stephen Casson has a spare ticket for the Sunday including a Chicane grandstand ticket if anyone is interested. He is only looking for face value.
Give him a call 07880 736373 or email him if you are interested smcasson868@gmail.com
If you’re feeling flush why not buy a 7-Port Head
currently available from the USA at $1099 Link
Glenn Castle found this Sebring decal in the USA on ebay for just £4. Available in lots of colours.
Stephen Birch’s Sebring Rep is newly painted in grey and blue with black 5.5J wire wheels. Very smart.
Joe Armour comments: “Footage of S221 in the wet at Silverstone reminds me of the reports from the 1965 Sebring race when the Sprite DAC952C, the MGB and AH 3000 were some of the fastest lapping cars in the torrential rain storm conditions. It is said that the Sprite had holes punched in the floor to let the water out! The water was so deep in the pit area that spare wheels waiting to fitted were floating away”.
JOIN CHARLIE CLEGG IN CAR AT THE SILVERSTONE CLASSIC
in horrendous conditions despite which he achieved a 2nd in class.
YouTube link
Mark Warne is off to a track day at Castle Combe on Friday and is watching the weather forecasts with some trepidation. He’ll have a lot of fun I’m sure.
ANGELO VAN DER RIJT
is offering this original Les Leston wood rimmed steering wheel for sale. It has no boss but that should not be impossible to find. Email him
Phil Zamlynski tells me that SPRIDGET RACING IS ALIVE AND WELL in the States following his recent visit to the Grattan circuit near Michigan. A VSCDA event he says there something like 25 Sprites and Midgets out racing that day plus MGBs and E Types.
A couple more nice pics from Robert Clubbe:
HAN9-R-237 at Le Mans in 1968 among heavy traffic, in the hands of Roger Enever and Alec Poole –
and (courtesy of Carl Bosch Ros), this lovely shot of Rauno or Clive lifting a wheel, I imagine in practice for, the ’67 Targa Florio.
Andrew Forster has asked me to advise that Archers garage will be closed for a holiday break from this weekend 15/16 August FOR 2 weeks, re-opening on Tuesday 1ST September
Anyone restoring a very early Frogeye might be glad of these original side-screens now on ebay at £10.50 expires 15 Aug
RETRO WARWICK
David Scothorn reports “there were 2-300 pre-75 cars at this event and probably 2-3000 visitors. It was a lovely sunny day in the fine setting of Warwick Market place. The Heritage Centre, Gaydon, had a Healey 3000 and a 100S on show” as well as a rather out-of-place Haldane replica. Warwick Records Office were present to raise funds for their archive project which was also recently reported on a BBC newsreel. Photos: by Nick Maltby.
MORE ON SPLINED HUBS
Looks like we are going with a 60 degree angle to the chamfer for the rear hub securing nuts which will obviously mean buying a small supply of self-locking nuts machined up to the same angle which Dave Wood is now pricing.
More shortly.
BUT HANG ON A MINUTE!!
Andrew Forster’s drawing shows a 70 degree angle, while both Stephen Bowen and Peter Seaman report 60 degree angles on their early items.
SPRITES AT SHELSLEY WALSH HILL-CLIMB
A video which I found was rather inclined to keep stopping and re-starting but some nice pictures – thanks to Alan Anstead
These interesting snippets from Motor Sport 1960/61 were sent in by Colin Barnett. In the Goodwood extract Venner-Pack in his Speedwell GT leads Paddy Gaston’s RAM 35 through the chicane. That Ashley hard-topped car looks a bit like the one owned by the Visser brothers today? Star Sprite bonnet is a rare item these days.
MAARTEN KRIKKEN’s parents in law sent him a birthday card depicting the Sprinzel Sebring (left). I don’t recognise it – could it be a replica built in Europe, or even the long-missing D20 ? Near Maarten’s home in Belgium is a branch of the garage selling the Portuguese Sprite and the car is currently on display there.
SEBRING SPLINED HUBS
As you can see Orson Equipment are well on the way to completing the new hubs recently ordered. They have one query: does anyone know the correct chamfer angle for the stud holes on the rear hubs. A drawing shows 70 degrees but more usual would be 30, 45 or 60. [Obviously the new securing nuts will have to have a matching angle] Anyone know what angle the originals had? Feedback please.
THE HEALEY ARCHIVES
A comment from Albert Voogd, Archivist at the Healey Museum NL
in “Your Comments”
IS EVERYONE AWAY ON THEIR HOLIDAYS?
There’s very little in the way of new items coming in just now.
MORGAN SPARROW’s ASHLEY MIDGET on display at Goodwood House last weekend. I have been helping him to install my old 1330 race engine and CR box in readiness for a race at Brands Hatch in September.
585 MY
Still for sale with Brian Classic – historic Speedwell GT
Currently on ebay is this original Frogeye steering wheel at a staggering £499
Expires 17 Aug
58 FAC ‘works’ lightweight at Sebring in 1963 driven by John Colegate and Clive Baker..
[Facebook/Robert Clubbe]
Robert Clubbe is offering this original Vic Berris (of Autocar) cut-away drawing of the still-born rear-engined MG Midget – on ebay
Mark Wilson on DVLA
See “Your Comments”
Emil Frey AG – still involved in manufacturing work for Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus and Toyota – manufactured conversion kits in Switzerland for the Bugeye Sprite that were able to incorporate more traditional frontal styling while retaining trhe original grille and hardware.
[Moss Group/Robert Clubbe]
Richard Woolmer wins Silverstone Healey race IN 46 BXN
Graham Robson reports: “young Richard drove a fabulous race in BXN to win”. Several other Sprites also gave good accounts of themselves among the big Healeys. Ian Burford had qualified Tubby 4th fastest but a misfire caused by a faulty alternator led to his lagging way behind in the race itself.
Healey archive planned for Warwick
The Warwick County Records Office are endeavouring to raise £120,000 for a new project involving the acquisition from the Healey family the remaining archive files – those which were not included in the first batch now held in the Healey Museum in the Netherlands. The plan would be to give Healey enthusiasts and others ready access, in the Healey company’s home city, to photos, drawings and other records of the firm’s cars in planning, construction and in competition. Various events are planned to raise the necessary funds. See 2 letters under “Your Comments” from David Scothorn and Rob Eyre.
