Author Topic: Newbie with a '59 AH Sprite  (Read 19258 times)

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Offline Rex Schimmer

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Re: Newbie with a '59 AH Sprite
« Reply #15 on: July 23, 2013, 01:05:32 PM »
Except I think it is a Farmal B not an A. My personal preference is the Farmal M or Super M which is next on my list of things to own.

Back to land racing!!!!

Rex
Rex

Not much matters and the rest doesn't matter at all.

Offline warspite

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Re: Newbie with a '59 AH Sprite
« Reply #16 on: July 23, 2013, 02:36:16 PM »
Except I think it is a Farmal B not an A. My personal preference is the Farmal M or Super M which is next on my list of things to own.

Back to land racing!!!!

Rex

1952 Super A.  My grandparents bought it new.

Offline warspite

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Re: Newbie with a '59 AH Sprite
« Reply #17 on: July 23, 2013, 03:06:56 PM »
This weekend I'm dragging this '59 Austin Healey Sprite home.  It has been a racecar since the early 70's...set up for autocross and road courses. But I want to take it to the salt in a few years.  It has a race prepped 1100cc engine.
Anyway, I can't wait to get it home and get to work on it.

Hello Warspite and welcome to the forum.   If your location permits attending Speedweek, you might consider attending & checking out the Milwaukee Midget's I/GT MG Midget.

Reading through his whole build diary (Yes, all 189 pages) will prove useful as well, at least you'll know what you're in for.

Race-prepped 1100 eh?  My advice is to strip it down to bare bones to determine just what it is, and, what condition it is in.   Don't trust that it will "probably be OK to run".   Better to find out any bad news on a teardown, than to drive over broken parts.  Just my 2 cents . . . . . . .

Choose your engine displacement & class wisely, so you are not @ the bottom of possible performance in a displacement bracket/class.   LSR is tough enough, you don't need to smack your head against a concrete wall too . . . . . . .      Again, just my 4 cents . . . . . .
 :cheers:
Fordboy

It will be interesting to see what has been done to the engine.  The owner says he has receipts going back to the 70's for the work done to it.  I haven't seen the car in person yet, only pictures.  So we'll see.

Milwaukee Midget's thread is inspiring and sobering all at the same time!

Offline warspite

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Re: Newbie with a '59 AH Sprite
« Reply #18 on: July 23, 2013, 03:10:58 PM »
Might as well post the rest of the pictures that were sent to me.








Offline Milwaukee Midget

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Re: Newbie with a '59 AH Sprite
« Reply #19 on: July 23, 2013, 07:10:18 PM »
Milwaukee Midget's thread is inspiring and sobering all at the same time!

It's unusual to see any form of the word "sober" used with respect to my work.

I'll take it as an ill-informed compliment.   :cheers: 
"Problems are almost always a sign of progress."  Harold Bettes
Well, I guess we're making a LOT of progress . . .  :roll:

Offline Peter Jack

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Re: Newbie with a '59 AH Sprite
« Reply #20 on: July 23, 2013, 08:46:51 PM »
It looks to me like the finish on the trailer is already prepared for the salt!  :-D :-D :-D

Pete

Offline Graham in Aus

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Re: Newbie with a '59 AH Sprite
« Reply #21 on: July 23, 2013, 08:49:51 PM »
Wow! real 70's time warp, Grabbers!

Love the ram tubes, and what's going on with the brackets off the rocker cover? some sort of elaborate HT lead holding system?

Looking forward to this one!  :cheers:
« Last Edit: July 23, 2013, 08:57:24 PM by Graham in Aus »

Offline Tman

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Re: Newbie with a '59 AH Sprite
« Reply #22 on: July 23, 2013, 09:29:19 PM »
Ooooh - a Farmall A-Series!

Now THAT's a TRACTOR!

The depth of knowledge within this group never fails to amaze me!  :roll: :roll: :-D

Pete
Or the depravity! :-D

Offline wheelrdealer

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Re: Newbie with a '59 AH Sprite
« Reply #23 on: July 23, 2013, 10:37:26 PM »
Warspite:

I love it. But I have a thing for orphan race cars. I have never seen a bugeye with its eyes removed. Cleans up the front end real nice.

Some Camaro is missing its T shifter handle.

Welcome and looking forward to following your build.

PS:
M Midget holds the record for thread pages per cubic inch at 188 last I looked. I bet there is a lot in his thread that will help you.

BR
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ECTA    Maxton D/CBGALT Record Holder 166.715

WWW.WHEELRDEALER2100.COM

Offline Milwaukee Midget

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Re: Newbie with a '59 AH Sprite
« Reply #24 on: July 24, 2013, 12:03:14 AM »
I have never seen a bugeye with its eyes removed. Cleans up the front end real nice.

Bill, I agree.

Actually, when the Sprite was under development, the plans called for flip-up headlights, similar to what eventually appeared on the Opel GT.  They were unable to make it happen at the price-point Healey and the BMC guys were looking for, so the very characteristic that gave the car its nickname was a "plan B."

Warspite's car is very similar to how Donald Healey wanted the car to look.

http://www.ado13.com/

"Problems are almost always a sign of progress."  Harold Bettes
Well, I guess we're making a LOT of progress . . .  :roll:

Offline Milwaukee Midget

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Re: Newbie with a '59 AH Sprite
« Reply #25 on: July 24, 2013, 12:23:44 AM »
This car is actually the MG EX179 which was a hand-me-down to Healey after MG put together the EX181.  Healey shoved a 948 Sprite motor in it and used it for testing and promotional use.

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/b-m-c-does-it-again/query/austin+healey+sprite

MG and Healey go way back on the salt.  There were Healeys at Bonneville before there were small block Chevys.
"Problems are almost always a sign of progress."  Harold Bettes
Well, I guess we're making a LOT of progress . . .  :roll:

Offline Stainless1

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Re: Newbie with a '59 AH Sprite
« Reply #26 on: July 24, 2013, 09:27:01 AM »
This BE Sprite held the I/GT record at Bonneville in the late 70s.  Ran about 98 I think
Stainless
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Offline doug odom

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Re: Newbie with a '59 AH Sprite
« Reply #27 on: July 24, 2013, 10:58:46 AM »
If someone will tell me how to post a picture, I will show you what I did with my 59 Sprite.

Doug Odom in Big Ditch
Doug Odom in big ditch

How old would you be now if you didn't know how old you are?
If you can't race it or take it to bed - it ain't worth having.

Offline kiwi belly tank

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Re: Newbie with a '59 AH Sprite
« Reply #28 on: July 24, 2013, 11:06:36 AM »
WOW! :-o That really is a period race car, it'd be a shame to throw all that away.
How about we rattle the bushes n see if we can find you an undesirable stock one to hack up?
  Sid.
  

Offline Seldom Seen Slim

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Re: Newbie with a '59 AH Sprite
« Reply #29 on: July 24, 2013, 07:41:13 PM »
Here's a photo of Doug's car.  I include the text of his email.  He sent the whole package to me to post for him.  I dunno, maybe it's him being an old Navy guy  :evil: (you were Navy, right Doug?) that he had trouble posting it.  Whatever - here 'tis:

Here is a photo from 2004.

 "This is what I did with my 1959 AH Sprite.

Doug Odom in Big Ditch

ps  Yes I will see you guys in two weeks."
Jon E. Wennerberg
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