Milwaukee Midget

[Milwaukee Midget]

MM;

Check to see that your crank grinder chamfered the oil holes in the crank and that they are 'fingernail smooth". Any burrs left there will score your bearings.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

Done deal, Neil. 

They are, and I did.

"Done deal Neil" - I'm likin' that. 

I wish my name had alliterative properties that didn't automatically relate to urination.

[Milwaukee Midget]

Cam blank arrived today, and the fire bottle has been recertified.  They're sending me a complete second 5lb system to incorporate under the hood.  The current system only covers the cockpit.

I took note of Rich Fox's inspection at Elmo last week - looking for the best place to locate the nozzles. . .

plural.

 

[Milwaukee Midget]

Okay, just a bit more movement.

Fordboy is working a Gilmer drive setup for the front of the engine.  It will slow down the water pump and eliminate the alternator, which should free up a pony.  Downside is that it will interfere with the fan, if left on the engine side of the radiator.

Fortunately, there is just enough room to mount the fan on the front of the radiator, which is what I intend to do.



Truth be told, with the additional radiator for the back side of the head, I probably don’t need a fan.  But I’ve already got it, and if I’m dialing in anything in the pit, I’ll need to maintain a relatively constant temp.

Cooler heads prevail.

[wisdonm]

You're secret is safe with me Chris. I won't tell anyone that you are using that fan as a source of axillary motive power.

Sorry I missed you at Sussex today. We could have had one. 

[Milwaukee Midget]

Don, were you there?

I talked with Rich Rooks about his Sebring Sprite, and saw Joe had his Prod Sprite out there, too.  When that one sells, I think they'll wind up with a pretty decent race car.

Took a nasty sunburn while I was at it.

[Freud]

Midget come to the Pacific Northwest.

No sunburns here but the chance of drowning while waiting for the bus is extremely high.

Hypothermia recovery is covered by MediCare in Washington State in all months but August.

FREUD

[wisdonm]

I was the third guy wearing a MG Limited shirt. I was supposed to drive the red Sprite, with the roundels, out there, but the owner had someone else do it. I was taking pixs of the black Europa, for a friend, and talking to the owner of the V-8 Hayabusa powered Super 7, when you came around.

[4-barrel Mike]

... the V-8 Hayabusa powered Super 7...

Surely that's worth a picture or two.   

Mike

[wisdonm]

These Hartley V8s are made nearby in Germantown, WI. They come as a 2.8 or 3 liter.

http://www.h1v8.com/page/page/1562068.htm

[Milwaukee Midget]

Don, I owe you an apology - I'm terrible at faces and names - I'd never make it as a politician.

Guess I owe you cocktails.

Mike - for you -





This is the company's test mule - it sounds like a Cosworth Ford F-1 car when it fires up.  It's also light weight, and easy to park.

I chatted with Rich Brooks - he used to work with my wife a number of years ago.  She mentioned he had some sort of a rare Sprite.



She didn't mention that it was a Speedwell Sebring Sprite - about 25 ever made - only 2 in the US. 

Big delight of the day was catching up with Charlie Collins.  He builds Theremins -

http://www.theremaniacs.com/

A number of years ago, as a strategy to build his Theremin business, he would bid on things on E-Bay, just so his name would appear.  Names of bidders are hidden now, but it actually drove a few sales to his auction house.

Then, one day, he put in a $5000.00 bid on an MGA . . .
 


. . . and accidentally won it!  It has since undergone a minor overhaul and face lift, but it's about as cool a daily driven MGA as one could hope for.

[Milwaukee Midget]

Midget come to the Pacific Northwest.

No sunburns here but the chance of drowning while waiting for the bus is extremely high.

Hypothermia recovery is covered by MediCare in Washington State in all months but August.

FREUD

Okay, let me see if I have this straight.

Bring leaky, British sports cars with lights that fail regularly to an environment where it's always wet and remains dark an extra hour every day because the sun doesn't crest the mountains?

A gracious invite indeed, my friend, but for the immediate future, I'll stick to the third coast.

 

[wisdonm]

I've seen that Speedwell many times. Did you happen to notice that although it is a custom bodied Sprite chassis, it has a Fiat engine?

Did you checkout the Lagonda? It's like one of 150 and maybe about 50 that didn't go to some dictator or oil sheik. They cost like $150,000 in the '80s. Gets about 6 miles to the gallon. But got Aston Martin through hard times.

[Milwaukee Midget]

I've seen that Speedwell many times. Did you happen to notice that although it is a custom bodied Sprite chassis, it has a Fiat engine?

Did you checkout the Lagonda? It's like one of 150 and maybe about 50 that didn't go to some dictator or oil sheik. They cost like $150,000 in the '80s. Gets about 6 miles to the gallon. But got Aston Martin through hard times.

My wife fell in love with the Lagonda - I was tacking toward the DB5, myself.

Too many doors on the Lagonda.  With a car that big, too many friends would want to tag along . . .

I was surprised to see that the DB5 had only one license plate, and that the shift lever handle didn't open to unveil the ejector seat button.  Was the MI6 convenience group option package not available in the US market?

[grumm441]

.
Bring leaky, British sports cars with lights that fail regularly to an environment where it's always wet and remains dark an extra hour every day because the sun doesn't crest the mountains?

Are we talking about England? the home of the convertible?
G

[Milwaukee Midget]

.
Bring leaky, British sports cars with lights that fail regularly to an environment where it's always wet and remains dark an extra hour every day because the sun doesn't crest the mountains?

Are we talking about England? the home of the convertible?
G

Nope - we're talking about the Pacific Northwest, home of the 24 hour espresso bar. No mountains of any consequence in GB, the mean elevation of Washington State is higher than the highest peak in England.

Although it would be nice to grow my own hops . . . but as FREUD points out, the likelihood of drowning at a bus stop is high, and since I own MG's and Dodges, the likelihood of having to take a bus is exponentially higher.