Author Topic: Milwaukee Midget  (Read 3276195 times)

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Offline landsendlynda

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Re: Milwaukee Midget
« Reply #600 on: September 30, 2011, 07:16:56 PM »
Gonna hold you to both those promises!!  I get to see the Midget and you will NOT forget your hat no matter where you are!!!!

Stay Safe!!!

Lynda
Volunteer roadblock at Land's End! Yes, you need your stinkin badge! I'm your Dream Keeper, I protect your dream on the asphalt so you can chase your dream on the salt!

Offline Dr Goggles

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Re: Milwaukee Midget
« Reply #601 on: September 30, 2011, 08:05:31 PM »
If you have trouble hooking up I can lend you my wide drag racing tires- 175 70 R13s. :)

ahem, Chris.......I think you just got "owned" by the young fella. :roll:
Few understand what I'm trying to do but they vastly outnumber those who understand why...................

http://thespiritofsunshine.blogspot.com/

Current Australian E/GL record holder at 215.041mph

THE LUCKIEST MAN IN SLOW BUSINESS.

Offline Milwaukee Midget

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Re: Milwaukee Midget
« Reply #602 on: September 30, 2011, 08:41:21 PM »
If you have trouble hooking up I can lend you my wide drag racing tires- 175 70 R13s. :)

ahem, Chris.......I think you just got "owned" by the young fella. :roll:

Not at all - we actually discussed tires about a year ago during his build.  And trust me, a 175 70R 13 IS a drag tire compared to the 155 80R 13's I intend to shred.

Maybe I'll send a smoke signal to Simon.  :-D
"Problems are almost always a sign of progress."  Harold Bettes
Well, I guess we're making a LOT of progress . . .  :roll:

Offline Graham in Aus

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Re: Milwaukee Midget
« Reply #603 on: October 01, 2011, 08:53:44 AM »
Hey Chris, is that Lil' screamer of yours going to see a dyno before the drags / Maxton?

Be interesting to see how it goes!

Best of luck!  :cheers:

Offline Milwaukee Midget

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Re: Milwaukee Midget
« Reply #604 on: October 01, 2011, 10:36:52 PM »
Hey, Graham,

Lets see what the plugs look like after a few passes next weekend.  I'm not going to push the car too hard.  Part of the problem is scheduling time, and rather than order up a fistfull of jets for the Weber, I'd like to get an indication as to which direction I need to go with the carb jetting, make some intelligent purchases, and then dial it in.  A day on the dyno isn't cheap, but nothing has been so far.

The oil pressure adjusting device I purchased off of E-Bay was advertised as coming off of a Mini Cooper S.  All fine and well – the oiling system is the same between that and a 1275 inline, and according to the Moss Motors catalog, the original non adjustable pieces have the same part numbers. 

I guess it was unreasonable of me to expect something to fit.

Did you know that the starter motor on a Mini sits farther back with respect to the engine back plate than on a Spridget?  Yet another trivia answer I can pose a question to on Jeopardy if the category “British Automotive Anomalies” ever comes up.  I OWN that category.



I already had to go from a 3/8 bolt down to a 5/16 with a 12 point ARP nut on the starter just to clear the threads on the adjuster, but there is no way that big knob is going to give me any degree of adjustability.  It’s not critical, and it wasn't worth my time to drive out to Pewaukee to bother a friend with a lathe, so I turned it down on the grinder and cut a screwdriver slot across it with my Dremel.




Gravity is your friend, and aluminum transmission cases rock.  Together in 5 minutes. 



I remember when I was 18, I had a ’66 Cyclone that I replaced the clutch in.  This is a lot easier than holding a toploader above your head in a grease pit.

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

Offline Graham in Aus

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Re: Milwaukee Midget
« Reply #605 on: October 02, 2011, 07:12:37 PM »
Chris, is that a new starter? I think you had starting woes before?

There are two types of flywheel ring gear (on a Mini anyway) the later pre engaged type don't mesh with the earlier inertia type  :-P

More Austin Morris / Leyland traps!

I'm sure your across all this, but I thought I'd ask......

I'm looking forward to you running it up!  :cheers:

Offline Graham in Aus

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Re: Milwaukee Midget
« Reply #606 on: October 02, 2011, 07:19:43 PM »
Oh and that's an interesting looking blanking plug in the dizzy drive hole  :?

Are you still using the factory 'bullet' for the pressure releif valve behind your new adjuster? Some guys like to swap it for a ball bearing, 3/8 I think, out of a mini CV Joint!

I've only had one block need this, I think something had scored the bore of the releif valve and the 'bullet' was sticking, the ball fixed that!

Cheers!  8-)

Offline Tman

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Re: Milwaukee Midget
« Reply #607 on: October 02, 2011, 07:30:30 PM »
Chris sent you a PM on those Hartwell Latches. Shoot me your # and I will call you to talk about them.

Offline Milwaukee Midget

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Re: Milwaukee Midget
« Reply #608 on: October 02, 2011, 11:08:16 PM »
Chris, is that a new starter? I think you had starting woes before?

There are two types of flywheel ring gear (on a Mini anyway) the later pre engaged type don't mesh with the earlier inertia type  :-P

Yes, and it does engage properly - but it is a tight fit against the firewall.


Oh and that's an interesting looking blanking plug in the dizzy drive hole  :?

Are you still using the factory 'bullet' for the pressure releif valve behind your new adjuster? Some guys like to swap it for a ball bearing, 3/8 I think, out of a mini CV Joint!

Cheers!  8-)

The plug in the distributor hole is just an expandable frost plug.  I was thinking of making a vent with a filter to fit there, but maybe later.

And yes - good call, oh omniscient one in the practice of pommy potmetal persuits.  Nuts and balls - no plugs.  Bought three springs to find one that fit properly.


I need to have a little talk with the guys down at Area Rental in New Berlin, Wisconsin.

Picked up a rental cherry picker today.  It was an absolute mess.  I just spent three months building an engine in a clean environment, and I’m to install it with something that looks like it fell off of a garbage scow?


After I complained to the kid working the counter, he did me the courtesy of throwing a blanket down in the back of the Magnum.   :roll:  

Gee, thanks – wouldn't it have made more sense to just clean the thing up?

Which I did.



And at that time, I realized that there was no handle for the ram!  Okay, I make a call to let them know I did not receive it, and they noted it on the contract.  My floor jack handle worked fine, but that was just the beginning.

I’m raising the engine, and the ram starts leaking like an excited puppy.  Good lord, does it have enough fluid the finish the project?  They closed at noon, so my next phone call went straight to voicemail.

 

It did, but now my garage floor is a stinking mess, and I had to keep pumping the darned thing to keep it from slowly drifting into the engine bay.  Under normal circumstances, this is a one man project, and in fact, when I originally pulled the engine when I got the car, I did it by hand.  It wasn’t easy, and I won’t do it again, but I pity the SOB that winds up renting this piece of trash to try to install a big block Chevy into his pickup.

I have no intention of paying for its use – this was a joke, and a dangerous one at that.

BUT – it’s in.



Oh, and that’s Austin, our good luck road gnome.  He spends most of his days sequestered in the trunk of the MGB, waiting to pose for photo ops.  Kate has the pics, but he's been to St. Louis, Chicago, Door County, Toronto, and she’s got some great shots of him posing in the parking lot of an Upper Peninsula tourist trap, which I think was somewhere between Saul Ste Marie and Escanaba with a bunch of wacky vehicles.  I’ll see if I can dig ‘em up – next month.


 
« Last Edit: October 02, 2011, 11:23:18 PM by Milwaukee Midget »
"Problems are almost always a sign of progress."  Harold Bettes
Well, I guess we're making a LOT of progress . . .  :roll:

Offline Elmo Rodge

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Re: Milwaukee Midget
« Reply #609 on: October 03, 2011, 12:00:49 AM »
Chris, when I saw Austin I thought I was looking at Klessig. (Local joke. At least in Wisconsin))  :cheers: Wayno

Offline Kiwi Paul

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Re: Milwaukee Midget
« Reply #610 on: October 03, 2011, 12:20:58 AM »
It`s alright, Wayno, that joke works out this way, too. Austin seems to be taller, and have more durable footwear than that other fellow...... :-D :evil:

Offline Dr Goggles

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Re: Milwaukee Midget
« Reply #611 on: October 03, 2011, 01:01:09 AM »


 

It did, but now my garage floor is a stinking mess, and I had to keep pumping the darned thing to keep it from slowly drifting into the engine bay.  Under normal circumstances, this is a one man project, and in fact, when I originally pulled the engine when I got the car, I did it by hand.  It wasn’t easy, and I won’t do it again, but I pity the SOB that winds up renting this piece of trash to try to install a big block Chevy into his pickup.
I have no intention of paying for its use – this was a joke, and a dangerous one at that.
BUT – it’s in.

those f***$#% mongrel B^stard devices are only good for one thing in anything under ideal circumstances and that is injuring the user.......even on a perfect rolling floor, you need one tiny piece of gravel, a wheel hits it the whole thing pauses while the motor swings forwards and then smashes the wiper motor, breaks a plug, crushes your hand ,knocks out your mum's front tooth....


...and don't even get me started on the dismantling/assembling of them...there is one I borrowed years ago which I think Ben currently has...it is a 2 ton fold up. It is a brilliantly designed device for crushing hands in any part that moves, it's a sh1t of a thing that no-one ( except seemingly Ben) wants to use in any sort of hurry...the bloke I borrowed it from has never asked for it back...


yeah , don't even get me started on hire companies.. :roll:
Few understand what I'm trying to do but they vastly outnumber those who understand why...................

http://thespiritofsunshine.blogspot.com/

Current Australian E/GL record holder at 215.041mph

THE LUCKIEST MAN IN SLOW BUSINESS.

Offline Milwaukee Midget

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Re: Milwaukee Midget
« Reply #612 on: October 03, 2011, 01:14:12 AM »
You forgot about poking the transmission through the windshield - it wasn't my car, but it was sure funny to watch.

The alternative was using a come-along through the rafters and risking pulling the roof down on top of me, although truth be told, it might have been safer.

It's in, it's done, and I'm still above ground.

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

Offline Freud

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Re: Milwaukee Midget
« Reply #613 on: October 03, 2011, 01:20:11 AM »
Dear Goggles........

Forget about these devices that smash your digits, slim the floor and have lost their handle.

Tell me about the girls.

If you don't come around I'll get Simon to do the shoot.

FREUD
Since '63

Offline Milwaukee Midget

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Re: Milwaukee Midget
« Reply #614 on: October 04, 2011, 02:21:30 AM »
Too tired for pics.

Returned the cherry picker today.  Showed him the pictures, reiterated my complaint, expressed my safety concern, jumped up and down and yelled "Rumpelstiltskin" and left having only paid $15.00 for the use of it.  A minor victory.

The mounting piece for the crank trigger sensor has three standoffs.  The lower one rubs on the belt.  I'm contriving a hardware jumble of a pair of cap screws and a coupling nut, and will remove the third, redundant, offending leg.

Picked up the oil filter mount - installed it, along with the hose.

Engine turns over - oil pressure is good - 40 lb's, unadjusted, on the starter alone.

The yoke I ordered from Matthews is in worse shape than the one I had.  I'll be returning it tomorrow, and will continue the hunt.  Unless I can get one by Thursday, Sunday is out.

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