5/12/07
I went back to school for another semester and came back for my third and final internship semester.
Can you say, new floorpans!
(Note*4/22/2009; Someone sent me a message about the floor pans and I thought I should clarify. These pans are plain sheet metal welded into the chassis. I was originally planning to use two L brackets for each seat to make them stable since I didn't have access to a machine to make the indentations at the time so this was the route I was taking. These pans do not support the seats if you are also trying to do this to your car. Now, I may replace with indented pans, install the L brackets as originally planned, or fiberglass the bottoms to make them stable.)
After installing the floor pans, I transported the car to my new address in Pearl, MS and have plenty of room in my new roommate's garage to complete the car. It has come along nicely. I am currently awaiting a new transmission to reassemble the car's drivetrain and wiring. I hope to have the car street-worthy and insured before returning to college this August.
The healey on the trailer ready to go to the garage.
Sprite finally in the garage!
The rims getting cleaned, painted, and wrapped in brand new rubber.
I painted the engine bay Ford Red (DE 1605).
I pulled the engine and planned to overhaul it. It seemed to be in excellent condition, so I just cleaned up the pistons, the head, the waterpump, and other internal and external parts. All new seals and gaskets were installed. Then I sprayed it with a fresh coat of Ford Red (DE1605).
6/20/07
I picked up a transmission on ebay for $50.01, since mine was mostly rusted due to no convertible top and an open top hole in the transmission lever section.
More pictures to come!
6/31/07
The new trans. is almost ready to install, with only a few glitches to fix. I have to figure out how to hook up the slave cylinder with the new configuration of the smoothcase style. A new slave cylinder and a pertronix electronic ignition are the only things left to get this baby running. Wiring the lights and stripping all the paint off will come next.
10/5/07
I never could get the newer transmission to work, so I'm selling everything I have to swap in a V8 more than likely. I have a modified 302V8 in my 92 Ford Ranger that is probably going to be what I'll use. A C4 or T5 will transfer the power to the wheels. Stay tuned. The car may actually be finished in December! You all know how that goes though....
10/22/07
Decisions, decisions. I'm still indecisive but have an opportunity to purchase a working transmission so I may actually install the 1275cc and manual trans as originally planned. The 1275cc engine was not the original power plant for the 66 model sprite mkIII, but is a little more potent than the 1098cc engine it came it. If my luck with a third transmissions does not work out, I will look into the V8 installation.
I also tried to use chemical paint remover and ran into an old bondo job on the front right fender. Since I am not doing a complete restoration at this time and am using bondo myself for minor repairs, I decided not to use chemical remover anywhere else on the body.
10/20/2007
I painted the stripped area with primer and ford red for the meantime until I am ready to redo the body completely. I installed the passenger side racing seat, the Holley electric red fuel pump, and the Holley 1-4 psi regulator.
10/30/2007
I am taking 19 hours of classes this semester, leading the Chassis division of the Formula SAE team, and just got hired today for a new job in the Mechanical Engineering shop. I hope to have some funds to purchase the new trans. a.s.a.p. if I do not sell the miscellaneous parts I have.
