The Mite
A Rebuild and Customization of a 1965 Austin Healey Sprite
| Last Update: April 27, 2009: | ||
|---|---|---|
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It all started during a trip back east for our annual family picnic. My uncle has a Triumph
Spitfire and let me drive it on the tree-shaded roads of Connecticut. I was
hooked, I had to get my own small British convertable. Shortly thereafter I
found a pair of cars for sale in California at a bargain price. I hooked the
flatbed trailer up to my truck and headed west. Twice. The following pages chronicle
the adventure of the rebuild/customization of The Mite.
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| Overview | A one-page overview of the entire buildup |
| Part 1 | Getting the Pair of cars and initial inspection |
| Part 2 | Teardown |
| Part 3 | Panel and floor replacement |
| Part 4 | Frame reinforcement and Why "Mite?" |
| Part 5 | Fitting the engine |
| Part 6 | Rear Disc Brakes |
| Part 7 | Rear Suspension |
| Part 8 | Pedal Assembly |
| Part 9 | Front Suspension, Phase 1: Lower A-arm |
| Part 10 | Front Suspension, Phase 2: Upper A-arm |
| Part 11 | Front Tube Shocks |
| Part12 | Honda Civic Front Brake Conversion |
| Part 13 | Modificaton of Front Tube Shock Mount |
| Part 14 | Rebuilding Rack and Pinion and Spindles |
| Part 15 | Modifying the dash for new gauges and switches |
| Part 16 | Adding a sump and fittings to the gas tank |
| Part 17 | Installing Honda Seats and a later-model steering column |
| Part 18 | Moving the stock Miata Shifter on the Miata Tranny |
| Part 19 | Adding a Rollbar and Radiator |
| Part 20 | Electrical Box, Package Tray, Battery Tray, Fiberglass Hood Latches |
| Part 21 | Hood Hinges, Latches, Making the Wheelwells round, etc.. |
| Part 22 | Another Rear Axle, or How to Narrow an RX 7 Rearend |
| Part 23 | Misc Doodads: Intercooler Mount, Grille Opening, Fun with Dzus Tabs |
| Part 24 | Making a wire mesh grille |
| Part 25 | Naked Shell Back from the Stripping Shop |
| Part 26 | Shell Filled and prepped for primer |
| Part 27 | Building a Paint Booth and Shooting Primer |
| Part 28 | Shooting British Racing Green with white racing stripes |
| Part 29 | Re-Spraying the clear, re-sanding and re-buffing |
| Part 30 | Re Assembly of the Front Suspension |
| Part 31 | Finishing the Front Suspension and beginning the Rear |
| Part 32 | Working on the rear disc brakes |
| Part 33 | Electromotive Crank Trigger, Valve Cover-Throttle Body-Oil Pan Mods |
| Part 34 | New rubber and installing side windows |
| Part 35 | Idle air control motor housing |
| Part 36 | Speedo Pulse Generator and Installing the Engine |
| Part 37 | Setting Pinion Angle, welding brackets, checking engine clearance |
| Part 38 | Assembling and installing the Rear Axle |
| Part 39 | Installing Brake Pedals, Master cylinders and Brake lines |
| Part 40 | Fun with IAC, Brake lines, Heater and Fuel Rail |
| Part 41 | Gas tank, bumperettes, wiring, dash gauges... |
| Part 42 | Wiring, Dash pad and Wipers |
| Part 43 | More Wipers |
| Part 44 | Assembling and Installing the Windshield (Windscreen) |
| Part 45 | Odds and Ends: Door Switch, Battery Cables.. |
| Part 46 | Turbo Exhaust Manifold and Magnetic Pickup Mounting Bracket |
| Part 47 | Plumbing Turbo Oil and Fuel |
| Part 48 | Re-inistalling rear shocks and fabbing exhaust |
| Part 49 | Carpeting the Trunk and Speaker panel |
| Part 50 | Beginning the Interior Upholstery |
| Part 51 | Carpet, Vents, Rollbar, Door Panels |
| Part 52 | Shifter, Package Tray, Wiring |
| Part 53 | Water Temp Sensor, Seats, Steering wheel spacer |
| Part 54 | More Wiring and Programming the TEC 2 |
| Part 55 | Radiator and Intercooler plumbing and throttle cable (page not finished yet) |
| Part 56 | Making a custom Hood Badge |
| Part 57 | Prop Rod, Throttle Cable, etc... |
| Part 58 | Finishing up last bits and TEST DRIVE! |
| Part 59 | Air Intake, Removing lowering blocks and pictures |
| Part 60 | Burnout, just for fun! |
| Part 61 | Conclusion |
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