Milwaukee Midget

[Milwaukee Midget]

I told him last year to call it a '67 and get rid of the side marker lights and one windshield wiper mount.

I was also over ruled on an electric water pump. I wish we had dynoed that.

True - the wisdom of Wisdonm was bypassed.

The rational was this -

My concern on the electric water pump was the electrical draw - the ignition needs were a worry, and there is no alternator.  If we go with a dry sump, that cog wheel on the water pump is looking more like a dry sump drive.  Calling it a '67 would have required a grill change.

That was my logic before I ran 118 and change.

In retrospect, I wasn't thinking it would be this close, but I keep looking at these Spridget Specials, and how no two Abarths look alike, and I'm thinking even a bit more radically than I was before.

Is this what happens to a man's mind when you get close? 

[Rob]

Chris,

If you did it all in your first trip you wouldn't have a reasonable excuse to go back

Cheers,
Rob

[gkabbt]

Chris,

GREAT catching up with you yesterday and seeing the Midget!
My pic of Austin and Piggy sitting on the Midget came out perfect.....LOL! 
Lynda and I REALLY enjoyed the hospitality provided by you and Kate! 

Gregg

Currently in Beerhaven, WI on our way to WoS!

[Milwaukee Midget]

Chris,

GREAT catching up with you yesterday and seeing the Midget!
My pic of Austin and Piggy sitting on the Midget came out perfect.....LOL! 
Lynda and I REALLY enjoyed the hospitality provided by you and Kate! 

Gregg

Currently in Beerhaven, WI on our way to WoS!

The door is always open, Gregg.  Enjoy your Western Swing, and don't be strangers!

[wisdonm]

The '67 grill change, in my opinion, would also be beneficial. The grill bars are stamped into a piece of thin metal. You could control the amount of air entering the engine compartment by re-flattening those bars.

Did you remove the weather seal from the trunk? This will let out pent up interior air pressure.

[salt27]

How about the '63 door handles ? 

[Interested Observer]

Midget, Marcello:
You're so close--only need about 10% more.
Some ideas in addition to what has been suggested above.

Aero
Since closing the grill and/or radiator seem to be against the rules, fit a radiator with exceedingly close fin spacing or maybe some damaged fins.  Close off any other internal flow paths from behind the grille except maybe a "cold" air duct inlet for the engine airbox.
Lower the car, maybe a bit of rake, too.
Tire pressures?
Were the windows rolled up?

Power
In the dyno session I seem to recall that you just chose the better of the inlet and exhaust configurations that were at hand.  Both of these may respond to refinement and tuning for the generally hotter conditions at Bonneville.  What are the inlet and exhaust tract geometries at present?  Do they work together?
Icewater intercooler?
Front end toe minimized.
Slow down the water pump.  It's probably cavitating at 8k anyway.

[Crackerman]

You built a duct to put fresh air into the air filter, what about building a plenum that houses filter and via the previous duct has high pressure air from in front of radiator cram into said plenum?

[Stan Back]

Lose the bumper guards.

[Milwaukee Midget]

Getting the C/R up is going to mean a piston change, at the minimum.     And with the ultra high C/R's needed for BMC's to make respectable bhp, my experience is that a o-ringed block with a Coopers head gasket or a solid copper head gasket is going to be required.

Will investigate.

Many of the cars running in vintage/historic road racing are/or have updated/backdated bodywork and bodywork mods/add ons, etc.    Is this permitted by SCTA?    It seems to me that many of the cars running have been "optimized" to a particular configuration.    These 'Midget Coupes' exist/existed in numbers that probably match the one off bodied Abarths . . . . . . .

Dodgey on that one - most hardtops - MOST - were aftermarket, with no factory lineage.  Speedwell stuff was an exception, but then the distinction becomes between MG and Austin Healey - yeah, I know, I know . . .

The '67 grill change, in my opinion, would also be beneficial. The grill bars are stamped into a piece of thin metal. You could control the amount of air entering the engine compartment by re-flattening those bars.

Did you remove the weather seal from the trunk? This will let out pent up interior air pressure.

Grill must be unaltered, but back-dating is a possibility.  I'd have to re-register the car with SCTA.  There is a seal on the trunk, but it has been sealed off from the rest of the interior.  I do need to close up ALL body gaps.

Midget, Marcello:
You’re so close--only need about 10% more.
Some ideas in addition to what has been suggested above.

Aero
Since closing the grill and/or radiator seem to be against the rules, fit a radiator with exceedingly close fin spacing or maybe some damaged fins.  Close off any other internal flow paths from behind the grille except maybe a “cold” air duct inlet for the engine airbox.
Lower the car, maybe a bit of rake, too.
Tire pressures?
Were the windows rolled up?

Power
In the dyno session I seem to recall that you just chose the better of the inlet and exhaust configurations that were at hand.  Both of these may respond to refinement and tuning for the generally hotter conditions at Bonneville.  What are the inlet and exhaust tract geometries at present?  Do they work together?
Icewater intercooler?
Front end toe minimized.
Slow down the water pump.  It’s probably cavitating at 8k anyway.

Looking at radiator . . . er . . . ah . . . "treatments" . yeah, that's a good word.

We were at 35 psi except for the last day, when we bumped it up to 50.

Windows were up.

We're using the Maniflow 6 "  intake and the long center branch header, and that was a combination that gave us best HP.

I've asked about intercooling a normally aspirated engine in the tech questions before - nobody seems to have any experience with it.

1/8" toe - tracked straight and true.

It's not likely cavitating - we've slowed it down to a drive ratio of 0.5357/1 - about 30% of what a stock pulley would be spinning it.

You built a duct to put fresh air into the air filter, what about building a plenum that houses filter and via the previous duct has high pressure air from in front of radiator cram into said plenum?

Yes - that's a must-do - especially seeing as the exhaust and intake are on the same side of the engine.

Lose the bumper guards.

I'll send them to you, Stan - they'll look sharp on your roadster.

I just found KaleCoAuto. The solution for many of your problems.
Johnson Rod
$28.99

As if I'm not already tripping over myself getting in and out of this car. 

[Captthundarr]

I just found KaleCoAuto. The solution for many of your problems.
Johnson Rod
$28.99

As if I'm not already tripping over myself getting in and out of this car. 
[/quote]

May haps the tripod effect will aid in egress, worth a shot.

[Stan Back]

If I had a bumper . . .

[Crackerman]

If i am not mistaken, air travelling through the carb venturi with fuel atomizing will cool the charge significantly. I have never tested this, but do know alcohol carbs freeze up due to this effect.

[4-barrel Mike]

If I had a bumper . . .

No need.  They'd look great somewhat below the taillights on the Mercury.   

Mike

[Milwaukee Midget]

If i am not mistaken, air travelling through the carb venturi with fuel atomizing will cool the charge significantly. I have never tested this, but do know alcohol carbs freeze up due to this effect.

True, and during the dyno runs, you could touch the base of the carb, and it was significantly cooler.  The issue is that the air has such a short period of time to cool down from the atomized fuel that the cooling effect to the charge is diminished.  Additionally, the manifold is steel and the intake and exhaust ports are ~ 1/2 inch from each other, and actually share studs. 

Colder air from the front and possibly a fuel cool can might be of some help, but an anomaly with this set-up is that the car actually ran faster at higher temps and higher adjusted altitudes.  It's most likely an indication of the poor aero, but A series engines tend to produce more power when they are running on the hot side.

The header is wrapped to bring down the underhood temperatures.