This is my Story.... California KUP888
I bought my 1st Sprite in January 1966 while in the Navy. I was 21, stationed at U.S. Naval Air Station North Island, in San Diego California. The car was a pristine 1960 Mk1, in all original, and like new condition, not a scratch on it. I was the 3rd original owner.
I paid $850 (that’s 8 hundred & 50) complete with all original accessories, manuals and soft top.
At Naval Air, I took advantage of the base Automotive Hobby Shop. There one could rent a work-space for 25 cents a day, for a max of 25 days, and literally do anything to any car you wanted. The facilities had every conceivable tool one would need to rebuild engines, or any other automotive project. FREE... I jumped in both feet, and in a matter of a few weeks, I was learning all about 948 engines, clutch & drive trains, SU carbs, everything...and not to mention, I had the best running Mk1 ever.!
In September, 1967 I was discharged from the Navy. I came to Los Angeles and started Dental school. While in school, I worked various part time jobs (that sucked) and also worked at the Sears Pasadena store. I worked in the hardware department and started buying automotive tools with my Sears discounts. At Sears, ironically, I had a couple of girlfriends that drove Morris Minors. Dang, they were cute too, (the girls) and when they found out I could rebuild 948's, it was all history.. The word of mouth got out, and I was rebuilding a mill-a-week. But just Sprites and Morris Minors...There were a lot of them around in those days.
In the mid to late 60's I could go to BMC’s Dealership at Peter Satori in Pasadena for parts. Or, for that matter, buy parts at BAP, also FAP, or anywhere locally dealing in foreign parts. Just like VW parts, British parts were always available.
.
I got pretty good after a while.... At my routine, I could pull an engine in 2 hours. Clean it, disassemble it, and have it at the machine shop in 3.
I had Johnny's Machine Shop on Washington St. do my boring, surfacing, head & valve jobs, and cam bearings etc. We would send the crank to Globe Crank in Los Angeles for a core exchange... All this with a 2 day turn-around. 3 days if over the weekend..
You won't believe this, but the total machine shop bill, including the crank exchange, was rarely over $100.
Between the years of 1966 and 1971 I drove my Sprite over 200,000 miles.... Rebuilt 3 engines, went through 2 transmissions, a couple axles, a half dozen sets of tires, even the electrical loom would catch fire almost every time I turned on the headlights. Never the less, the car always remained original. A sorry original, but original.
1971 was the end of an era. I sadly parked my Sprite in a rented garage, for a brand new Volkswagen Super-Beetle... But I was smart enough to keep it. I started restoring the car 2 years later.... That restoration took me 10 years to complete.
The late 1970's were the worst years ever to restore a Mk1 Sprite. It was an era ahead of it's time for "Aftermarket Parts". They didn't exist. And dealer parts had all dried up. Some limited BMC parts were around, but I had to chase them down. Moss was in its infancy and was some help, but if you needed hard core dealer parts... Ha!, Good luck….
That's when I started buying Mk1 and Mk2 wrecks and salvage cars. For example, I would buy and dismantle a Mk2 in a weekend. I would totally strip the car, then swap-parts-out for better parts in the Weekly Auto Recycler, or from a network of my “Sprite-Gurus-Connections”. I did manage to rebuild my car with like new parts that were rebuilt from salvaged cars…..My best asset was my “gift to gab”. I always asked a lot of questions. Always, the mechanics would offer me good advice on how to do it.…. It’s a good feeling I have…That I learned so much from the experts… back in the day.
Somewhere between the 1st and 8th paragraph of this story I got married. My wife was always supportive of my Sprite restoration. She even helped by staying out of my way. She liked the money I was making from the extra parts, but the mess was not a good thingy.
The mechanical restoration eventually morphed into bodywork and painting. Although my Sprite had minimal dents, and zero rust. I learned basic auto body by asking lots of questions. And eventually developed moxie to remove small dings and dents. I bought my equipment, then shot primer and block sanded most of the car. Never the less, to do the job right, I had the shop professionals do the critical bodywork, and final painting.
My sense of completion was when I finally took the Sprite off DMV’s “Non Operational” status. The little corner license tags jumped from 1970 to 1986 in a single moment. Somehow, back on the road with new legal tags, I felt a strong connection with the past. The fun I had, and the car that I had fun in…Can you imagine driving on the Beaches in San Diego in the mid 60's in a Sprite. In those days you could legally drive your cars on the wet sand. How many of today's Sprite owners can tell that story??... Car Rally’s at San Diego’s Balboa Park. Cruising Torrey Pines, La Jolla, and University of San Diego. Three trips to Washington State, the Olympic Peninsula and back to San Diego. Not to mention, 4 years in Los Angeles…. All in the little car that did it all….
Car Shows...Hmm... I have no idea how many Car Shows I had entered my Sprite in. For a while I had fun, and a real feeling of achievement. People looking at my car, and listening to my bullshit. But then...how exciting is the same old, “Same Old”? Local shows with local people = Same cars and same people. Car shows are cool, but short-term-interest with me. Too much work, & up-keep.... Then some jerk looks inside your car and his camera hanging from a strap slams into the door...Bummer…*sigh*
How to “NOT” lose your Sprite in your Divorce...
In my case, it was simple California Law.
After the Holocaust….. She got the BMW, I got the sailboat… She got 60% of the real estate, I kept my retirement…. Her Boyfriend wanted my guns and my Sprite.... but they were mine before marriage. (California Law)
Therefore, I was able to avoid a murder conviction, and keep my guns & car
I paid $850 (that’s 8 hundred & 50) complete with all original accessories, manuals and soft top.
At Naval Air, I took advantage of the base Automotive Hobby Shop. There one could rent a work-space for 25 cents a day, for a max of 25 days, and literally do anything to any car you wanted. The facilities had every conceivable tool one would need to rebuild engines, or any other automotive project. FREE... I jumped in both feet, and in a matter of a few weeks, I was learning all about 948 engines, clutch & drive trains, SU carbs, everything...and not to mention, I had the best running Mk1 ever.!
In September, 1967 I was discharged from the Navy. I came to Los Angeles and started Dental school. While in school, I worked various part time jobs (that sucked) and also worked at the Sears Pasadena store. I worked in the hardware department and started buying automotive tools with my Sears discounts. At Sears, ironically, I had a couple of girlfriends that drove Morris Minors. Dang, they were cute too, (the girls) and when they found out I could rebuild 948's, it was all history.. The word of mouth got out, and I was rebuilding a mill-a-week. But just Sprites and Morris Minors...There were a lot of them around in those days.
In the mid to late 60's I could go to BMC’s Dealership at Peter Satori in Pasadena for parts. Or, for that matter, buy parts at BAP, also FAP, or anywhere locally dealing in foreign parts. Just like VW parts, British parts were always available.
.
I got pretty good after a while.... At my routine, I could pull an engine in 2 hours. Clean it, disassemble it, and have it at the machine shop in 3.
I had Johnny's Machine Shop on Washington St. do my boring, surfacing, head & valve jobs, and cam bearings etc. We would send the crank to Globe Crank in Los Angeles for a core exchange... All this with a 2 day turn-around. 3 days if over the weekend..
You won't believe this, but the total machine shop bill, including the crank exchange, was rarely over $100.
Between the years of 1966 and 1971 I drove my Sprite over 200,000 miles.... Rebuilt 3 engines, went through 2 transmissions, a couple axles, a half dozen sets of tires, even the electrical loom would catch fire almost every time I turned on the headlights. Never the less, the car always remained original. A sorry original, but original.
1971 was the end of an era. I sadly parked my Sprite in a rented garage, for a brand new Volkswagen Super-Beetle... But I was smart enough to keep it. I started restoring the car 2 years later.... That restoration took me 10 years to complete.
The late 1970's were the worst years ever to restore a Mk1 Sprite. It was an era ahead of it's time for "Aftermarket Parts". They didn't exist. And dealer parts had all dried up. Some limited BMC parts were around, but I had to chase them down. Moss was in its infancy and was some help, but if you needed hard core dealer parts... Ha!, Good luck….
That's when I started buying Mk1 and Mk2 wrecks and salvage cars. For example, I would buy and dismantle a Mk2 in a weekend. I would totally strip the car, then swap-parts-out for better parts in the Weekly Auto Recycler, or from a network of my “Sprite-Gurus-Connections”. I did manage to rebuild my car with like new parts that were rebuilt from salvaged cars…..My best asset was my “gift to gab”. I always asked a lot of questions. Always, the mechanics would offer me good advice on how to do it.…. It’s a good feeling I have…That I learned so much from the experts… back in the day.
Somewhere between the 1st and 8th paragraph of this story I got married. My wife was always supportive of my Sprite restoration. She even helped by staying out of my way. She liked the money I was making from the extra parts, but the mess was not a good thingy.
The mechanical restoration eventually morphed into bodywork and painting. Although my Sprite had minimal dents, and zero rust. I learned basic auto body by asking lots of questions. And eventually developed moxie to remove small dings and dents. I bought my equipment, then shot primer and block sanded most of the car. Never the less, to do the job right, I had the shop professionals do the critical bodywork, and final painting.
My sense of completion was when I finally took the Sprite off DMV’s “Non Operational” status. The little corner license tags jumped from 1970 to 1986 in a single moment. Somehow, back on the road with new legal tags, I felt a strong connection with the past. The fun I had, and the car that I had fun in…Can you imagine driving on the Beaches in San Diego in the mid 60's in a Sprite. In those days you could legally drive your cars on the wet sand. How many of today's Sprite owners can tell that story??... Car Rally’s at San Diego’s Balboa Park. Cruising Torrey Pines, La Jolla, and University of San Diego. Three trips to Washington State, the Olympic Peninsula and back to San Diego. Not to mention, 4 years in Los Angeles…. All in the little car that did it all….
Car Shows...Hmm... I have no idea how many Car Shows I had entered my Sprite in. For a while I had fun, and a real feeling of achievement. People looking at my car, and listening to my bullshit. But then...how exciting is the same old, “Same Old”? Local shows with local people = Same cars and same people. Car shows are cool, but short-term-interest with me. Too much work, & up-keep.... Then some jerk looks inside your car and his camera hanging from a strap slams into the door...Bummer…*sigh*
How to “NOT” lose your Sprite in your Divorce...
In my case, it was simple California Law.
After the Holocaust….. She got the BMW, I got the sailboat… She got 60% of the real estate, I kept my retirement…. Her Boyfriend wanted my guns and my Sprite.... but they were mine before marriage. (California Law)
Therefore, I was able to avoid a murder conviction, and keep my guns & car
Anyway, 25 +plus years later, it has remained covered under its MG Mitten. Always dry and hidden in “the sea of sawdust” from my wood shop.
In 2012 my Insurance Carrier summoned photos of the car for their records. Then I came to the realization, I better do something while I still had the time. So while taking the photos, I spontaneously thought the unthinkable......
Why not re-restore the car for the 2nd time
Why not re-restore the car for the 2nd time