My Tug Of War With A 1958 Austin Healey Sprite!
Posted: Sunday, December 04, 2011
by elle kynzer
In the decade, after the introduction of a new small sportscar, now in the category of 'Spridgets', there was my short ownership of a red hot Sprite. The car was several years old when I got it, and my love of convertables, and small cars made the purchase all the more intriguing. As a young woman, it was looks not practical decisions, that drew me to cars. I had my motorhead car later, but this one was all about the foreign intrigue of being unique. Or so I thought at the time. This car would take me to the edge of frustration.
Fortunately for me, at the time I got into this mess with the Sprite, there was a backup car. I had a very practical Dodge Dart, it was getting old, and had it's share of dents....all wearing primer patches. My friends had aptly named it "The Wrinkle".
“What I sold was the equivalant of a first edition book! It was the first year they were made..... Forty plus years ago, when I owned it.”
The night before things went haywire, I noticed there wasn't decent oil pressure in the Sprite, but I had just checked the oil and put in a can. I thought the gauge was messed up, and would take it to a dealer the next day to be checked. Little did I know, you never take anything for granted, where gauges are concered. The next morning I'm going down the expressway, and BAM, the engine seizes; then I'm not going anywhere without a tow truck.
Finally the car is home in the backyard, and I call a foreign car mechanic, who is recommended by a friend. Once I found out how expensive these cars are to work on, then I have to find a way to cut the costs. The man tells me that he can't tell me if the engine can be rebuilt, unless he knows if the piston walls are scatched or smooth. So to save money I agree to take out the pistions, and check the walls for scratches.
I donned a pair of overalls, and with a full toolbox proceed to put the Sprite up on blocks, and remove the pistons. After I have a box full of pistons, and satisfy the foreign mechanic that my Sprite is a candidate for a rebuild.....he manages to spend a large sum of my money to get the car running again. My frustration with this car has reached a very high level by this time. My own naive understanding of foreign cars is going to be challenged, and I lose.
The man then offers to buy this car from me, and I end up selling a car that now is a collector's item. When I look back on the experience, it is funny that I would not have had a clue what to do with that box of pistons, if the car engine hadn't been a candidate for a reasonable rebuild. I should have kept the car after he rebuilt the engine, but it had lost it's luster. Time would have been in my favor.
The lesson I learned was NEVER drive a car that insists there is no oil pressure, no matter how many cans of oil you have put in it yesterday. Don't buy a car you do not understand. And usually if someone wants to buy your car, after those kind of problems, it has some unique value that will only get better with time. Out of all the cars I've sold, it's the only one I regret letting get away.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)We have a few parallels in this story. I also owned a Dodge Dart. I thought it was one of the uglier cars I owned but it was ever so dependable and economical. I owned a Chevy Corvair I think it was. Due to my repeated lack of sleep, my brain is not responding right now to give you all the details of the car. But it had a vapor lock problem. I got stuck with it once too often and it wasn't fixed despite our efforts. Frankly, I think they just wanted to "steal" it from us. I also got rid of it and wished I hadn't so easily given up. I can't quite see you in your coveralls with your tool kit. But then, can you see me as a log truck driver?Please log in to respond to this comment.The Dodge Dart had 200,000 miles on it, when I let it go, as I said it was the 'backup car' and 'the wrinkle'. Oh the memories..lol Yes, the Chevy Corvair is a collectors item too...I had a friend who had one, and I understand he still has it.
The coveralls and toolbox were borrowed, not mine. The foreign mechanic was too busy to do the job to see if it was worth rebuilding, and there wasn't enough money to hire a second mechanic way back then. As you see in the end, if the walls had been scratched, then I would have had a box of pistons, and no idea of how to put them back in....lol I've never run from a challenge though.
A LOG TRUCK DRIVER??? Are your kidding? How great is that! I have trouble driving the Ford F-150....always liked small cars. I'll write about the 'cement chicken, and my boyfriend's XKE Jaguar" I was driving, if the topic comes up, it's a hoot. I was 19 at the time...just too funny, not at the time though.
Please log in to respond to this comment.I've never driven a Jaguar - haven't even sat in one. Also loved Corvettes but riding in one was like sitting on the street. Love your stories.Please log in to respond to this comment.
I am both an admirer and jealous of people who can write about mechanics. Especially za Germanic types, like you. Here's to this wonderful article.Please log in to respond to this comment."za Germanic" types?? You must mean the Scandinavians, who migrated through Germany before 1600 AD, then you may be correct....lol
Always enjoy your comments....even if some are over my head.Please log in to respond to this comment.
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