When I was 15, my dad and I bought an Austin Healey Sprite from a junkyard, which in addition to the engine under the bonnet also happened to have a complete spare engine in the passenger seat.
We made a blind guess at which engine was "better", and overhauled that one. It was a great opportunity to learn practical things about cars, but also deeper lessons in patience/gumption (Robert Pirsig, in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, comes across someone who is purchasing an entire motorcycle in loose parts. "He'll know something about motorcycles before he gets those together....and that's the best way to learn, too.").
The only problem was that on reassembly, we couldn't get our newly overhauled engine to start. We tried everything we could think of. We were unfamiliar with the peculiarities of British cars of that era, and it took us more than a few hours to notice and comprehend the words conveniently printed right there on the speedometer: "Positive Earth".
We switched the battery wiring so that the positive terminal connected to the car's ground, and she fired right up....at 2 o'clock in the morning in our suburban garage. What a great memory.
We hadn't yet hooked up the exhaust, so the throaty roar of the engine awakened more than a few neighbors.
Unlike the video shown, we ended up with more than a few leftover parts.
Oh yes, the wonders of British automotive engineering. You haven't felt the joy of it until an electrical issue appears. Which is often the case. Did you ever enjoy letting out the Lucas magic smoke? Preferably from behind the dash area... :)
But I later bought a bright orange '64 Triumph Spitfire ($400!), and spent many interesting hours tweaking the engine (with its infamous twin carburetors), until an unfortunate failure in judgment occurred on the Potrero Grade.
We were able to put the engine into a close friend's Triumph, so it's possible that beautiful little temperamental engine lives on, somewhere.
When I was 15, my dad and I bought an Austin Healey Sprite from a junkyard, which in addition to the engine under the bonnet also happened to have a complete spare engine in the passenger seat.
We made a blind guess at which engine was "better", and overhauled that one. It was a great opportunity to learn practical things about cars, but also deeper lessons in patience/gumption (Robert Pirsig, in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, comes across someone who is purchasing an entire motorcycle in loose parts. "He'll know something about motorcycles before he gets those together....and that's the best way to learn, too.").
The only problem was that on reassembly, we couldn't get our newly overhauled engine to start. We tried everything we could think of. We were unfamiliar with the peculiarities of British cars of that era, and it took us more than a few hours to notice and comprehend the words conveniently printed right there on the speedometer: "Positive Earth".
We switched the battery wiring so that the positive terminal connected to the car's ground, and she fired right up....at 2 o'clock in the morning in our suburban garage. What a great memory.
We hadn't yet hooked up the exhaust, so the throaty roar of the engine awakened more than a few neighbors.
Unlike the video shown, we ended up with more than a few leftover parts.
The little 4-cylinder ran just fine without them.