PDLJMPR Web Magazine, February 20, 1999
Thanks for considering my Sprite for PDLJMPR. This Sprite has been under construction for nearly 20 years. Every owner has added (or subtracted) to this car. I completed a full frame up restoration in 1998. I fully skinned the engine compartment to beef the frame and firewall. The bow tie equipped 327 is built to operate on todays fuel @ 9.87:1 ratio. The engine was built for reliability and built for this car. It's estimated 375 HP was kept down for this light car. It was designed for peak 6500 RPMs. It runs very well and is dependable. The transmission is a turbo 350 and the differential is a narrowed ford 9" with 373 ratio. The front is stock with heavy duty springs. The engine is set back behind the front axle. The rear suspension is a modified midget with a lot of understeer put in to make it handle predictably. It drives very nice. In fact many "purists" have been very surprised at how well it drives. The biggest problem was the cooling system. Nobody gave me much advice in solving the cooling problems. In fact the whole reason for the restoration was to cure the cooling modifications to the car. You all know how that goes. All I was doing was louvering the hood to get air out of the engine compartment. Wel that turned into a full body strip, new paint, interior, another engine, another new radiator, another radiator behind the seats and a new fuel tank etc, etc. All because of the cooling. It now has 2 radiators with a 32 qt. capacity. It does well in parades now finally. Paint and trim is all my brain child after seeing a picture of a cobra I liked. This car has tested my patience to the brink many times. I now allow 3 times the time I figure it should ever take to do something. The car is in Eugene Oregon waiting for sunny weather again. You don't drive this car in wet weather at all.
Bill Farley
If you'd like more info drop Bill an e-mail. ed.