Operation Mighty Mite Miracle

Another Ahab said:

That tool you got there sure looks interesting, OD. What is that thing?


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Old school seal remover, I still use one.

Another Ahab said:

That tool you got there sure looks interesting, OD. What is that thing?


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QUADJEEPER said:

Old school seal remover, I still use one.

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Thanks for the clarification, QJ. I'm now that much wiser. Who knew?!

The front blackout lights needed a little attention. One had some rust problems. Doc used an old light that he had in his junk box to rebuild it. He installed a new wire.

ODFever said:

The front blackout lights needed a little attention. Doc used an old light that he had in his junk box to rebuild it. .

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That "cup" housing is made of some solid-looking heavy gauge metal.

Not everything from the old days is worth missing really, but that level of quality sure is.

The vehicle was designed to be delivered by a helicopter. I wonder if that could be the reason why the housing is thick.

I got some bad news from Doc. He replaced all of the fuel line except for the 12" piece that goes to the top of the fuel tank. There's a hole in that line. The fuel pump is sucking in air. We have to drop the tank and replace it. It's a 2 person job. I want to head up to his place soon so we can drop the tank and replace the line, rebuild the brakes, install the new shocks, and install the front clip.

Those old light housing were used on a lot of trailer too.

Doc tore apart the tail light and the trailer plug. He discovered another Charlie Foxtrot.
The tail lights, black out lights, and trailer plug need to be rewired.

In addition, the carburetor, which he already rebuilt, is giving him more headaches. Some days it's one step forward and two steps backwards with this vehicle. Sometimes ya gotta laugh to keep from cryin'.....

That IS scary looking wiring. I'm not an electrician, but the little I know says that bare conductors and something like the all-steel frame of a vehicle is a bad combination.

But I'm guessing the amperage is so low that there's no real danger to anybody; is that right? Do you know anything about that, ODFever?

Doc told me that someone genius installed residential wiring on the tail light and trailer connector - seen by the red wire. It may have been the same genius that butchered the steering column and steering wheel. I'm still hurt by that one.

The electrical system is M series 24 volt. The body is made of aluminum. Bare wires + conductive metal body = bad things happening. I don't know the ampere draw on the wires leading to the tail lights, blackout lights, or trailer harness. I'd have to either ask Doc or pull it out of the TMs.

The Mite originally had one driver's side tail light. We've decided to change it to a dual tail light setup for safety reasons. Doc has to rebuild and replace the rear wiring harness, and rewire everything on the back of the Mite including the fuel sending unit. (He reuses as many of the connectors as he can. He replaces the ones that are too far gone.)

ODFever said:

The Mite originally had one driver's side tail light. We've decided to change it to a dual tail light setup for safety reasons. Doc has to rebuild and replace the rear wiring harness, and rewire everything on the back of the Mite including the fuel sending unit. (He reuses as many of the connectors as he can. He replaces the ones that are too far gone.)

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Just my "two bits", but bringing all the hidden components (like wiring and connections) up to current state-of-the-art standard seems like it could save all kinds of headaches for you down the road (and then there's also the safety bonus, too).

I get it if authenticity is important to you, because it IS your build, but just my two cents (like you even wanted them).

Another Ahab said:

Just my "two bits", but bringing all the hidden components (like wiring and connections) up to current state-of-the-art standard seems like it could save all kinds of headaches for you down the road (and then there's the safety bonus, too).

I get it if authenticity is important to you, because it IS your build, but just my two cents (like you even wanted them).

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I mean, you know, OD; if I had a buck I'd give you THAT!

Ahab: I want to keep the Mite as historically accurate as possible, with the addition of some safety modifications. We will install retractable seat belts in the near future, per my wife's request. After all, the Mite belongs to her!

I'm letting Doc make a majority of the decisions regarding the restoration, especially regarding the details. I wholeheartedly trust him.

Doc sent me this update late last night.
I braved the gas tank today. I used my transmission jack to lower the tank. Good for a one man operation. The second photo is the tank being lowered after disconnecting the filler hose, breather hose and gas line. The tank lowered shows the gauge sender on the left side, breather vent on the right side and gas line output in the lower right. The black 5/8 line toward top of photo is the crossover line. I cut it to ease the tank out. All that took about an hour.

Last night's update part 2:

Now the hard part. Empty out about 6 gallons of gas. A little bit of sediment at the bottom of the tank. Probably hose decay (yuck, two fist fulls). The screws stripped on top breather and sender so some work to be done. I removed the gas line pickup screen. Screen not too bad but pipe may be a problem. Rust and rot.

ODFever said:

A little bit of sediment at the bottom of the tank. Probably hose decay (yuck, two fist fulls). Rust and rot.

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THAT is some nasty stuff.

I got an update from Doc about the carburetor. It has clogged passages in the metering circuits. The housing is pot metal. He'd have to drill out the plugs and find replacements. He's soaking it in solvent, and will use a wire to clean out the passages.

From Doc:

Glad that I took the tank down. What's wrong with this picture? No float.

ODFever said:

From Doc:

Glad that I took the tank down. What's wrong with this picture? No float.

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https://youtu.be/enCqDfQnXs4

Doc rewired the trailer plug.