Now that the rain has finally stopped, I'm able to get some work done on the 20R Sprite Hell Project. The steering wheel problem is solved, but what about the wiring?
It's time to head on out to my local self-service junkyard for its monthly Half Price Sale. That's right, everything is 50% off! There won't be a single Prince Of Darkness component left in the electrical system when I'm done, so it goes without saying that I'm keeping Lucas fuseboxes as far as possible from my Sprite. What this car needs is the fusebox from the most reliable vehicle ever made: an 80s Toyota truck.
It's hard to find such trucks in your typical self-service yard, and those that do show up get stripped down to unidentifiable shells withing minutes of hitting the yard. These days, though, the economy is so rough that even Toyota trucks are showing up in the auto graveyards; I found three of them yesterday. This '80 yielded just the right compact-size fusebox for my needs.
Also on my shopping list was an electronic 20R distributor, because my Sprite's engine came with a points distributor, no doubt installed in order to give the car resistance to EMP overloads in the event of nuclear war. I figure I'll have bigger problems than a dead car if the MIRVs start dropping, and I vowed many years ago that I'd never adjust points again; got to be electronic. The 20R in the fusebox-donor car had already given up its distributor, but this Corona's engine was still intact.
I grabbed the igniter module while I was there; I'll use it with the coil I've already got in the car.
Now that I know the E30 BMW 325 is such a good source for cheap rear-battery setup, I figured I might as well put the battery in the Sprite's trunk. Here's a likely candidate!
Sure enough, the battery cable was intact and ready for easy removal. I'll have about 6 feet left over for other projects, once I've relocated the Austin-Healey's battery. I grabbed the negative cable while I was there, since I don't want to use the one Joe Lucas put under the Sprite's bonnet.
Total price (less core charges): well under 40 bucks. Not a bad haul!