Midget - what to look for?
Discussion
Why a late model? If you think that makes it more likely to be in good condition, think again.
Anyway if you are set on the latest models then you are talking 1500 and that means it comes with a Triumph Spitfire 1500 engine (albeit with slightly less power due, I expect, to the tiny exhaust on the Midget).
For the 1500 engine, MG afficionado's will be uncomplimentary as a rule. But its a good engine overall - doesn't like LOTS of long periods at high RPM but its a torquey unit overall so doesn't tend to need it anyway.
Watch for end float on the crankshaft - if you can see the pulley move perceptably when clutch is pressed (press it back first!) then it is a sign that thrust washer is worn. If its really noticeably its a sign that it might have dropped into the sump. If that's the case the clutch will likely feel a bit poor.
It's not always terrible - new thrusts are easy to fit - but I would be walking away with these symptoms and looking for something else.
On the non-Triumph bits I don't have a lot to offer but if you have questions on the Triumph engine shout.
Anyway if you are set on the latest models then you are talking 1500 and that means it comes with a Triumph Spitfire 1500 engine (albeit with slightly less power due, I expect, to the tiny exhaust on the Midget).
For the 1500 engine, MG afficionado's will be uncomplimentary as a rule. But its a good engine overall - doesn't like LOTS of long periods at high RPM but its a torquey unit overall so doesn't tend to need it anyway.
Watch for end float on the crankshaft - if you can see the pulley move perceptably when clutch is pressed (press it back first!) then it is a sign that thrust washer is worn. If its really noticeably its a sign that it might have dropped into the sump. If that's the case the clutch will likely feel a bit poor.
It's not always terrible - new thrusts are easy to fit - but I would be walking away with these symptoms and looking for something else.
On the non-Triumph bits I don't have a lot to offer but if you have questions on the Triumph engine shout.
Neonblau said:
I'm looking for a Midget for my daughter, it'll be a late model. What do I need to look for? I'm guessing rust is the main thing but where are the real weak spots/important bits?
Is your daughter intending to use it much? - if so, do her (and maybe yourself) a favour and buy her something safe, reliable, comfortable, practical and cheap - A Midget is none of these. Been through it with my daughter and a Merc SLK made more sense.Ask yourself the question, who is going to get underneath it and grease the suspension every 3-6 months? Is it you Dad? ;-)
Alternatively, if one of you is a maintenance nut or it's only going to venture out on sunny days for little jaunts then go for it, there will be lots to do and they are great fun.
bladerrw said:
Alternatively, if one of you is a maintenance nut or it's only going to venture out on sunny days for little jaunts then go for it, there will be lots to do and they are great fun.
This is it in a nutshell. It's a car for runs to the coast on fine days. She'll be at uni and the car will never see a motorway. As for maintenance with a couple of small Triumphs and an E30 another one won't make much difference.Spitfire2, appreciate the comments on the Triumph 1500, we've got a couple of 1300s in the stable already. The reason for the late model is she'll be insuring it on a standard policy and it needs to be post '70. I'd happily look at a MkIII but they just don't seem to come up for the right money.
Hi to the OP, I have one that has been restored and is about to be put up for sale, it is not concours but in lovely condition and I have had all the mechanicals tested and they are now as reliable as it can be.
I am away until Friday on holiday but you are more than welcome to come and have a look round.
I am away until Friday on holiday but you are more than welcome to come and have a look round.
Why all the negativity, Midgets are BRILLIANT! Thats why MkIIIs are pricy! Not that they are much better as a road car than the 1500s, but they are much prettier, and 1500s are not easy to convert to chrome ether. There are always a selection on e-bay, and probably represent one of the last classic bargains.
Rust is the obvious, and can be everywhere, poke round the spring hangers, and the chassis section through the rear wheelarch, all visible and easy to see. That is another beauty of Midgets, they are so minimal, nothing is hidden. Sills, along the narrow bottom ledge, Front wings where they meet the wheelarch, but all of this will be obvious. The 1500 engine can be inclined to get endy, or harsh when fully hot, after a long run, an oil cooler is a good thing to have, a lot are fitted with them. Midgets were mostly second cars, and there are still a lot of low mileage original very nice 1500s if you look, and the condition will be self evident.
Rust is the obvious, and can be everywhere, poke round the spring hangers, and the chassis section through the rear wheelarch, all visible and easy to see. That is another beauty of Midgets, they are so minimal, nothing is hidden. Sills, along the narrow bottom ledge, Front wings where they meet the wheelarch, but all of this will be obvious. The 1500 engine can be inclined to get endy, or harsh when fully hot, after a long run, an oil cooler is a good thing to have, a lot are fitted with them. Midgets were mostly second cars, and there are still a lot of low mileage original very nice 1500s if you look, and the condition will be self evident.
I have an MX5 and its boringly perfect if that makes sense! You just get in it and go, no issues whatsoever. So I've also brought a 1973 Midget, it's got bags of character and you can tinker with it to your hearts content, plenty of available spares and lots of people willing to help with advice. My Mrs prefers the MX5 but I prefer the MG. It all depends on what your daughter wants it for.
Hi,
They're a great little car. Simple and easy to work on. I would suggest that you look out for the 70-73 1275 instead of the 1500, the additional weight is surprising. Also the 1275s will be worth more in a few years than the rubber bumper ones.
Make sure the door gaps are even all the way up on both sides. If they're not this can indicate there is serious rust in the tub. open the doors and wiggle them to check for movement (could be rusty a frames) Check very carefully along the sill both inside and out. they tend to go underneath the floor pan. Check the rear bulkhead (theres two one internal one external - view from inside the car as well as underneath front and back), look were ever they join other metal. Make sure that there are reinforcing ribs in the floor pan. Check the rear spring hangers - mud and wet get caught in them and they can rust very quickly. Then look carefully through the Wheel arches following all the way to where the boot floor meets the rear apron - this is another rust area so check inside and out along the whole joint. Whilst your in the boot look carefully along the rear reinforcements they run from behind the seats towards the rear apron, a particularly bad spot is where they join the bulkhead behind the seats. look on the rear wing tops - the seams where they join the car (little ridge) can rust badly.
Moving to the front, Check under the front apron beneath the grill readily rusts (what doesn't!), and is prone to being curbed/dented. look behind that at the chassis rails, check they run in parallel and are rust free. check the wings throughly particularly around the lights and lower edges also where they meet the car inside and out. Check behind the wheels for any rust in there. Particularly on or around suspension mountings. Look at end of the footwell inside and out particularly the lower edge behind the toe plate and the upper surface under the bonnet. Look under the battery and around the heater very carefully. Then sheet all around the engine and gearbox. Look up to the A frame below where the windscreen mounts - look from under the bonnet and under the dash. Try to wobble the windscreen with the doors open (gently). Then look at the supports for the radiator look down to where they mount onto the chassis rails. follow the chassis rails all the way back to the tub - checking carefully for rust.
Poke everything with a screw driver and look out for filler - a magnet can help (be careful for iron filings in the filler). Look for repairs and their quality.
Mechanics - Take the steering wheel and move it up down left right in out, listen for clunks or excessive movement. Check from lock to lock it should be smooth with no grinding or hard spots. Look at the universal joints on the column check for play also in the ball joints and king pins. The front suspension needs to be well cared for and is worth checking throughly, check for any unwanted movement in the wishbone joints. look for leaking from the brakes and pad/disk wear. Look for top to bottom movement in the wheels. Check for oil leaking from the front of the differential. Try to feel for unwanted movement in the prop shaft. smell for fuel and check how solid the tanks is. look for any leakage from the rear drum breaks. back at the engine check for excessive oil leaks. Look at the carbs and linkages for excessive play. check oil level - if its low be weary. Check for water in the oil or oil in the water, look for rust in the water as well. Get the owner to start the car whilst you look at the exhaust, be wary of excessive black smoke. look to see if the owner leaves it to idle on choke for to long - not a good habit. Take the car for a good test drive. Try and find a big hill go down it with the car in second don't touch the throttle until your at the bottom of the hill then boot it and look for smoke behind you - if there is then you have worn bores or piston rings. Listen for knocks. Accelerate the car up and down (pulse) just with the throttle listen for knocks or clunks in the rear diff or gearbox. check that the box shifts into ratios smoothly, In each ratio accelerate hard then lift off, if there are any clunks or its thrown out of gear the syncros may be worn. Check all electrical systems the dark prince may be present (Lucas electrics).
This is not an exhaustive list so do be careful. Always remember that another one will come up if the one your looking at isn't right!
Good luck and all the best,
Jonathan.
EDIT: just realised how old this thread is! sorry.
They're a great little car. Simple and easy to work on. I would suggest that you look out for the 70-73 1275 instead of the 1500, the additional weight is surprising. Also the 1275s will be worth more in a few years than the rubber bumper ones.
Make sure the door gaps are even all the way up on both sides. If they're not this can indicate there is serious rust in the tub. open the doors and wiggle them to check for movement (could be rusty a frames) Check very carefully along the sill both inside and out. they tend to go underneath the floor pan. Check the rear bulkhead (theres two one internal one external - view from inside the car as well as underneath front and back), look were ever they join other metal. Make sure that there are reinforcing ribs in the floor pan. Check the rear spring hangers - mud and wet get caught in them and they can rust very quickly. Then look carefully through the Wheel arches following all the way to where the boot floor meets the rear apron - this is another rust area so check inside and out along the whole joint. Whilst your in the boot look carefully along the rear reinforcements they run from behind the seats towards the rear apron, a particularly bad spot is where they join the bulkhead behind the seats. look on the rear wing tops - the seams where they join the car (little ridge) can rust badly.
Moving to the front, Check under the front apron beneath the grill readily rusts (what doesn't!), and is prone to being curbed/dented. look behind that at the chassis rails, check they run in parallel and are rust free. check the wings throughly particularly around the lights and lower edges also where they meet the car inside and out. Check behind the wheels for any rust in there. Particularly on or around suspension mountings. Look at end of the footwell inside and out particularly the lower edge behind the toe plate and the upper surface under the bonnet. Look under the battery and around the heater very carefully. Then sheet all around the engine and gearbox. Look up to the A frame below where the windscreen mounts - look from under the bonnet and under the dash. Try to wobble the windscreen with the doors open (gently). Then look at the supports for the radiator look down to where they mount onto the chassis rails. follow the chassis rails all the way back to the tub - checking carefully for rust.
Poke everything with a screw driver and look out for filler - a magnet can help (be careful for iron filings in the filler). Look for repairs and their quality.
Mechanics - Take the steering wheel and move it up down left right in out, listen for clunks or excessive movement. Check from lock to lock it should be smooth with no grinding or hard spots. Look at the universal joints on the column check for play also in the ball joints and king pins. The front suspension needs to be well cared for and is worth checking throughly, check for any unwanted movement in the wishbone joints. look for leaking from the brakes and pad/disk wear. Look for top to bottom movement in the wheels. Check for oil leaking from the front of the differential. Try to feel for unwanted movement in the prop shaft. smell for fuel and check how solid the tanks is. look for any leakage from the rear drum breaks. back at the engine check for excessive oil leaks. Look at the carbs and linkages for excessive play. check oil level - if its low be weary. Check for water in the oil or oil in the water, look for rust in the water as well. Get the owner to start the car whilst you look at the exhaust, be wary of excessive black smoke. look to see if the owner leaves it to idle on choke for to long - not a good habit. Take the car for a good test drive. Try and find a big hill go down it with the car in second don't touch the throttle until your at the bottom of the hill then boot it and look for smoke behind you - if there is then you have worn bores or piston rings. Listen for knocks. Accelerate the car up and down (pulse) just with the throttle listen for knocks or clunks in the rear diff or gearbox. check that the box shifts into ratios smoothly, In each ratio accelerate hard then lift off, if there are any clunks or its thrown out of gear the syncros may be worn. Check all electrical systems the dark prince may be present (Lucas electrics).
This is not an exhaustive list so do be careful. Always remember that another one will come up if the one your looking at isn't right!
Good luck and all the best,
Jonathan.
EDIT: just realised how old this thread is! sorry.
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