1978 MG Midget Restoration/Rebuild/Project/ProbableMoneyPit
Discussion
Hello all,
I've been saying for a long time how I'd love to buy a "classic" to teach myself more mechanical skills and to weld on cars, but due to recent conversations and weekends with the right people I finally decided to seriously investigate how I could do it.
Allowing myself to dangerously type in "classic cars" on ebay to see what was local, the very first search result was a gorgeous little MG Midget less than 5 miles away. It seemed perfect - it was local, cheap and honestly advertised, but most importantly of all it needed work without being a complete wreck.
Upon arrival the car was better than I expected, it drove well, everything seemed to work and whilst the bodywork needed attention it wasn't a disaster.
So the next day breaking pretty much all car buying rules I managed to secure this...
Previous owner bought it to enter local trials competitions but is now going down the beetle route. The owner before that owned it for 14 years but sadly died in 2006, with it sitting in their garage since then.
Showing 8600 miles (v doubtful!), 4 owners, 1500cc, overdrive and a few rusty patches. The car came with a box full of spares, a full chrome bumper conversion kit (although will probably just take the bumpers off) and most importantly a roll bar!
Opinions, tips, ideas greatly appreciated as I have no been so un-prepared for a new car!
Can't wait to get started.
I've been saying for a long time how I'd love to buy a "classic" to teach myself more mechanical skills and to weld on cars, but due to recent conversations and weekends with the right people I finally decided to seriously investigate how I could do it.
Allowing myself to dangerously type in "classic cars" on ebay to see what was local, the very first search result was a gorgeous little MG Midget less than 5 miles away. It seemed perfect - it was local, cheap and honestly advertised, but most importantly of all it needed work without being a complete wreck.
Upon arrival the car was better than I expected, it drove well, everything seemed to work and whilst the bodywork needed attention it wasn't a disaster.
So the next day breaking pretty much all car buying rules I managed to secure this...
Previous owner bought it to enter local trials competitions but is now going down the beetle route. The owner before that owned it for 14 years but sadly died in 2006, with it sitting in their garage since then.
Showing 8600 miles (v doubtful!), 4 owners, 1500cc, overdrive and a few rusty patches. The car came with a box full of spares, a full chrome bumper conversion kit (although will probably just take the bumpers off) and most importantly a roll bar!
Opinions, tips, ideas greatly appreciated as I have no been so un-prepared for a new car!
Can't wait to get started.
Thanks for the kind words guys, the pictures do flatter it slightly as there are plenty of imperfections and i'm expecting rust - we will see. If the weather holds this weekend i'm planning on giving it a good clean up.
I need to investigate a lot of ideas I've got but I'm set on going no bumpers, just suites the look i'd like perfectly. This is not going to be a concourse nut and bolt resto anyway.
Being honest I paid £1200. This included a large selection of spares, a full chrome bumper conversion kit and a roll bar. I'd guess the car therefore owes me around £1000? There are cheaper ones out there but these seem in considerably worse condition than this one (hopefully..).
This is my first proper project so I didn't want a complete rust bucket, plus with it being so local and in a driveable state I didn't need to worry/pay to get it recovered.
Definitely buy one though!
I need to investigate a lot of ideas I've got but I'm set on going no bumpers, just suites the look i'd like perfectly. This is not going to be a concourse nut and bolt resto anyway.
Being honest I paid £1200. This included a large selection of spares, a full chrome bumper conversion kit and a roll bar. I'd guess the car therefore owes me around £1000? There are cheaper ones out there but these seem in considerably worse condition than this one (hopefully..).
This is my first proper project so I didn't want a complete rust bucket, plus with it being so local and in a driveable state I didn't need to worry/pay to get it recovered.
Definitely buy one though!
A big thanks to everybody kind enough to share pictures to remind everyone how tatty mine is, excellent!!
Managed a few bits on the car today, first I gave it a very much needed vacuum. Had a quick peep under a few carpets and the floor doesn't seem that bad, 1 small hole so far but i'm sure I can make a few more..
Next up was to strip the car of the rubber bumpers. Everyone says it but I cant believe how heavy these things are! Must be a good 20kg each? Personally I think it looks much better now anyway.
Lastly after a few under bonnet checks and tightens I tried to start it up. It burst into life fine but wouldn't idle unless I held it on the accelerator - not sure if its a case of its very damp, the fuel is stale or if I haven't got the choke right (this is my first car with carbs and a choke!). Happy its starting so well though.
One thing I did notice was it has an aftermarket oil cooler fitted. Is this a necessary mod?
Couples of photos (look how nice the weather has been) and one next to my daily drive.
Managed a few bits on the car today, first I gave it a very much needed vacuum. Had a quick peep under a few carpets and the floor doesn't seem that bad, 1 small hole so far but i'm sure I can make a few more..
Next up was to strip the car of the rubber bumpers. Everyone says it but I cant believe how heavy these things are! Must be a good 20kg each? Personally I think it looks much better now anyway.
Lastly after a few under bonnet checks and tightens I tried to start it up. It burst into life fine but wouldn't idle unless I held it on the accelerator - not sure if its a case of its very damp, the fuel is stale or if I haven't got the choke right (this is my first car with carbs and a choke!). Happy its starting so well though.
One thing I did notice was it has an aftermarket oil cooler fitted. Is this a necessary mod?
Couples of photos (look how nice the weather has been) and one next to my daily drive.
Hooli said:
Looks better than the one I run for none years.
Oil coolers are recommended by a lot of people as the 1500 is a three bearing lump & the bearings are a bit undersized for the power. Having said that I got mine when I was 21, drove it like a 21 year old in a sports car & it never had any engine problems without one.
It'd be interesting to see how they got the overdrive in as it doesn't fit in the Midget tunnel, so I was told by everyone anyway. I've heard the usual 'fix' is a bloody great hammer to adjust it out half inch or so.
Still miss mine, it was a brilliant little car. I only sold it as I discovered bikes & wasn't using it.
Thanks for the info, I'm learning all the time! The photos do flatter it a touch but its not a complete wreck (hopefully). I work in the Motorsport industry so having an oil cooler makes this car even cooler...Oil coolers are recommended by a lot of people as the 1500 is a three bearing lump & the bearings are a bit undersized for the power. Having said that I got mine when I was 21, drove it like a 21 year old in a sports car & it never had any engine problems without one.
It'd be interesting to see how they got the overdrive in as it doesn't fit in the Midget tunnel, so I was told by everyone anyway. I've heard the usual 'fix' is a bloody great hammer to adjust it out half inch or so.
Still miss mine, it was a brilliant little car. I only sold it as I discovered bikes & wasn't using it.
Once its tucked away i'll look into the overdrive some more, see how its done.
Will have a look into that anti roll bar mod, thanks. Suspension overhaul/conversion is on the cards for sure - brakes have to come first though as it may as well not have any right now...
No proper progress to report martin, I've been messed around big time with garage renting although as of today I'm hopeful I've found somewhere.
All I managed to do today was assemble the fleet... Not quite a millionaire collection but I'm only 23 so it'll do!
No proper progress to report martin, I've been messed around big time with garage renting although as of today I'm hopeful I've found somewhere.
All I managed to do today was assemble the fleet... Not quite a millionaire collection but I'm only 23 so it'll do!
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