MG Midget - My First Classic

[Cambs_Stuart]

No the chrome conversion was done when I bought it 20 odd years ago.
The doors were rusted at the bottom, the carbs were shot and it had a few spectacular break downs.
But it remains the only car I've ever owned that girls asked for a ride in.
As one girl said: "anyone confident enough to drive something called a midget is probably not compensating for something".
I bought the car with the money I had saved by working two jobs at university, which I was planning to use to go travelling with my girlfriend. The girlfriend dumped me so I blew the cash on this car and had a great time getting greasy in the garage.

[Vdubbman]

I've read your post with interest and not a little nostalgia! I bought an Austin Healy Sprite in 1987, essentailly the same car, the same colour as yours but in a far worse condition. I'm not really a petrol head, so I had a garage put a Silver seal recon engine in and enjoyed it with my girlfriend for about 2 years before realising it was completely rotten. I didn't have the resources at the time to do a major overhaul, so I ended up selling it for a song to an enthusiast. Nice memories though.

[Mr2Mike]

Martin350 said:

I've just realised it's been five months since I updated this!

You are at exactly the right stage to repurpose the Triumph engine and gearbox as a boat parking brake and fit something a little more modern I hear a few people have used MX5 lumps.

[shalmaneser]

This project looks great! will be watching with interest.

I'm always astounded at the complexity of the front suspension of older cars - all those grease ports and castle nuts! I'd be tempted to knock up some rubber bushed wishbones to replace all that stuff but I guess that's part of the appeal of these older cars.

Is the front damper that cylindrical unit?

Best of luck with the build, looks like it's progressing nicely.

[Martin350]

Cambs_Stuart said:

But it remains the only car I've ever owned that girls asked for a ride in.

That reminds me of an evening many years ago when I had a modified Mk2 Escort and a mate's girlfriend asked me to take her for a drive in it.
I drove it quite enthusiastically, she said nothing, it was only when I stopped to let her out again I saw that she was crying!

(Just to add, if she'd asked me to slow down I would have).

Cambs_Stuart said:

As one girl said: "anyone confident enough to drive something called a midget is probably not compensating for something".

I'll report back on how many girls I pull in it, although my other half isn't interested in it in the slightest.

Vdubbman said:

I've read your post with interest and not a little nostalgia!

I know a lot of these cars were built but I've been really surprised at how many passers by have seen me tinkering in the garage and come over to look at the car and tell their stories of Midget / Sprite ownership, and I'm always happy to talk cars with anyone.

Mr2Mike said:

You are at exactly the right stage to repurpose the Triumph engine and gearbox as a boat parking brake and fit something a little more modern I hear a few people have used MX5 lumps.

Yes, I've seen a lot of converted cars online, even one with a Ford V8.
I have done a couple of engine conversions before so I do 'get it' and they can be great, but I want to keep this one to mostly original spec.

[Martin350]

shalmaneser said:

This project looks great! will be watching with interest.

I'm always astounded at the complexity of the front suspension of older cars - all those grease ports and castle nuts! I'd be tempted to knock up some rubber bushed wishbones to replace all that stuff but I guess that's part of the appeal of these older cars.

Is the front damper that cylindrical unit?

Best of luck with the build, looks like it's progressing nicely.

Thank you!

And yes, I've never had a car with so many grease points.
The front suspension is actually very simple in principle (and was ancient even in the 1970s), it just looks a bit fiddly.
It has lever arm dampers, so yes, it's the black thing on the inner end of the top suspension arm.

[Martin350]

Martin350 said:

The road spring still needs to be fitted, and there are a couple of methods. I'm going with the 'long bolt' method, but I need to source some long bolts before I can do that.
I'll explain the long bolt method with photos when I get to do it.

I had a couple of hours on it this evening, I'd sourced some long 4" x 5/16" bolts (not set screws, that's important), so the springs went in.

In case you don't know, and assuming you're interested, the spring cups bolt to the lower suspension arm from underneath and, obviously, take the spring tension.
There are other ways, but with no engine and gearbox in I can't rely on the weight of the car for much and I didn't want to use spring compressors on the powder coated springs.

That's where the long bolts come in.
Basically, the spring is compressed by winding up four long bolts and nuts until the spring cup meets the suspension arm then, one at a time, replace them with the standard bolts and nuts.

Here it is near the start of the process, and with only two bolts in, and yes, that is another grease point on the track rod end!



It took a surprisingly long time winding up all those bolts against the springs.

It didn't help that this is the sort of space I'm working in!



Still, it means that I just have to get another pair of hands to help me attach the steering column and adjust it to somewhere close and I can put it back on it's wheels and start getting prepared to fit the engine and gearbox.

Edited by Martin350 on Thursday 16th November 00:20

[e30m3Mark]

You're doing a really nice job on this. It'll be lovely, with the hood down, when those crisp, sunny spring mornings roll around.

Shame about the previous owner moving. Did he not leave a forwarding address with the new house owners? I bet he'd be made up to get your letter and hear how his Midget is doing.

[Martin350]

Thanks, still a LOT of work to be done.

I'm planning a refresh of the rear axle and brakes once the front end is back together.


I'm going to dig out the original ebay advert for the car, which I printed out, as it might have a contact number for the previous owner.
I don't know why I didn't think of that before!


Going off topic, your username intrigued me as I had an E30 BMW for quite a while, you might have seen my old 335i turbo before:



By the time that issue came out I had broken the car up for parts!

[Martin350]

Tonight I properly fitted the gearbox to the engine, and fitted the starter motor.

Spitfire2 said:

The FIRST bolt to refit and tighten when refitting engine is the bottom one on the drivers side of the bell housing. It's a different bolt from the rest - thicker shaft which is a tight fit through the backplate and bell housing. This dowel bolt combined with the pin at the top ensures perfect alignment (i.e. it will ensure you don't rip your clutch to bits in not many miles). Don't use a standard bolt or leave that one until last.

Many thanks for this Spitfire2, when I looked at them there wasn't the correct bolt in the ones that I removed, someone had clearly fitted a normal bell housing bolt at some point, but thanks to your post I bought the correct dowel bolt and nut and heeded your advice tightening that one first.

[Spitfire2]

Martin350 said:

Tonight I properly fitted the gearbox to the engine, and fitted the starter motor.

Spitfire2 said:

The FIRST bolt to refit and tighten when refitting engine is the bottom one on the drivers side of the bell housing. It's a different bolt from the rest - thicker shaft which is a tight fit through the backplate and bell housing. This dowel bolt combined with the pin at the top ensures perfect alignment (i.e. it will ensure you don't rip your clutch to bits in not many miles). Don't use a standard bolt or leave that one until last.

Many thanks for this Spitfire2, when I looked at them there wasn't the correct bolt in the ones that I removed, someone had clearly fitted a normal bell housing bolt at some point, but thanks to your post I bought the correct dowel bolt and nut and heeded your advice tightening that one first.

Good news. And well remembered.

[Martin350]

I can't believe it's been six months since I've done anything, well, very little.

The last few days have been quiet for me so got a few hours in.

I've refitted the left hand front wing, under-sealed inside the wheel arch, fitted the bonnet release cable, steering column, cowl and electrics, and the steering wheel.








Small steps, but I'll have a bit more time in the next few days, and I've set myself a mini-goal of getting the engine and gearbox back in by the end of the month...

Edited by Martin350 on Tuesday 15th May 23:15

Edited by Martin350 on Tuesday 15th May 23:16

[e30m3Mark]

Good to see some progress. When do you think you'll be out in it again?

[Martin350]

Thanks.

I've never been out in it, I bought it as a non-runner, it hasn't been driven for 22 years!

I don't really know when, it just depends how much time I can devote to it in the near future.
I'd like to get it running later this summer, that might be a bit ambitious, we'll see.
I intend to remove the rear axle and tidy that up once the engine is back in, as well as bolt on the manifolds, carbs, fuel and coolant hoses, radiator etc.

Looks like I'll try for the bank holiday weekend to get the engine in now.

This afternoon I had a much needed tidy up in the garage, then made up a new front to rear brake pipe.
I think I've said before how much I love making long brake pipes with a complicated shape!

Still, I'm glad that's now ticked off the list.

[LewG]

Cracking job, it looks super!

[Martin350]

Thank you!

It's all going to plan, for a change!

This week I cleaned and re-undersealed much of the floor, the right hand front inner wing, fitted the new front to rear brake pipe, unbolted the propshaft from the differential, pumped the front tyres up, fitted the wheels and showed it a bit of sunshine!







The reason I pushed it outside is because I wanted it turned around.
My drive is on a downward slope into the garage which will help slightly on monday with my planned 'mariage' as Porsche put it, when I hope to get the engine and gearbox in!

[Martin350]

Had a great day on the MG today!





Also note the new (to me) garage carpet.
It feels rather luxurious to lie underneath a car in there now!

Got a few bits connected up / fitted too, including engine and gearbox mounts, alternator, fan belt, fan, radiator and a couple of hoses, engine wiring, clutch hose, bonnet cable;





There's still plenty to do before it'll be running, though.

[e30m3Mark]

Excellent.

You're doing a cracking job there.

[LewG]

I really admire what a thorough job you're doing of literally everything, it's surely going to be one of the best Midgets in the country when it's done? Always fancied one for a bit of a laugh but never scratched the itch for some reason!

[mwstewart]

Great work.