MG Midget - My First Classic
Discussion
I've owned old cars in the past, but none that I would call a proper classic (they are now but at the time they were just old!).
I'd been thinking about getting an old car for a while now and kept half an eye on ebay and PH Classifieds to see what was around, mostly looking at MGs and Triumph Spitfires.
Early last week I stumbled across an ebay auction for a 1979 MG Midget.
Last saturday I did the 160 mile round trip and went and had a look at the car.
It had been laid up in a garage, on axle stands, for 21 years!
But, the bodywork, hood and interior have survived remarkably well.
On sunday I put in the winning bid, and last night went with an old acquaintance, who owns a flat bed truck, to pick it up. And by 10pm it was tucked away in the garage at home.
These are the only photos I've got so far, I'll get better ones this weekend.
I'm its third owner and it's done just 55,000 miles!
Less than 10,000 of those are on its replacement Gold Seal engine which was fitted in 1987.
I'm quite handy with the spanners, but my bodywork skills are severely lacking, so this car is ideal for me in that respect.
The clutch pedal is solid so the hydraulics or the clutch itself needs sorting and the brakes are, unsurprisingly, not very good.
And I'm sure I'll find plenty of other things to keep me busy.
All I have to do now is grow a beard, buy a few dodgy cardigans, start smoking a pipe and drink lots of real ale (I've got that one sorted alredy)!
I'll let you all know how I get on with it.
I'd been thinking about getting an old car for a while now and kept half an eye on ebay and PH Classifieds to see what was around, mostly looking at MGs and Triumph Spitfires.
Early last week I stumbled across an ebay auction for a 1979 MG Midget.
Last saturday I did the 160 mile round trip and went and had a look at the car.
It had been laid up in a garage, on axle stands, for 21 years!
But, the bodywork, hood and interior have survived remarkably well.
On sunday I put in the winning bid, and last night went with an old acquaintance, who owns a flat bed truck, to pick it up. And by 10pm it was tucked away in the garage at home.
These are the only photos I've got so far, I'll get better ones this weekend.
I'm its third owner and it's done just 55,000 miles!
Less than 10,000 of those are on its replacement Gold Seal engine which was fitted in 1987.
I'm quite handy with the spanners, but my bodywork skills are severely lacking, so this car is ideal for me in that respect.
The clutch pedal is solid so the hydraulics or the clutch itself needs sorting and the brakes are, unsurprisingly, not very good.
And I'm sure I'll find plenty of other things to keep me busy.
All I have to do now is grow a beard, buy a few dodgy cardigans, start smoking a pipe and drink lots of real ale (I've got that one sorted alredy)!
I'll let you all know how I get on with it.
Thanks, I'm chuffed to bits with it!
When I went to view it before bidding on it I took a friend who is a paint / bodywork professional.
He reckoned it might have had a rear wheel arch at some stage but the sills look original and underneath has been painted with underseal / stonechip type stuff in the 1980's or 90's and looks untouched.
My mate reckoned it has probably been repainted at some point but original colour.
It's a bit dusty from 21 years in a garage and the lovely old guy I bought it from said he didn't wash it before I came round because he didn't want it to get wet!
I'll probably fit some sort of electronic ignition, and it needs an exhaust, so there's a couple of potential upgrades there.
When I went to view it before bidding on it I took a friend who is a paint / bodywork professional.
He reckoned it might have had a rear wheel arch at some stage but the sills look original and underneath has been painted with underseal / stonechip type stuff in the 1980's or 90's and looks untouched.
My mate reckoned it has probably been repainted at some point but original colour.
It's a bit dusty from 21 years in a garage and the lovely old guy I bought it from said he didn't wash it before I came round because he didn't want it to get wet!
I'll probably fit some sort of electronic ignition, and it needs an exhaust, so there's a couple of potential upgrades there.
That won't be happening for a good while yet!
Yesterday evening was the first time I set about the car with spanners.
My first task was to investigate the non-moving clutch pedal.
The hydraulics checked out ok, so it's got a seized clutch, as I suspected.
So, at some point in the hopefully not too distant future, I'm going to pull the engine and gearbox out to sort that out, and no doubt I'll end up with a list of other jobs to do while it's apart.
The exhaust rear silencer is corroded and split where the tail pipe comes out so I removed the whole exhaust system with the hangers / rubbers, most of which fell apart upon removal and will be replaced.
I'm thinking about a stainless steel single box system, but that can wait until nearer the time it's needed.
Yesterday evening was the first time I set about the car with spanners.
My first task was to investigate the non-moving clutch pedal.
The hydraulics checked out ok, so it's got a seized clutch, as I suspected.
So, at some point in the hopefully not too distant future, I'm going to pull the engine and gearbox out to sort that out, and no doubt I'll end up with a list of other jobs to do while it's apart.
The exhaust rear silencer is corroded and split where the tail pipe comes out so I removed the whole exhaust system with the hangers / rubbers, most of which fell apart upon removal and will be replaced.
I'm thinking about a stainless steel single box system, but that can wait until nearer the time it's needed.
Yes, you should! 
I've had a few hours spare this week so I've got on getting the engine ready for removal.
All the engine electrics (three wires and one multi plug) are disconnected, starter and alternator off, manifolds and carbs off, radiator and fan out etc.
All that needs removing now are a few bell housing bolts, engine mounts and the bonnet, then I can pull the engine out.
I've had a few hours spare this week so I've got on getting the engine ready for removal.
All the engine electrics (three wires and one multi plug) are disconnected, starter and alternator off, manifolds and carbs off, radiator and fan out etc.
All that needs removing now are a few bell housing bolts, engine mounts and the bonnet, then I can pull the engine out.
It's been six weeks since I posted but thought I'd give a quick update.
Work has mostly been in the engine bay giving it a bit of a tidy up.
Before;
Still work in progress;
Master cylinder bracket repainted and new cylinders ready to go back in;
The cylinder head is off, bores look good, still with the honing marks and no scoring or wear ridge;
I've done a few small things that I think will add up to a big difference, like spending just twenty minutes or so scrubbing the windscreen washer bottle;
Still loads to do, of course, but I'm quite enjoying it.
Work has mostly been in the engine bay giving it a bit of a tidy up.
Before;
Still work in progress;
Master cylinder bracket repainted and new cylinders ready to go back in;
The cylinder head is off, bores look good, still with the honing marks and no scoring or wear ridge;
I've done a few small things that I think will add up to a big difference, like spending just twenty minutes or so scrubbing the windscreen washer bottle;
Still loads to do, of course, but I'm quite enjoying it.
Edited by Martin350 on Tuesday 13th September 11:55
Another quick update.
I've still mostly been removing and cleaning / painting bits and pieces from the engine bay.
Here are some of them:
Heater valve;
Coolant tank - it seems these are no longer available.
I filled it with cola and used a toothbrush to get at the grime inside it, heating the toothbrush with a lighter and bending it to get the right angle to get at various areas inside.
A good scrub and T-Cut for the outside.
Alternator cleaned up quite easily;
Wiper motor - Ford Capri Stratos Silver, as I had a can in the garage from about 15 years ago!
The bracket is chrome paint, for a little contrast;
The Gold Seal engine is coming along;
Heater box - repainted, new decals, stainless self tapping screws, new grommets and clips;
Steering column and dashboard are also out for refurbishment / paint;
I'm looking forward to getting the engine bay finished so I can start putting everything back in, the garage looks like utter chaos at the moment!
I've still mostly been removing and cleaning / painting bits and pieces from the engine bay.
Here are some of them:
Heater valve;
Coolant tank - it seems these are no longer available.
I filled it with cola and used a toothbrush to get at the grime inside it, heating the toothbrush with a lighter and bending it to get the right angle to get at various areas inside.
A good scrub and T-Cut for the outside.
Alternator cleaned up quite easily;
Wiper motor - Ford Capri Stratos Silver, as I had a can in the garage from about 15 years ago!
The bracket is chrome paint, for a little contrast;
The Gold Seal engine is coming along;
Heater box - repainted, new decals, stainless self tapping screws, new grommets and clips;
Steering column and dashboard are also out for refurbishment / paint;
I'm looking forward to getting the engine bay finished so I can start putting everything back in, the garage looks like utter chaos at the moment!
Thanks!
This is not a concours build, nowhere near in fact, as I don't have the time, room, money, skill or inclination for that.
And I actually want to drive it! Well, I think I do, I might hate it for all I know!
But I am hoping to end up with a very presentable car at the end of this, hopefully for spring or summer next year.
I'm hoping that all the little details, no matter how small, will add up to a big difference.
This is not a concours build, nowhere near in fact, as I don't have the time, room, money, skill or inclination for that.
And I actually want to drive it! Well, I think I do, I might hate it for all I know!
But I am hoping to end up with a very presentable car at the end of this, hopefully for spring or summer next year.
I'm hoping that all the little details, no matter how small, will add up to a big difference.
Haha, I know!
Imagine taking the dashboard and steering column out of a modern car, and how many days that would take!!
I got that lot out of this car in about an hour and twenty minutes!
And thanks, I'll try!
The most difficult part for me at the moment is that for what I want to do I need to take more parts off first, particularly the gearbox, but the crappy little garage I have is crammed full of stuff already, and I've got boxes of parts inside the house. So my biggest problem isn't the spanner work it's the logistics of it.
I haven't really thought this all through at all!
Imagine taking the dashboard and steering column out of a modern car, and how many days that would take!!
I got that lot out of this car in about an hour and twenty minutes!
And thanks, I'll try!
The most difficult part for me at the moment is that for what I want to do I need to take more parts off first, particularly the gearbox, but the crappy little garage I have is crammed full of stuff already, and I've got boxes of parts inside the house. So my biggest problem isn't the spanner work it's the logistics of it.
I haven't really thought this all through at all!
Spitfire2 said:
A few things......
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.
The MG guys have a bit of a downer on the 1500 because its a Spitfire engine. It's nowhere near as fragile as often stated provided you keep good oil in it (Valvoline VR-1 20W50 or Penrite 20W60 would be my recommendations). Good cooling is important - I don't know how the cooling is on the Midget compared with the Spitfire but on the Spitfire the usual advice would be to fit a bigger radiator first, oil cooler 2nd (I don't have an oil cooler but I have a wide radiator and my engine has stood up to a lot of hard driving over the years).
Thanks for that info, very useful!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.
The MG guys have a bit of a downer on the 1500 because its a Spitfire engine. It's nowhere near as fragile as often stated provided you keep good oil in it (Valvoline VR-1 20W50 or Penrite 20W60 would be my recommendations). Good cooling is important - I don't know how the cooling is on the Midget compared with the Spitfire but on the Spitfire the usual advice would be to fit a bigger radiator first, oil cooler 2nd (I don't have an oil cooler but I have a wide radiator and my engine has stood up to a lot of hard driving over the years).
I don't suppose anyone can identify the underseal that has been brushed on to the inner arches and floor..?
I want to go over a few bits of it and would like to use the same or very similar stuff, if possible.
Here it is, thanks!
Last week and this week has mostly been removing the dinky little gearbox and tidying up the transmission tunnel.
I'm only using rattle cans, but it's still a big improvement on how it was before;
The dinky little gearbox;
The oily, dirty, chipped and scratched tunnel;
It took ages to mask everything ready for new spray-on seam sealer;
Then I coloured it in (not finished off just yet);
A tip for anyone painting stuff in a cold garage, especially this time of year, and in case you don't already know;
Warm up the panel you're about to paint with a heat gun or similar before applying the paint.
Otherwise, the solvents don't work properly and you'll be left with a dull and milky coloured finish.
Don't ask me how I found that out!
I'm only using rattle cans, but it's still a big improvement on how it was before;
The dinky little gearbox;
The oily, dirty, chipped and scratched tunnel;
It took ages to mask everything ready for new spray-on seam sealer;
Then I coloured it in (not finished off just yet);
A tip for anyone painting stuff in a cold garage, especially this time of year, and in case you don't already know;
Warm up the panel you're about to paint with a heat gun or similar before applying the paint.
Otherwise, the solvents don't work properly and you'll be left with a dull and milky coloured finish.
Don't ask me how I found that out!
Engine is just about done;
Thanks to a mate of a mate's brother the dashboard has been dipped to strip the paint ready for a fresh coat (still some more prep. to do);
And I've removed the gearbox bell housing and clutch release mechanism ready for a light tidy up of the gearbox, mostly cosmetics.
Thanks to a mate of a mate's brother the dashboard has been dipped to strip the paint ready for a fresh coat (still some more prep. to do);
And I've removed the gearbox bell housing and clutch release mechanism ready for a light tidy up of the gearbox, mostly cosmetics.
Another update, although progress is still a little slow for my liking;
Gearbox cleaned, painted and with new gaskets, oil seals and mountings;
The release arm has been refreshed with new bushes, pins, rods and release bearing;
Steering wheel cleaned and polished (it's not really as shiney as the camera flash makes it look);
How the car looked a few days ago;
More cleaning and repainting in the engine bay;
I'm hoping to finish off the engine bay prep. in the next week or so and start putting things back in there...
Gearbox cleaned, painted and with new gaskets, oil seals and mountings;
The release arm has been refreshed with new bushes, pins, rods and release bearing;
Steering wheel cleaned and polished (it's not really as shiney as the camera flash makes it look);
How the car looked a few days ago;
More cleaning and repainting in the engine bay;
I'm hoping to finish off the engine bay prep. in the next week or so and start putting things back in there...
It's taking longer than I hoped, as usual, but I've made a little bit of progress;
I went over the paint with a medium scotch pad and some 1000 grit wet & dry and lacquered it.
Which involved a lot more masking;
Then I went over the lacquer with a scotch pad / compound, and removed that pesky brake pipe which goes to a T-piece at the rear, which was a bit of a faff to get undone.
I will be making a new pipe, which I why I never masked it and it turned orange!
This section of inner wing gave me a right headache, all my fault though.
I got a few big runs, more like a tsunami really, putting the orange on, then when that was sorted I stuffed up the lacquer too.
It ended up going mostly down to bare metal for a large section and starting again.
Finally got it to an acceptable (not that it's brilliant) level.
There is still work to do in the engine bay but I've finally started putting a few bits back in, which is a good feeling.
The photos of the paintwork are quite flattering, but as I've only used rattle cans in a cramped, cluttered, cold, damp single garage I am a little bit pleased with the results.
I went over the paint with a medium scotch pad and some 1000 grit wet & dry and lacquered it.
Which involved a lot more masking;
Then I went over the lacquer with a scotch pad / compound, and removed that pesky brake pipe which goes to a T-piece at the rear, which was a bit of a faff to get undone.
I will be making a new pipe, which I why I never masked it and it turned orange!
This section of inner wing gave me a right headache, all my fault though.
I got a few big runs, more like a tsunami really, putting the orange on, then when that was sorted I stuffed up the lacquer too.
It ended up going mostly down to bare metal for a large section and starting again.
Finally got it to an acceptable (not that it's brilliant) level.
There is still work to do in the engine bay but I've finally started putting a few bits back in, which is a good feeling.
The photos of the paintwork are quite flattering, but as I've only used rattle cans in a cramped, cluttered, cold, damp single garage I am a little bit pleased with the results.
Edited by Martin350 on Friday 3rd February 01:51
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