British-Cars.org

Welcome to the DMR Site for British Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG Midget and Sprite General - Hard working midget

Hi there,on 26th of august, my wife Marie and I and our dog Gilbert are taking the ferry from Dublin to Holyhead wales and driving to Wellington Somerset (300 miles approx) staying for a week in brother in laws to be BARN! (conversion) driving beautiful countryside for the week, and taking the ferry from pembroke on the way back (200 miles approx)in seven years ownership of our 1962 mk1 midget still with its 948cc motor by far its most difficult task, wish us luck!!.Martin
M Cunningham

Martin you shouldn't need it (well not much anyway)

Full and proper regular servicing, maintainence and repairs plus regular driving will have the car in good order and you with the knowledge of how to drive the car to get the most fun out of it

if not done so for more than 3 years then give the car a full 36,000 mile service then drive it regularly for the next few weeks to check everything is fine
Nigel At

Cheers Nigel,all serviced up,carbs tuned,boot rack in place,hamlet cigars packed,dogs hair cut and brushed, READY!! M
M Cunningham

Martin

Should be fine if prepared as you are.
A '68 midget 'in the days of old' was my only car and thought little of driving distances.

If a problem occurs there are bbs members around who will help out where possible.
I'm in North Somerset and you are welcome to call if in need etc, have played with MG's since the 70's (or need to talk Midgets ! etc).

Post on the board or call 01275 872585 - you will be fine enjoy the drive and forget the worry !

R.
richard boobier

I used to commute weekends Sheffield-Southampton... these cars easily do the miles if looked after.

A
Anthony Cutler

Just drove mine 4,605 miles across America and back.
You will be fine! No worries!
Rick Bastedo

Rick, yours was also sporting a Nissan engine...David "just sayin" Lieb
David Lieb

If you're doing any club events and are also a member of the mgcc then enter the Midget Register Car of the Year - it's all good fun - and frightfully frustrating after all the mileage and competing to be beaten by 2 points ...!!!!

Have a great trip and hope the weather is lovely
rachmacb

Thanks a bunch for the support,ill post when we make it down,feel kinda guilty putting the little car through it!! the poor thing will be exausted!
Martin
M Cunningham

If one midget can go around the world and two can go to South Africa, and mine used to do 1500 miles a month for the NHS when I worked on the community team - then yours will manage a little trip ;)!

You'll be fine and it'll do her no end of good - stop worrying and enjoy yourself :)
rachmacb

>>Cheers Nigel,all serviced up,carbs tuned,boot rack in place,hamlet cigars packed,dogs hair cut and brushed, READY!! M<<

Martin that's great it only leaves your errors to upset your wife - loosing the keys and forgotten to bring the spares, letting the battery go flat and running out of petrol :)

I've let the battery go flat once but run out of petrol a few times so much so that I have to carry a spare gallon and get many verbal warnings as soon as the needle goes much below half :)
Nigel At

hey nigel, yep when i go around a bend in the midget the fuel gauge goes from half full to empty in an instant! ill never lock my key in a Mk 1 though....can you get scrumpy cider in somerset,the real stuff,the one with the crutons?? M
M Cunningham

oh and if anyone is selling a nice mk1 hardtop any where in that area or on route would be interested,would have to be able to fit it and drive away though. M
M Cunningham

Martin,
I was thinking of loosing the keys :)

thanks to the mighty advertising budget of that fizzy syrup Magners the English and Welsh cider are flourishing

you can get cloudy ciders or very clear and sparkling champagne looking ciders and everything in between

if you want real cider then nothing out of a bottle or keg tap (like a Guinness tap)

look for a proper manual traditional handpump like with real ales or a (usually plastic fake wood looking) tub with a plastic tap or even a cardboard box with a plastic tap (same as a wine box but bigger)

beware ciders start at 4.5% ABV but easily are much higher even the ones that look light

basic rule if you’ve seen it advertised don’t bother with it

and despite what Magners put proper pear cider is not cider it’s perry

http://www.ukcider.co.uk/wiki/index.php/Regional_Producers
Nigel At

its the real flat lumpy one i want! Ill sniff it out when im there,Magners or Bulmers as they call it here is not the real thing,ill try find the one not advertised! by the way got the horler book,real in depth nerd stuff.great one. M
M Cunningham

I'm not a cider drinker but my wife ran the mad and crazy busy Cider Bar at our county CAMRA Beer & Cider Festival, 38 different ciders and perrys plus English fruit wines (and 300 real ales)

I can't think of a lumpy cider but Westons Old Rosie is cloudy and Thatchers Cheddar Valley is luminous orange - http://www.thatcherscider.co.uk/product/the-cider/draught/thatchers-cheddar-valley-draught-cider.ashx

Here have a few cider links to prepare you and wet your whistle

http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=cider

http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=286458

http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=180502

http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=268917


like almost all of my car even the Original book isn’t original now – unless you want to pay £90 plus for it
Nigel At

well made it to somerset,picked up a mk1 reverse rake hardtop (i think its called) on the way and now in torquay,600 miles so far and the midget beating like a mouses heart.. M
M Cunningham

That sounds like it may be a Peamarsh top.
Does it look like this?
http://frogeye.smugmug.com/Mk1SpritesFrogeye/Mk1-Sprite-Period-Adverts/16347085_hb8Fh7#1228966597_ebYV5-A-LB
Gary & Gaps

and the cider?
Nigel At

hi gary and gaps,im on my mobile and cant open the pic till i get back to my computer later tonite,but it takes larger sidescreens which i now need to track down!il try upload a pic i took on my phone. And nigel,sheppys brewery is the local cider maker, was there yesterday and stocked up!a bewildering variety,il let you know the types later.thanks. M.
M Cunningham

hi again gary & gaps,no thats not it,i must have the name wrong,sorry,the rear glass is flat, and has no quaterlights,i was told it was a works hardtop that came off a midget mk1,needs restoring,and the standard sidescreens leave a gap about a couple of inches all along,so i need different screens that are seemingly near impossible to find,i cant get my phone to connect to the computer to upload the picture i took at the moment.ta. Martin




M Cunningham

HI again gary & gaps,here is a pic i took at a service station on the motorway,complete with clashing colour scheme! M

M Cunningham

That's not the one that I was thinking of. I was thinking of a Mk1 Sprite roof not a Mk1 Midget roof.
I have the reverse colour combination and it's 100% more ugly

Gary & Gaps

yep,sorry but that is ugly!! but so are the rolling stones and they are the greatest!! i had to do a bodge paint job in the colour beige on the top coz my wife was complaining about driving back to ireland with the dashing colours,gonna strip it anyway so doesnt matter,geez the 948cc is hard work on this trip,everybody else seems to be going light speed,even on the b roads...Martin
M Cunningham

Hi again. Nigel the contraband cider is,dabinett apple 7.2%,medium scrumpy 6%,organic 7%,falstaff 5.6%,somerset draft 5.5%,all from sheppys,the draught and the dabinett is nice and the medium scrumpy has little bits in it....V nice. M (SOORY,REALLY GETTING OFF THE MG THEME)
M Cunningham

Martin, 948cc - you've done really well with the car

and with the cider, I'll ask my wife as I rarely drink it as I find it goes straight to my head but you can enjoy it now you're home
Nigel At

not quite there yet nigel,back in wellington now,thought i was in southern spain with the weather in torquay today,not going back till friday,really enjoyed the trip so far,great people in somerset,and seen some nice classics,one was a 1930s austin arrow and a 60s lotus elan. M
M Cunningham

whoops sorry for cutting your holiday short

on the way to Pembroke Dock detour to the Cresselly Arms, creswell (Quay) for a proper old pub with jug service - http://www.heritagepubs.org.uk/pubs/regional-inventory-pubguide.asp?County=West+Wales&PubID=9096

or even better still if you have the time go up to the Pembrookeshire Coast National Park - near but not at Fishguard

visit, and step back in time, the fabulous Dyffryn Arms back of the village of Pontfaen and with the scenic Gwaun Valley

jug service and the best tasting Bass I've ever had which didn't even taste like Bass

- places like these will soon disappear, the pub has been with Bessie's family since it was built in 1845 - http://www.heritagepubs.org.uk/pubs/national-inventory-pubguide.asp?County=West+Wales&PubID=287

the road behind the pub take you to a lovely viewing point to overlook the coast and Dinas Head and will be a mini workout for the Midget

I'm just planning our visist to wales next week
Nigel At

thanks Nigel,ill put those places in the sat nav and if we have time check them out.M
M Cunningham

I'm sure you'll like them

the SatNav might get you to the village of Pontfaen but I doubt exactly to the pub - ask locals in village or look for river - the pub is not marked up

enjoy your holiday
Nigel At

Old Rosie and Black Rat are two of my favourates...

Start at about 6.5 Abv and increase in the barrel... BEWARE...!!!!

Have a safe trip..

Mark.
M T Boldry

MMM, Mt,nice names!and dangerous! brought back a case of Dabinett apple among others 7.2% WTF!!!!in the little midget. Hey Nigel,if your reading,sadly got nowhere near your recomended watering holes,left at 9.30 yesterday morn,and got to pembroke with 10 min to spare,at about 2.15pm, i wont drive the little thing over 4000rpm,so thats abt 43-45 mph! if i go to beaulieu on friday maybe.. Thanks for the info though,ill keep it in the file!!Martin
M Cunningham

This thread was discussed between 03/08/2011 and 04/09/2011

MG Midget and Sprite General index

This thread is from the archives. Join this live forum now