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MG Midget and Sprite General - New Member - Hello!

Hi everyone,

After leaving uni about 18 months ago and getting a boring, grown-up desk job I decided I needed something to get my hands dirty on during the evenings/weekends. I had always fancied restoring an MG (either a Midget or a B). So last August I bought a 1976 Midget for the princely sum of £300!

As is customary for such things, I bought the first one I looked at, and since stripping it I have realised it is the car that everyone else would have walked away from. It's a complete rust bucket. Oh well, that makes it more of a challenge! (Also, there aren't many Midgets to choose from in the North of Scotland).

I just joined and wanted to introduce myself, I have kept up with the goings on on the forum for a while as it passes the time at work!

Malcolm

P.S. This is what I did at uni...

http://www.engineering.lancs.ac.uk/lancaster_racing/

The green car at the top of the homepage is the car I built! :-)
M Le Chevalier

Hi Malcolm and welcome. If you can build that little racer, you should have no bother restoring your rusty Midget. It is agricultural technology compared with what you have already done. I am rebuilding a 1966 Midget at the moment, but I have a new shell which makes it a lot easier.

There are MG enthusiasts in Scotland, although the majority are in the central belt as you might expect. I am the secretary of the Caledonian Centre of the MG Car Club, which covers the whole of Scotland. We organise events which run throughout the year. See http://www.mgcaledonian.com. We don't have too many young members - most of us are older but still young at heart. I am glad there are some younger folk who want to have old MGs, otherwise there will be an awful lot of cars scrapped in the next thirty years as we die off! We will be up in the Aberdeen area in September for a weekend run, staying at the Ardoe House Hotel near Maryculter.

Then in 2013 we are hosting the MG European Event of the Year at the Aviemore complex. This is a 5-day event and should attract around 300 MGs from all over Europe. Make sure your car is ready to join in. See here http://www.mgeuropeanevent2013.com/

If you would like to see what we do, email your address to me at mgcalsecATgmail.com and I will post you information.
Mike Howlett

Welcome Malcolm

How great to live where you do, Spridget heaven

Keep coming back to us with tales of pregress and if necessary calls for help

We all try to help when such calls come in and I am confident that you will do well and can join in with us all

Remnember that whatever you know now will be added to as time goes on and soon you will be answering cries for help too

This is a great community, we don't always agree with each other but we all seem to have the same ideals

Like I said

Welcome, it's good to meet you
Bill 1

Welcome!

with your background i guess it is not going to be a std rebuild ;)
Onno Könemann

Mike, late winter 2012/spring 2013 was my current estimate for finishing the project so I will make the 2013 Europe gathering my aim.

Bill, thanks for the welcome!

Onno, unfortunatly it will be fairly standard as it is the cheaper option! Also I dont have the universites money, tools, workshops and technicians to call upon to help on this project!

See attached for a picture of the car a couple of weeks ago. I have loads of pics and hope to put together a website in due course.

M Le Chevalier

A go-kart, vary nice... 3.5 hp Briggs and stratton???

LOL... sorry just kidding... its a Nice piece of work, you know what would make that little pocket rocket really get up and go.... one of those little torquy BUSA motorcycle engines... you should see if you can make that thing road legal ,,, I bet something like that would sell. call it a....

The poor mans F1... the most dangerous car you will ever drive...except for a complete rusted out 76 Mg midget...LOL

screw safty... Im so over it and its SO overdone these days, lets live a little for a change.... It wasnt all THAT long ago we actually drove horses and bovines for A to B transportation... and how safe was that? My personal experiance... not vary!


Prop
Prop

Wow, I feel officially inducted now that the infamous Prop has posted on one of my threads! The 'go-kart' was actually running a 600 cc Honda CBR engine with about 90hp and weigh little over 200 kg. Unfortunatly when I left uni I couldn't take it with me and it has since been dismantled. Shame :-(

Malcolm
M Le Chevalier

It looks like most of the work has already been done for a ford type 9, 5 speed, but loooking at the front chassis rail.. it looks like there is a small amount of twist... the right side looks a little lower then the UK drivers side... by the way.... on that chassis rail... its supposed to have that upward rake... there not supposed to be level, commom mistake for those NOT in the know doing this level of restroation
Prop

>>>>>Unfortunatly when I left uni I couldn't take it with me and it has since been dismantled. Shame :-(<<<<<

OMG... there is something seriouly wrong in the universe, whoever made that bone head decision needs to be taken out and horse whipped, What a travisty!!

But I guess thats why its called education.
Prop

I am aware the front rails were designed to be 'bent'. I am fairly certain the car has had a bit of a nudge on the front (UK) passanger corner but I think the suspension geometry is still OK, it is just the rail forward of the mounts has suffered.

Also it probably looks on the cock due to the way it is supported on the stands, jacks etc.

Malcolm
M Le Chevalier

Good grief Malcolm, you have some work to do! I rebuilt an MGB GT that was in similar condition to your car. It took me 6 years! Starting with a Heritage shell does make life easier.
Mike Howlett

Malcolm,

Welcome to "The Club". I know that as soon as you get your Midget going you'll really enjoy it and during the rebuilding process you'll learn things that only the school of experience can teach. But it looks like you have a good background to start with.

As for not having the uni tools, one thing that many on this board will agree upon is when you buy your own, buy the best that you can afford. They will last longer and work better. And owning one of these cars is a never ending project. I've only had my Sprite for 39 years and it still needs some work.

Martin
Martin Washington

M Le Chevalier,

One of our members just placed his car up for sale...I think the 2 of you can work something out, for what this car is going to cost to fully restore.. buying MGdan2 car is an extremely inexpensive alternitive, saving you 1000s of $$$$...look at his thread...My 1970 MG Midget is up for sale

you could easly part out your current project
Prop

Hi Malcolm welcome to the board - have a great car rebuild.

Prop - as you of all people know - that's NOT the point! The point is to have the grim satisfaction of no fingers but a running car!
rachmacb

hi Malcolm, welcome to Midget Heaven.
Lots of very knowledgeable folk here all to willing to answer questions [more than once!]. You've got your hands full! Keep at it. NOTHING beats that first fire-up nor that first drive down the road without a bonnet!

David Cox

Yes, this is a project and it is going to get fixed! I know people will tell me it is (possibly) cheaper and (deffinatly) easier to get a good shell but that isn't the point. I take is much, maybe more pleasure in the practical work and fixing things than I do actually using them for their intended purpose! Thats why I bought a Rover as a 'sensible' car! ;-)

I think its something to do with being young and stupid.

Malcolm
M Le Chevalier

<<I think its something to do with being young and stupid.>>

I was both once....still am after 36 years of Midget ownership!
David Cox

Hi Malcolm,

Im a relative newby to this forum as well and having owned my midget for 6 years, i wish i'd come here sooner! There aren't too many of us young folk driving MG's these days and its particularly good to see another young person in the NE! Im 25 and have had various strange reactions to my owning a classic car. I also did the same as you when i bought my first MG, it was a total rust bucket and in the end i managed to find a totally solid shell on eBay for £250, it was in a garage in Buckie of all places! I managed to stick the 1500 running gear that i had into the new 1275 shell and haven't looked back since.

Anyhoo, welcome!
Jamie Watt

"and getting a boring, grown-up desk job"

Isnt that why they invented p*rn on the internet? :)





Anyway, welcome on here Malcom.


Btw. Rachel will probably very soon suggest that while you have the midget in this state its probably easier and cheaper to rebuild it bumperless.
She always babbles on about stuff like less weight=more-speed, makes car look better, only then being a cool kid and more of that stuff...

She might have a point tho! ;)
Arie de Best

LOL Arie - just you wait and see .... or better still - take me up on the Autosolo challenge .....!!!!


but you aren't seeing THAT much ...!
rachmacb

Now Jamie there are pelnty of us young classic owners here!

I'm only 27
on my second midget (first was a false start but fun)
got my girl in to a GT
now even bought a pre-war mg project

Arie for example is only 12 (mental age)
And if you see what he has done to his midget!
The only thing missing from that are the Bond style roling numberplates ;P

plenty of younger (or mentaly young) around here
Onno Könemann

<< Rachel will probably very soon suggest that while you have the midget in this state its probably easier and cheaper to rebuild it bumperless. >>

The god awful bumpers were the first thing to go in the bin! :-)
M Le Chevalier

Welcome mate just hope you don't paint it black with a flashy light on the front LOL

Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

Onno - 27 is old in my eyes... :)

Bumpers should definitely be binned, expecially on 1500s!
Jamie Watt

Just wait 2 years ;p
Onno Könemann

Haha, i think my opinion will shift along 2 years with me....ancient 29 year olds....
Jamie Watt

Onno - you are now so old that you'll have to start driving the BGT :P!!!!

As for the rest of the comments - I guess that boys just don't have any imagination ...... ;)!
rachmacb

Welcome Malcolm, you will find these guys on the forum, the best, they do waffle on a bit sometimes but great fun, they will help with anything from solving the world debt problem, global warming, the middle east crisis, oh! and anything to do with Midgets lol.
They have helped me a great deal over the year with my midget, good luck you have a big job there, but looks like you have lots of skills, it's the MG show at Stoneleigh nr. Wawrick this sunday good place to get some secondhand bits, all the best.

cheers Jack.
J Torrance

Thanks again for all the welcomes and things. I have ordered the first batch of new panels for rebuilding the front end. The car did come with some panels such as both floor pans.

On the subject of age, I am 23 so you are all pretty old compared to me! :-p

Tell me, is there anywhere for just members to chat rather than hijacking a thread such as this?

All the best,
Malcolm Le Midget
M Le Chevalier

nop this is it ;)

Here we can discuss all or Arie's sheep habits Prop's need to modify rather than drive and all other strange spridget owner habits.

23 great age I bough my house then (still not finished) and a few months after that my first midget!
Onno Könemann

Threads are only on here for the sole purpose of hijacking - 'sides which, it's YOUR thread - so you can't actually hijack your own thread ...!!!!!
rachmacb

"Arie for example is only 12 (mental age)"
Onno, thank you mate, you are actualy the first to think my mental age is over ten :)



"awful bumpers were the first thing to go in the bin! :-)"
Malcom, good to hear your a man of very fine taste.


And no, as Onno already said, any thread is open for hijacking.
If there was no thread-hijacking this bbs would be boring, probably very usefull and efficient but soooo boring. :)





Arie de Best

If there was no thread-hijacking this bbs would be boring, probably very usefull and efficient but soooo boring. :)

Mr Thread-Hijack himself sums it up so well - Arie can't see a thread without hijacking it - and, sometimes it's even vaguelly funny - even if he has got no taste at all!!! ;)
rachmacb

Me thread hijacking?
How dare you!



"even if he has got no taste at all!!! ;)"
Rach, its you who doesnt like Girls Aloud, I do and not paticulaire for there singing. ;)



ehh, sorry I kinda forgot what this thread was about, does anybody still know? :)
Arie de Best

"awful bumpers were the first thing to go in the bin! :-)"

I have to disagree, You have to have bumpers or the wicker picnick basket strapped to the luggage rack will just look silly...LOL

23 years old, GEZ... I still have tiddy whitty briefs purchased 3 years before you were just a gleem in you fathers eye
Prop

Lol Arie - if, perhaps I was a man, then I could have, ahem appreciated their, ahem, singing!

Picnic baskets are just for As - I keep telling you that Prop :p

Anyone gonna tell the poor newbie that all threads end up on picnic baskets ...!?!?!?
rachmacb

no worries prop, the most expensive and structurally sound part of the car when I bought it was the luggage rack.

The thought of going for summer drives with the roof down and the picnic basket is the only thing about the project that my girlfriend thinks is a good idea.
M Le Chevalier

And there - he loses any "cool factor"!!!
rachmacb

No no no
No lugage racks!
Onno Könemann

what is the issue with luggage racks?! I will need some way to carry the 12 pairs of shoes and all the changes of clothes the girlf seems to think she requires for weekends away!

And as previously stated, my rack is a fully stressed structural member increasing the torsinal rigidity of the rear chassis section.
M Le Chevalier

make sure one of those twelve pairs is good for wearing when she's pushing the Midget
David Cox

I think my Girl friend trumps all with the total amount of shoes having worked in a shoe shop for 5 years(and being her own best customer)
Just let here drive it and she will be turned.
Mine now only brings 2 pair and some flipflops
Onno Könemann

This thread was discussed between 16/02/2011 and 18/02/2011

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