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MG Midget and Sprite General - Noob to the site, not to MG

Hello all,

New ot the site and thought I would share my barn find 1966 rust free mk 2. I am the second owner and I am 26, I have the original title as well. I drive it every day and currently has 45K on the odomiter, I have installed a new regualtor and generator and purchased a new top, also converted to negative earth. I added an aftermarket sway bar for better handling, I plan on keeping it original, so no resto for now. It still has the original inspection and registration stickers from the last time it was on the road in 1977.

Thanks for lookin

Jesse

JS Jesse

Very nice, a great find ....and eerie cool

Im such a fan on the fat bumpers...

26 wow, do your friends think your cool for driving such a unique car...or an odd ball cause it has no computer ports to plug into

So how did you find such a rarity...esp hidden in a barn

Welcome aboard

Prop
Prop

Welcome Jesse
Good choice!
The mkII is the best midget around!
There are a few youngsters around here ( I am 28 now and 24 when I bought my first midget)
And since then the virus has spread totaling in a 3 MG household now.

I like your idea of maintaining rather than restoring but make sure you prevent any rust from forming (waxoil and underseal are a must for every day cars)
Have fun
Onno K

Welcome Jesse,

I'm one of said youngsters (sweet and innocent 24 years of age!) and I'm doing a huge resto of a '76 car. May I wish you many happy miles of motoring!

Malcolm
Malcolm Le Chevalier

All of the cars I have owned except one have not had fuel injection. I like older cars, alot easier to fix, I am a mechanic by trade and the less headaches the better. My friend is a land assesor and saw it in an elderly womans barn who was planning to sell the property, I got the midget before the sale took place thanks to my friend. I love the gas mileage, I am getting about 30mpg now. Gets alot of compliments on its original state, it is a different car with the top up but it is cold out. I am in Richmond VA and sometimes wish I was in Arizona, top down all the time and no snow!

Thanks for the welcome!

Jesse
JS Jesse

Sweet car!

I'm amazed - all these youngsters! Someone told me that I shouldn't buy my Midget because I didn't have a grey beard, smoke a pipe, or smell faintly of mildew. It's been nice finding out that not many Midget owners possess more than one of the above characteristics...

Not that I have the slightest problem with grey beards, pipes or mildew...she says...swiftly...
Ally

To the OP: Nice car - glad you found it and are using it!

To Ally:
I do not smoke, pipe or anything else (except perhaps some Salmon from time to time). I believe I am mostly mildew free...

My beard is transitioning directly from red to white. I let it get big and bushy in the winter then trim it sometime in the late spring.

Funny story:
While out at lunch recently and standing in the queue with a friend from work there was a young mother ahead with her son. The boy looked to be about 3 or 4 years old. I had been standing there for a while when I heard him excitedly tell his mother in a hushed voice (while pointing at me): "Look mommy, it's Santa Claus"

My friend just smiled and with a note of admiration in his voice said: "Dude"

I suppose it had to happen sometime.

Rick Bastedo

I bought my first Midget when I was 18 - younger than most, probably. My second when I was 19. And my third when I was 22. That was in 1977.

Age is very transient.

Tne most important thing is to be taxed, insured, and full of fuel ready for the next adventure. Not just for cars.

A

Anthony Cutler

My son is hoping to have the Midget as his first car - but I think there may be a problem. I don't want to give it to him...

Rick - I think it would be great to be mistaken for Father Christmas! Not personally - for obvious reasons...but if you're a guy with a beard, better FC than the Gruffalo, which is what my grandad looked like!
Ally

Hi and well done
Nigel Atkins

welcome to the site Jesse, I'm still 24 inside. You'll find a friendly lot here as long as you don't suggest not driving your Midget in the winter. Lots of advice and support. Nice car!
P Ottewell

I dont have a winter option, I have to drive it this winter, I am paranoid about rust though so a crevice washing after any snow is a must. I may have the car Ziebarted (rust protecting company) it really works.

I am adding things to the car soon such as a period correct stereo but ALL add ons will be removable and non permanent. Would love to find a hard top near me (sigh)...........

Jesse
JS Jesse

JS. Welcome to this BBS... Stick around and you'll meet all kinds of characters .

My first was a Mk2 Sprite when I was 16, followed by a 1965 1098 Midget when I was 17... That car I believe still lives in Sweden. I'm now 52 and still enjoying Spridget ownership.. :-)

Mark.
M T Boldry

Jess,
Ziebart if done properly is excellent, I had my nieghbour's 25 year old car that had been Ziebarted from new in the early '80s and despite it standing outside for the previous 7 years and being an everyday car through winter salt and not being hosed underneath it had very little rust

thoroughly cleaning your cooling system out, rad, engine and heater matrix and renewing the seals around the matrix and you might find you get enough heat to have the top down on some winter days(?)

I have the top down over here sometimes in winter but I don't drop the top if below 5 degrees C though in case it cracks the rear plastic window

Ally,
it's not mildew they smell of
Nigel Atkins

A good hosing every week should suffice in winter conditions.
There is nothing like driving it in the snow!
Imagine this:
Silent roads rising sun all white surroundings and all the sideways fin you want!!
Onno K

I have the heater in, thanks for reminding me to put the seal in, I need to order one from Moss it has ok heat now.
JS Jesse

Yeah...i dont see an issue driving the midget in snow in ..."VIRGINA"... You guys only get what around 42 inches at a time... 30 times a year....hahaha

Sorry i dont mean to tease... But id make sure the skies are good planed and waxed... Esp with only 5 inches of road clearance under your butt.

Wow... Ally is a couger, sick em girl...go get em !!!...LOL.

Prop
Prop

Onno - I hope you mean the car should be hosed down weekly!

Jesse - Welcome and enjoy the BBS as well as your Midget.

John Shep.
John Shep

I'm 26, and I bought my Midget 2 years ago. It's had a ground up rebuild in that time! I almost bought a Midget when I was 19, but couldn't quite come up with the dollars, so bought a rotary Mazda instead. In hindsight I'm happy with that decision as the Midget I was looking at was very rusty, and the Mazda taught me a lot about working on my own cars.
Andrew F

John
That too ;)
Onno K

Welcome Jesse, love the used/ratty look of your car, doesnt get any more original then that!


I was twenty when I bought mine, took 3 years to get it back on the road so was 23 when I got the "cruising in your midget" vibes.
Im 37 now and still feel like the coolest kid on the road when im out in my midget.




"Not that I have the slightest problem with grey beards, pipes or mildew...she says...swiftly..."

Ally, beggars must not be choosers. ;)
LOL!!!!
Arie de Best

>>I have the heater in, thanks for reminding me to put the seal in, I need to order one from Moss it has ok heat now<<

that bit of foam around the matrix inside the heater box seems to make a big difference
Nigel Atkins

Jesse,

Welcome, and very nice car. If you must drive in winter another good practice would be a set of snow tires on a separate set of wheels.

Also, here is a link to the Central Virginia British Car Club that may be of some help with technical help should you need it.

http://www.britishcarclub.com/index.htm

Regards,

Larry C.
Larry C '69 Midget

yep i need to join the virginia club, I was at the new market show this year. I also have a Jensen Interceptor but that is a whole different set of wheels than the midget!

Jesse

btw, I work for chevrolet and love their cars, but after the MG I suffered from the British invasion I still think Lucas is an evil spiteful SOB. Before any electrical work you should sacrifice a chicken and do chanting to please the god of wonky electricity.
JS Jesse

original Lucas has always seemed pretty good to me still work after 30-40 years - now the modern Lucas and other makes of electrical items that's a different matter

rotor arms, column stem switches and indicator units immediately spring to mind

faulty rotor arms can be difficult to track down and a real pain best to get good ones from somewhere like Distributor Doctor - http://www.distributordoctor.com/red-rotor-arms.html
Nigel Atkins

This thread was discussed between 22/11/2011 and 23/11/2011

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