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MG Midget and Sprite General - Project Fidget!

So - today we started...feels like it's been s long time coming.

Today was mostly a working out what was where exercise, listing what needed replacing, and deciding what we needed to organise in terms of man power/expertise.

We took the front bumper off, just because it was there, and we felt the need to do something concrete. After the butter bolts that my F is out together with - it was fantastic to be able to get it off without gallons of plusgas, and much bad language.Lights and grille also off - it looks a bit naked and ashamed!

Under the bonnet, we've re-attached the air filter housing, and discovered that it has oil/coolant/brake fluid/clutch fluid in all the relevant places, and as far as we can see, all the hoses, pipes and other perishables are intact and look to have been replaced at some stage.

Had a look at the clutch -moving parts all seem to be..well...moving. Suspect that the clutch plate is firmly stuck. Next step is to have a fiddle with the slave cylinder (when we find it!!)

I've ripped most of the carpets out, and with the bumper off we were able to do more investigation - and so far, haven't found any more rust - except for the inside edge of the inside door panel - where the window should go up and down, but doesn't. Had no trouble getting the door card off - but the capping was a nightmare! Tempted to cut my losses and buy doors - rather than fixing knackered winder mech AND corrosion

General feeling is that we need a Midget person to come and show us where things are, and how to get to the bits that are hidden down the back - and to point us vaguely in the right direction - it's a bit overwhelming, and we can't decide where to start. We also need an imperial toolkit - there was much bodging today, and we need to either trailer it somewhere with a 4 post lift, or to get some decent ramps so we cfan get underneath it.

We achieve much today - but it feels like we've taken a few steps towards finding our way around the beasts innards. Much referring to workshop manual and Haynes restoration book by all - as per the attached photo of my esteemed team-mates!

Ally

Clutch slave is under the car on the drivers side of the carat the front of the gearbox.
Have fun ;)
Onno Könemann

Thanks Onno. We worked out where it must be by floowing the pipe - just couldn't decide the best way to get to it.

I think I need to get it trailered to somewhere we can get it the air for a bit - so we can do all the things that are tricky in a garage with limited light/space/resources. It would probably enjoy a day trip...

Looks a bit sad next to the F - which got a guilt valet yesterday!!

Ally

You can (sort of) get to it through a hole in the drivers footwell. Still need to contort body in strange ways to gain access. You won't have fun but will feel sense of achievment.
Mark
M Adams

I SAID I thought that it might be accessible from the footwell - but Stewart looked at me like I was mad!!

Drivers footwell contortions are not a new concept to me. F's have a sticky brake switch, and the only way to get it out and reset it is to get upside down in the footwell - I once had to do it by the side of the A40 in a suit - got a few very strane looks!
Ally

Keep going, your journey into the dark side has only just begun.
M Adams

Onno, Mark, this is a 1500. Clutch slave is on the (UK) passenger side.
I don't think there is an access panel in the footwell on the 1500s but anyway it is actually easier to get at from underneath than on an A-series.
Guy

V glad I didn't send the smug "I was right ner ner ner ner ner" text.
Ally

Wait for Nigel and his handbook...


Is that Blaze?
Alex G Matla

The colour?

I don't know - I think it's either Bronze yellow or Bracken. Happy to be corrected...

It's not staying that colour anyway!
Ally

Thanks Guy did not know that was different to!

Ally
Get a good troley jack and 4 sturdy axle stands then you can do all the work under the midget.
Onno Könemann

Hi Ally,

The slave is passenger side underneath about halfway up the gearbox. I've recently done mine, so still twitch at the thought!

As Onno says you can do it if the car is on axle stands though if you have access to a proper lift it will be much easier. Dont make the mistake I did, if you have any doubt over any of the hydraulic parts buy them new, I found seal kits to be false economy and eneded up just repacing everything in the end and having to do most of the work twice as a result.

Also dont waste your time trying to bleed it in the normal way, buy or borrow an esibleed thingy that uses car tyre pressure, it will save you from much swearing.

I was amazed at how much different the clutch felt with all the new bits. It also made some of my doubts about the synchromesh go away as the clutch was operating as designed for the first time in years.

Richard
r parker

Alex,
the onwners Handbook gives buckets loads of necessary and useful information but not the colour of the car

this car is - sort of yellowy-orange :)
N Atkins

Ally - doesn't stand for Alex - it's just Ally - and she's a she!

The car colour is just ....... fugly :) (from someone who seems to have been drafted into the "Team Fidget" group, I do believe that I can have the right to say this - especially as it's pretty safe as it's gonna change!!!)

Onno - it just yet another way that the 1500 is easier than the 1275 :P!
rachmacb

Rach - Mondeo's won car of the year for god knows how many years and they are still a parcel of #2.

Stop kidding yourself :P
PeterJMoore

LOL Peter - and STILL the only cars that are giving me problems are 1275s :P!!!!!!
rachmacb

rach

- >>Alex G Matla, The Hague, Netherlands

Wait for Nigel and his handbook...

Is that Blaze?<<

"Alex,
the onwners Handbook gives buckets loads of necessary and useful information but not the colour of the car

this car is - sort of yellowy-orange :)"

now Alley is a slim lady, 5' 7" (IRRC), with brown hair - her friend, like me, appears to have a washing machine that shrinks clothes, like t-shirts :)

N Atkins

LOL ah ok, but I think that Alex was more worried about the clutch slave than the gruesomeness of the colour ...! :P After all, he submits to the view that his colour is inferior to the Primrose colour that Onno and I surround him by!
rachmacb

to save any further misunderstanding the

"her friend, like me, appears to have a washing machine that shrinks clothes, like t-shirts :)"

refers to the photo in the original post, not any other friends

I don't think the colour is ugly I quite like it

N Atkins

Looks like the lady is holding the fellow up on his t-shirt.
Alex G Matla

I've been away, and missed all the fun here!
I'm going to have to do it on trolley jacks axle stands as the car isn't going anywhere at present - I'll just have to find someone skinny to lie underneath it (sadly I am not the 5"7 slim brunette of Nigels imagination - but a 5"10 blonde of Amazonian proportions - so I'd need very big axle stands to make myself a suitably large gap between car and floor!)

It's an ugly colour in MY opinion - I accept that some will like it, but I can't bring myself to love it. A respray WILL be happening...one day!

Project is stalled again as I'm away this weekend, but next time - we're going to put the battery in, and start him up. If nothing else, the shock might make him let go of all the seized bits!!

I've officially killed the hood! It looked sound apart from being tatty round the edges,so was umming and ahhing about patching it up, but I managed to tear it where it's attached at the top! Solves the dilemma I guess!

Ally

at last my memory is improving

I thought you said 5' 10" before but looking at the photo on OP I thought you must be shorter

the chap must be a bear of a guy as you look shorter and very slim and he looks like I used when I was a bit slimmer :)

unless he's left a clothes peg in the back he needs to go up a size in t-shirts - but you best tell I'm not :)
N Atkins

That's not me! It's one of my friends - and she is indeed little and slim!

Not sure what was going on with Stew's t-shirt - probably stuck together at the back with all the grease and grime he picked up whilst wallowing around half under the car!
Ally

friend is slim and shorter but Stew's t-shirt is just too small, mine are gone two sizes looser than than that :)
N Atkins

Just to set Nigels mind at rest - my drivers handbook arrived today - and a very useful looking publication it is too.

I was going to spray my immaculately primered wheel this evening, but it's raining muchly. I am therefore going to reads said drivers handbook instead, whilst marvelling at the conveniently glovebox sizedness of it;-)
Ally

>>Just to set Nigels mind at rest - my drivers handbook arrived today - and a very useful looking publication it is too.<<

can you repeat that last bit often please:)

>>I am therefore going to reads said drivers handbook instead,<<

there you've cracked two secrets that allued many, one you've got the book, two you are actually going to read it and not just look at it for reference later

>>whilst marvelling at the conveniently glovebox sizedness of it;-)<< in a Midget (?) :)
N Atkins

Ally - you are now officially a geek - oh sorry - it's GURU - not geek wasn't it ;)!!!!!
rachmacb

You got it right Rach

Ally, with the book you get to be the G U R U

official!


As for me I wont be a guru, I don't buy books very often :(
Bill 1

LOL Bill - you're a pretty good guru anyway - without the books ;)!
rachmacb

yes you will be a Guru if you read the Handbook - we don't set the parameters we just have to accept them

oh, no wait, Gurus are self proclaimed so we do set the parameters

Ally doesn't have to be a Guru just knowledgeable having read the Handbook

poor Ally will know nothing of this Gurudom from previous threads and posts
N Atkins

I'm pretty accustomed to Gurudom form an MGF persepctive - taking great pleasure in blinding the unfairer sex with my in-depth knowledge of the symptoms of split hoses and dodgy coolant caps as opposed to those of HGF!! Wish I was as up to speed with the internal workings of the Midget, which is currently sitting sullenly in my garage with no progress having been made!!
I have a week off mid Aaugust, so will HOPEFULLY get a little bit more done!! V frustrating!!
Ally

Know the feeling Ally, chin up!

This coming weekend will be the fourth in a row I will have been away from home so progress on my Midget has died on its ar*e! Almost into August, then it's September and the best of the weather has gone and I have gotten nowhere! Doh!

Ho hum...
Malcolm
M Le Chevalier

This thread was discussed between 17/07/2011 and 26/07/2011

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