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MG Midget and Sprite General - RWA Midget - new Father & SOn project

My son Peter and I will be building a car from a bare shell just delivered from Southern California.

Thanks to BillM, who keeps dragging Spridgets to my house, and to my very understanding wife who doesn't seem to mind that I now have 4 of the little beasts here, we have a brand new addition to our family.

A rust free '73 Midget tub I bought for $100.
Bill was taking his MGA to San Diego so the return trip was with an empty trailer, he swung by LA and picked up the shell for me. BTW he did the trip with his "new" Datsun 210 with a 5 speed - apparently those little cars are real work horses!

For an extra $60 the PO threw in a pair of doors, the front valance, a couple rear shocks and a pair of leaf springs.

So I am thinking the first thing I'd like to do is roll it up on it's side and make sure the undercarriage is all good then clean it up and spray on / roll on something to protect it.

For any who have done this, is there a good way to make sure I don't damage anything - lay down some foam rubber or something?

What's a good product to put on the undercarriage? Roll on or spray on?
Bedliner, or what? Haven't done it before (I'm going to be saying that phrase a lot).

We're going to need a lot of parts and bits and pieces. I have a MK1 Midget parts car but it's got wires and I want bolt on wheels for this one.
My set of Ansen Sprint mags is for this car.
I also want a late model 3.7 diff if I can find one cheap. I think my parts car has the 4.2 - so that's not going to work.
Maybe some trades can be made.

Don't know yet what we will use for a power train, I'm hoping something cool will present itself.

Pictures here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/106121126121790278619/RWAMidget

That's my MK2 Sprite parked near it.
It was a cold rainy day when Bill delivered it, so everything got wet before being moved in.
The tub is sitting on three movers dollys so I can roll it around.
Fits nicely in the end of the shed with room to walk behind it.

Rick (4 and counting) Bastedo

Rick Bastedo

If ther is any obvious welding to be done do it first. Then take it to the blasters and have them blast it lightly all round.
Then let them spray on an acid etch primer.
You will never regret it.

After that an old matras is great to rol it on.
Fill all the seams with a good seam sealer.
Spray the under side with the paintable anti stone chip stuff, but make sure all the suspention mounts stay clean and you stay between the botom sill flanges and inside the wheelarches.
Then prime and paint the whole thing

Coat every suspention bolt in copper grease.
And liberaly coat every hole you drill for rivet or screw with waxoil/tectyl.

Have fun with finding a drive train.
Are you thinking of A series ribcase or something more creative?

How about the exterior std or modded?
I always think that removing all door and boot handles smoothing the holes and bumps and fitting popers to open them.
Then paint the head lamp rims and rear lamp chrome edge body colour.
Lower it and run it without bumpers
Onno K

Rick,

I'm in the same boat as you (never done that before) but the car is a 1960 English Ford Anglia that we bought as a basket case last April. It's got a couple of spots the need new material welded in and so far I've discovered that I'm a very bad welder. And with the holidays coming up and the lovely weather we've been having, I've let it sit until spring unless we get some unseasonably warm days.

As for your project, I've got an extra non-wire wheel rear axle housing from a 74 Midget if you're interested, cheap. I also have a 4.22 diff but I guess you're not too interested in it. And a rib case box that works well but not as well as the Datsun 5 speed I replaced it with.

Martin Washington

My aim is to have a car that is a pleasure to drive on the freeway and also has the grunt it takes to drive "semi"-competitively.

I've got my eyes on a fiberglass frog-eye bonnet for this car and it will be front tilt.

I'm toying with the idea of removing all the little letters / badges and strips except maybe one on the front of the bonnet. The bottom that is now black will be body color.

I may do a luminescent paint job, since this will in no way be a stock Midget.

The wheels I've already got are the Ansen Sprint aluminum mags.

It will be a sweet ride when we are done.
Rick Bastedo

I am thinking there will be some derelict rubber bumper midget with no motor come along I can get the rear axle and front suspension from. I'm keeping my eyes open for that. I know I need a thousand other little bits so I'm really going to have to keep looking.

Here's a picture from today, doors just sitting there and an old pair of seats. Trunk lid loosely sitting in place.

Can't get the "Upload" thing to work so here is a link:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jxboI-ZfCNo/TsmZaH07_PI/AAAAAAAAHOo/55IEC9CBGVY/s1200/tub_home5.jpg
Rick Bastedo

trying again...


Rick Bastedo

Nice indeed weld up all letter and trimm holes and just have an MG logo upfront.
I am no fan of the frog front with a midget rear and since all you need is 2 wings and a bonet why not get those in FG?
Onno K

"I am no fan of the frog front with a midget rear"

That's ok, it truly takes all kinds and we're just different. Maybe if a one piece FG bonnet / wings shows up I'll go that way. Not going to spend a lot on it though.
Rick Bastedo

Rick: I am in Auburn, WA and have a 'donor' rubber bumper with no engine/trans/interior but with front and rear suspension (and wire wheels if you like)(and wire wheels if you don't like!). Let me know if you still need one.
LM Gibson

LM Gibson,
What year is it? Do you know if it has the 3.7 diff?

I have some cool wheels I plan to use for this project but they are bolt on, not wires.
Rick Bastedo

This thread was discussed between 20/11/2011 and 28/11/2011

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