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 - Tools and Consumables

Hello all,

I'm a newbie to owning a midget. Most of the vehicles I've been used to working on have been prewar.

So my first question to everybody is...

Given the limited boot and behind seat space, I was wondering what essential tools and consumables people carry with them on a day to day basis.

Cheers
Chris
C L Carter

A couple of candy bars, sunglasses and a cap just about sums it up.
Alex G Matla

Oh, and very welcome to this somewhat peculiar "community" where you get answers you don't need and are oft left behind with even more questions.

(some spanners 7/16, 1/2, 9/16, screwdriver, sparkplug wrench, pliers)
Alex G Matla

A few would also include a spare set of points and condenser as well as a rotor.
B Young

I've packed a canvas tool bag with all the usuals... a socket wrench set, an open end/box end wrench set (meaning, of course, ring spanners...), two each sizes of slotted and phillips screwdrivers, assorted pliers, vice grips, channel-locks, electrical tape, a mirror on a stick, magnet on a stick, crank-up rechargeable flashlight, brake adjuster, ZS carb adjustment tool, a hammer or two, etc. etc.

I keep this bag on the passenger side of the boot, and the car sits dead level. :-)

I also keep a bottle of oil, a can of brake fluid, a fire extinguisher, a bag of assorted bits including a tire-plugging kit and a spare dizzy cap and rotor, and my previous set of radiator hoses in case I pop one.

And, of course, a towel.

Cheers,

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

Mastercard / visa, and a fully charged cell phone, and a tow rope ong with most of what gryf mentioned

Prop
Prop

Fit a tow bar, and tow a spare spridget behind you. :)

No, I'm only joking. I carry a full set of tools, plus fan belt, condenser, points, and hoses for bypass, top and bottom, and a length of insulated wire.

I also carry a bottle of water to top up the whisky.

Oh and a rag for cleaning my hands.

I developed this habit on frequent trips abroad in the sprite, but honestly I don't really need to carry the tools, it's just habit. But as I have a pretty neat place to keep it all in the sprite, it continues on.

As you can see, the tool box lives under the nearside wing adjacent to the wiper motor, and the consumable spares live cheek by jowl with the battery (hidden in this piccy).




Lawrence Slater

Hi Chris,

A very warm welcome. not an answer to your question but if you happen to be near the Ace Cafe on the 2nd Turesday of each month, why not pop along to say hello and share an evening with about 70 other classic cars.

regards

Gary
Gary & Gaps

Mostly I carry a towel too, like Gryf

mobile phone and breakdown cover

mine's free so I get AA OR Green Flag

gallon of petrol

some spanners in a carrier bag with insulting tape and screwdrvers assorted

4 old usable spark plugs

did I mention the gallon of petrol?

nice to have you here

we are an odd bunch but very friendly



Gary's advice is good as is

Join A Club

MASC MGCC or MGOC and AHC are in the running

And Nigel will soon bend your lugholes with "buy a factory handbook" which is also rather good advice
Bill 1

Thanks Bill, yes get the owners Handbook (add my usual advice to new owners)

after that continue full and proper servicing, maintenance and repair

then you wont need to carry tools and components or just a few tools mainly to help others out

it's not prewar car so if you get it reliable it will remain reliable

a gallon of petrol is useful because of the small fuel tank

alternative tow another complete car and workshop
N Atkins

A towel, essential when travelling.... :)
Alex G Matla

Thanks you everyone for you welcome, I'm well on the way to collecting most of those tools/parts.
I intend on joining the MGOC tomorrow (I told my insurer I would).
Included in the purchase was a copy of the Manual, along with 12 editions of Practical Classic which include the midget rebuild.
Thanks Gary for the invitation to Ace Cafe, I will try and make these, I have a friend with a midget who has invited me as well.
And don't worry... I know where my towel is =]

Does anyone have any recommendations for breakdown recovery. Is there a reason why green flag are so much cheaper than the AA or RAC?

Cheers
C


C L Carter

"""Does anyone have any recommendations for breakdown recovery. Is there a reason why green flag are so much cheaper than the AA or RAC?""

I don't understand why you need this, classic car insurance policies all include european breakdown don't they?

Who is your insurer?
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

Bob,
In my experience the classic policies do often include breakdown cover, but it is as a "bolt on" and charged for as an extra. I found it cheaper to decline that offer and arrange a separate cover through AutoAid:
http://www.autoaidbreakdown.co.uk/

AutoAid work on the basis such that if you need assistance they arrange it, you pay the recovery driver and then Autoaid reimburse you the costs. I have used it for vehicle recovery a couple of times without any problems and at around £34 a year for the full package it is good value.
Guy

Thanks, I'll look at autoaid...although Greenflag still seem cheaper?

My insurer is Frank Pickles, local chap in Yorkshire. No breakdown included unfortunately. Sadly Lancaster faffed me around a bit too much with confirmations from the underwriters etc... otherwise they'd have given me breakdown cover. Next year though!

C L Carter

Chris,
I don't see an obvious price on the Greenflag site? The Autoiaid one is now £38 but that is for a full UK recovery service which is not a bad price. How much is Grreenflag for their level 3 Recovery?
Guy

Chris,
sorry I thought you'd already put up another post or two

just in case of confusion I meant the owners/Driver's Handbook not repair manuals, I see the manuals as for repairs but owners/Driver's Handbook for prevention - http://www.mgocshop.co.uk/catalog/Online_Catalogue_Handbooks_5.html

as for tools and parts, you could start and add to the following as a start but if you carry out a full and proper 36,000 mile service plus other bits you'd cover most potential problems

if you're interested I can send you my usual advice for new owners just let me know

·AF set of open ended spanners
·AF set of combination spanners
·AF socket set (with spark plug socket)
·8”/9” adjustable spanner
·combination pliers
·imperial feeler gauges
·tyre foot pump
·separate reliable tyre pressure gauge
·screwdriver set
·circuit tester
·small wire brush
·torch
.hammer
·small can of WD-40 or similar
·something to wipe your hands on
·something to clean areas you’re working on and your tools
.lengths of different thickness wires
.various cable-ties
.duck tape
.jump leads
.tow rope(?)

as for parts, why you'd carry these if you've already replaced them with good quality parts and keep up with full and proper service, maintenance and repair is beyond me
.coil HT lead and longest HT lead
.fan belt
.rotor arm
.CB points
.condensor
.dissy cap
.bullet connectors
.premixed coolant
.engine oil
.brake fluid
.bottom and top hose

I've no doubt I missed many things as I don't carry them, to me prevention is better than cure and I've learnt from many rodside stops or breakdowns over 20 years of using classics as dailies a better way of doing things, nothing spectacular or that clever just better
N Atkins

Sorry Guy I wasn't aware of some insurance companies giving euro breakdown cover as an extra.

That said with a Midget insurance costing potentially £110 complete with european breakdown cover not sure how it would be beneficial to not use it?
Bob Turbo Midget England

Nigel thats great,

I regonise the cover of the Handbook for the Mark III so I think I have that... can't be much different to the later midgets.

I'd love your new owners guidance, whats the best way to get it?

Cheers
Christian
C L Carter

Blimey Nigel,
No wonder you don't carry a spare wheel with that lot in the boot!
Mine is a set of af combination spanners, a couple of screwdrivers, an adjustable wrench some cable ties and the two essentials: a can of WD40 for when its supposed to move and doesn't (yes I know its not oil!) and a roll of gaffer tape for when its not supposed to move and does!
(and a spare wheel and footpump!)
Matt1275Bucks

Blimey Nigel indeed.

Nigel what would you do if the following happened?

Exhaust pipe fell off and fractured?
Halfshaft snapped?
Dynamo failed?
Oil cooler split?
Front pulley disintegrated?
Front caliper siezed and damage brake pads.
Rear wheel cylinder fell to bits
etc etc

Where are the parts to repair these items that are far more likely to occur than a condenser failing?

Don't bother with that lot I carry more or less the same as Matt

You need a small assortment of tools (Heavier tools can be purchased anywhere, as can most spare parts (think of Minis) and just get friendly with a nearby garage or be creative with your attempts at repairs.

As an example a fractured exhaust pipe is a very easy repair.
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

oh, I forgot thelatest addition to my meagre bootful. After my exhaust rear bracket finally fractured a couple of months ago I tried to get home by strapping the tailpipe to the rear bumper stays with first, half a dozen cable ties (they got me about a mile and a half before melting), second a thick webbing strap (that lasted about half a mile) and finally the leather belt off my trousies! That got me home but is a little scorched!
Thus I now also have a real of garden wire in the boot. The plastic coating will burn off pretty quick but wrap enough of it round anything and it will hold. If its kept the side panel of my greenhouse attached for 10 years it'll hold some oily bits on the car for the journey home.
Matt1275Bucks

Chris,
unless you’ve got a Midget 1500 (with rubber bumpers and Triumph 1500) engine then the red cover is for the Mk3s

just email me for my new owners notes, plus I’ve others notes if you’re happy with the first ones, I don’t post them here anymore as the others are fed up with them and some find them OTT

nigel atkins (one word) at bt internet (one word) dot com

Matt,
you’ve misread my post I carry next to nothing as I prefer prevention by . . .

owning and reading the owners Handbook

and carrying out full and proper servicing, maintenance and repairs

you probably seen those last two before

for myself I carry
foot pump and reliable tyre pressure gauge (instead of spare wheel, oh no don’t start that debate again)
Tyre-Weld although I doubt I’d ever use it
my own formula of screen clean and roll of cheap kitchen roll

mainly for others I carry (although I could use them, but probably when at home)
Tyre–Weld(?)
multi-tool
head-torch
hi-viz vest
small socket set
small set of o/e spanners
set of spare bulbs
N Atkins

Like I said earlier, look under my bonnet and you see a full set of tools. Also inside the box, is a metal coat hanger. A million uses. :)
Lawrence Slater

sorry Bob I missed your post

I probably carry less tools than Matt or yourself and most remain in the boot from foriegn trips and home tours and holidays like the bulbs ect.

as I put on other threads where does it end, and earlier the need to tow a complete spare car and workshop

my wife insists that if she's in the car that I carry a spare gallon of petrol and if we're on hoilday/touring some tools as we've had some problems with cars over the years that's how I got to prevention rather than cure
N Atkins

Matt my rear exhaust mounting parted company on one French trip however I tied mine to the rear bumper using a few turns of electrical wire. Didnt carry any but found some on a circuit that was not being used. After the plastic melted off the copper wire was a marvelous repair.
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

Sorry Bob,
not meaning to ignore your messages - just this got rather overtaken with extensive lists of things carried by some!

If you get insurance at £110 inclusive of breakdown cover, then I would certainly agree. Mine is more than that these days - £127 this year from Lancaster Insurances (MGOC) without the breakdown bit. Maybe come next renewal it is time to shop around a bit!

As for the toolkit stuff, another way of looking at this is to consider what you have actually needed over the years. In my case top of the list would be a can of fuel (because of the erratic gauge and my irrational habit of trying to eek out a few extra miles rather than stopping for petrol sooner!)

Second to that was wire for tying the exhaust up with,and a container of some sort to collect water from a ditch with (or a bottle of water for the de-lux toolkit version). Then a length of wire for making up emergency cable connections - actually meaning an extra earth connection.

Nothing else has got close to preventing me from driving home in the last 100K of motoring. I do carry a set of combination and socket spanners, plus a small tool box of assorted screwdrivers, pliers, wire strippers, insulating and duct tape and a meter.
I once had a voltage regulator pack up on me which meant no charging of the battery. The most useful "tool kit" aid at that time was Mark and Anita (now in Aus) who did a battery swap to keep me going. Logically on this basis one might carry either a fully charged spare battery or a voltage regulator, but neither of those is on my list!

One thing I take when going on a holiday trip which I haven't seen mentioned is boiler suit - one of the paper disposable ones folds up small and can be re-used a few times. I am a pretty grubby individual at the best of times and this goes some way towards avoiding chastisement from "her indoors" when she is acting her alternative roll of "her in passenger seat"

Guy
Guy

I generally carry the things that will stop me from getting going again and the necessary tools to test/change them.

It really depends on how far I'll be away from home. For really long trips I've carried fuel pump, plugs and wires, belts, starter, alternator, jumper cables, flashlight, fan belts, radiator/heater hoses, distributor cap/rotor, point distributor (in case the electronic ignition fails), litre of engine oil, carburetor diaphragm (Zenith-Stromberg carb equipped) and a roll of mechanic's wire and some duct tape.

Of all the things carried, I've only ever replaced plugs, wires and a starter away from home as generally my car is kept in good running order. It's the small things that will stop you in your tracks and odds are no one will have the parts on hand at the time even if you run with a car club. Often I'm the only Midget so not a lot of MGB parts will fit to help me out.

Keeping your car in good running order will alleviate a lot of anxiety when you go away somewhere.

Clive Reddin

When I drove around Europe, as far as Crete, for 3 months, I even took an engine hoist with me (Halfords Haltrac thingy). I figured it might be useful to pull me out of a ditch for example.

Who'd have guessed that I would have used it on a building site, to remove my engine and g/box in order to strip the box, and get it out of being stuck in 1st?

I also carried a h/gasket on that trip and several others abroad. I used the h/gasket once in Sth France.

You never know.
Lawrence Slater

Lawrence,
That reminds me, I have a spare head gasket taped inside the rear wing. Wondered where it had got to!
Guy

I'd like to thank you both for those comments, as someone I know (an MG B owner, bless him :) ) ragularly takes the mickey out of me for carrying a spare head/manifold gasket set. I will print this thread and show it proudly as proof that other Midget owners do it, so it must be right.

OSM.
OrangeSpyderMan

You know it makes sense OSM.:)
Lawrence Slater

This thread was discussed between 14/10/2011 and 18/10/2011

MG Midget and Sprite General index

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