Conference terri::cars_uk

In today's Daily Express...

	"Thousands of proud owners of two sports-car
	legends - the MG Midget and the Austin-Healey
	Sprite - can now give their treasures a new 
	lease of life.  The midget went out of 
	production 12 years ago, but from today new
	bodyshells of both cars are coming off the
	production line to fight the ravages of rust.

	"British Motor Heritage, part of the Rover 
	Group, has restored the original panel pressing
	tools, and is making the shells at Faringdon,
	Oxfordshire.  Forty thousand of the cars are
	thought to be still in use in Britain."

    
    Damn!
    
    And my 1967 Midget is going in for its re-spray today!
    
    Thats after 4 years of re-building the thing from the most rusted pile
    of **** you have ever seen!
    
    Thats life!
    
    Steve (Midget driving in July!)

the Midget restoration company mentioned in .1 was on Top Gear last night:
they said they used the original jigs etc. that were used at Cowley & Swindon,
and even some of the people that worked at those sites building the original
Midgets


...art

    Hi,
    
    Thanks for the info on the Midget shell production. I'll send them a
    letter, asking about the price of a basic shell; from which I can then
    add the body panels and running gear.
    
    As I intend to hang onto this one, it may be more beneficial to
    purchase a new shell, rather than "patch" every now and then.
    
    John.  
         

    How much would a completely restored '75 be worth nowadays??
    
    From April '91 Hemmings...Page 3074
    
    MG: 1976 Midget, 5,800 original miles, garaged, stored, perfect,
    $5,900.
    PH 512-478-8756, Texas
    
    MG: 1976 Midget, 50,000 Actual Miles, white/black top and interior,
    good condition inside and out, $2750.  Motor Cars Ltd. 214-352-6400
    Texas.
    
    Will the midget of today someday be the MGA Twin-cam of tomorrow....?

And I remember when you get get a brand new Spridget for under 500 quid!

John,

   The headrests from a triumph toledo are the same as those used in the midget
   (about 95% sure) --> might be a very inexpensive option especially as the
   headrest doesnt tend to suffer much wear in most cars!!

re .5,.6
    In todays "Irish Times" ... 1968 MG Midget , total restoration
                                7800 Irish Punts ( ~90p Sterling = 1 Punt)

    I swopped a triumph herald which cost me 95pounds for My 1967 Sprite
    back in 1977.

   I too am presently reconstructing my sprite, Except I have-committed the 
   sacrilege of butchering the engine bay/gearbox tunnel with the addition
   of a Fiat 1600TC engine + 5 Speed gearbox. I have however held onto all of the
   pieces i took out in case I ever want to put them back.

   I will NEVER sell the car therefore it doesnt bother me. I found the original
   A series engine/gearbox noisy/thirsty/difficult to keep in good tune
   (elusive valve/problem + worn carb butterfly spindles)..
  
   It's been done before to a morris minor
 
   cheers,

      brian. 

    RE: -1
    
    I'd be interested in some details on this conversion..... Any chance of
    a write-up?
    
    Laurie.

    re .8
    
    I'll get to it before end of week,
    and post it as a new note
    
    Cheers,
    
      brian

	Shells are in the �1300-�1800 region, it said in the paper.

	-John

    Time to resurrect this topic.

    I spoke yesterday with a fellow MG Midget owner and he told me of his
    need for another engine. He mentioned that a Triumph Dolomite engine 
    would fit. 

    Now, in my time as an MG owner, I've never heard of anyone trying to 
    fit a Dolomite engine into a Midget (he has a rubber-bumper model -
    which means it already has the 1500cc Spitfire engine). But, on
    reflection, the Spitfire and Dolomite engines are really the same unit,
    and the Dolomite gearbox has a decent overdrive.

    Q1. Has anybody else heard of this (I am assuming he wants an ordinary
        1850cc engine, not sure if he meant the Dolomite Sprint version) ?

    Q2. Does anybody know of an engine of this type which is available for
        sale ?


    Tony (ex wimp) Orchard

    
    Tony,
    
    Whilst the Dolomite 1300 and 1500 engines are the same as Spitfire
    engines (and would more than likely drop into a Midget), the 1850 and
    Sprint engines are not the same at all. They are basically half of the
    Stag V8 and as such are fairly wide. I've never heard of anyone
    dropping a Dolomite 1850 or 2 litre engine into a Midget and there are 
    probably other, more reliable, engines which would be any easier fit.
    
    Mark

    Oh, he must have meant the 1500 engine (I know he was mostly interested
    in the overdrive)
    
    
    Tony (ex wimp) Orchard

    
    The 1500 (as used in the Spitfire and later Midgets) was available with
    an overdrive in the Dolomite, but I'm not sure what differences there
    were. As I recall the o/d box with o/d is longer than the bog standard
    box (or was the tail different?) and required different mountings.
    
    Mark

    Tony,
    
    Why not stick a tuned 'A'-series in, and mate it to a 5-speed gearbox?
    Also, if you do have a much stronger engine, you can go to a 3.7:1 diff
    without loss of acceleration, which gives you lower revs at speed.
    
    Laurie.