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It could also be a hydraulic problem, either master or slave cylinder. What's the clutch fluid level like? Does the slave cylinder pushrod operate when the pedal is pressed? If it is the release bearing then roller release bearings are available from www.petermayengineering.co.uk. Don't be tempted to just replace the release bearing, to not do the whole clutch is a false economy. "Jeremy Cogman" 15942... MORE
My Austin Healey Sprite has blown its clutch i think. What happened is my wife pressed the clutch in and it went to the floor and she couldn't select gears. When I got there the pedal had come back up but the bite was right at the floor and the only gear i could get was reverse. Any ideas? someone told me it sounds like the release bearing. By the way it is a 1967 1275 MKIV Sprite. Jon "oscarsprite" 15939... MORE
Neil It seems to me IF you could find 14X6 wheels with the 4 hole 4" pattern and the proper ET that you could go to a 185/50 14 on a 6" rim. The problem is that with the additional grip Midgets often break front spindles and rear axles. So you would get increased performance at the cost of possibly breaking things. If you do go to 14s I'd love to see comparative Autocross times. I'm restricted by SCCA rules to a 13X6 wheels but If you are not restricted by racing rules you could beef up the suspension... MORE
Friend of mine had 14" wheels on his early Midget with home made round wheel arches. It looked like a Tonka Toy! It will affect handling as it will raise your ride height half an inch. It will also make your speedo totally inaccurate. It will also mean the car is higher geeared i.e. quicker at a given engine speed / gear but with less acceleration in each gear. "Jeremy Cogman" 15917... MORE
They sound like Morris Minor halfshafts- in which case, they will be too long to fit in your Midget's axle. HTH Growler "grant" 15911... MORE
I have a pair of axles stamped 082. They have splines on both ends and the outter end goes into a flange similar to the standard flange on rear axles for the sprigets. Are they early axles, late axles, racing axles, or an inbetween axle for when they changed to wire wheels? Bob, Portland, OR "Robert Webb" 15899... MORE
I have a '59 Bugeye and the Master cly and slave cly. are fairly new ( 4 years) Fluid is clear, no leaks. The other day I decided to drive around the area and get some gas. After about two block and 6 shifts the clutch would not disengage. The pedal was hard, with little to no movement down from the top. The car would not move as the clutch was still engaged. Engine still running, shifted into all gears, no go. Got it home with a tow from a golf cart, and it is now up on jack... MORE
David, I have put an Ital engine in my Mk IV sprite, but I also put in the gearbox with a Spitfire overdrive gearbox. Doing it this way means you have to change the front plate with the engine mounts and cut away some of the bodywork in the tunnel area to get the clutch housing and bigger g'box to fit. If you stay with the standard g'box, you still need to change the front plate and also the rear plate, flywheel etc. The distributor drive is different and the oil filter is in a different place but these... MORE
Although our Right Hand Drive Spridgets have the pedals on the right (as God intended) our Hand/Parking brake is still in the same place. So for us it's on the passenger side of the transmision tunnel. This only applies to our little cars as far as I can see! Gary L 1958 Frogeye "Gary Lazarus" 15785... MORE
Israel Find the brake master cylinder, follow the pipe until it comes to a four way junction (i.e. splits three ways, one to each front wheel and one to the back axle) and sitting on top of that junction you will find a small round pressure switch screwed in to the top. it has two wires leading from it, or should have, and is the brake light switch, operated by fluid pressure. They can, and do, seize solid. After disconnecting, test with a meter or wires,battery and a bulb etc whilst friend applies pressure to the break pedal ............ MORE
Gas pedal is nearest the outside Bob 60 RHD AN5 TAMPA MTGBRKR1@... 15775... MORE
Not a stupid question at all. pedal near the gear stick is clutch, middle brake and accelerator nearest drivers door. "geojon" 15763... MORE
A guy I work with asked me a question the other day that I couldn't answer. I'm sure this group can. I know that cars in the UK had right hand drive so that you shifted with the left hand but are the pedals reversed as well? That is, is the gas nearest the transmission tunnel and the clutch nearest the door, like left hand drive cars? Although I've seen RHD cars before, I must admit that I never really looked that closely. "coachbad" 15762... MORE
As Brad says elsewhere, on early cars with single circuit brakes (pre '67 for US spec cars) the switch is on the right hand inner wing, screwed into a 4-way union and is actually a pressure switch rather than a pedal activated switch - a certain pressure in the hydraulic system triggers the switch. In my experience, they are pretty unreliable and stick in the open position, especially if you use silicone brake fluid; however, you may be able to 'unstick' it with a trick I learnt (thanks to Dave Wellings) This involves pouring boiling water and ice water... MORE
Can someone explain to me the operation of the brake light circuit in the MK-II midget? I have yet to locate a pedal-activated switch, so I could use a little assistance in just how the circuit is activated. Thanks in advance, Israel "Israel Engle" 15745... MORE
Thanks George: I'm keeping a tally and so far it's 2-0 against just changing the axle shafts. Joe Burruso "J.S. Burruso" 15726... MORE
I'm going to be getting a Bugeye in the near future and will be configuring it somewhat like an early vintage racer. I would like it to have have wire wheels. I've asked the list before and I've gotten two distinctly different responses. Response one is, you must use an early quarter elliptic rear end from a wire wheel spridget since the wire wheel shafts are shorter and will cause big problems. Response two is, if your not going to race, simply exchange the disk wheel axles with wire wheel types and don't worry about the difference in length.... MORE
Tom: I don't need the dif and axles so I will take you up on the free offer for the rest of the stuff. Could I pick it up on Saturday, October 19? I am about 2.5 hours away from metro Charlotte. I could leave home about 8:00AM , come up I-85(ugh!)and be in the area by 10:30-11:00. I would need directions or a phone number to call when I get into the area. I guess it would take me 1-2 hours to remove the diff/axles. Then home again on the trailer. Thanks, John "mg_john2" 15651... MORE
John, The chassis includes two doors, both fenders, the valance and the hood. The trans tunnel has been cut but the piece is still with the car. If you come after it and leave me the axles and diff, you can take the rest. If you want the axles and diff already out then it would be $75 Regards, Tom Speed www.MGRacer.com Charlotte, NC '76 Midget (Son's Restored Toy) '66 Midget (SpeedRacer) '84 Chevy S-10 (Tows SpeedRacer) '98 Eclipse Spyder (Wife's Toy) '98 Chrysler Lowered Floor Conversion Van (Tows Me) "Tom Speed" 15646... MORE
I need a 3.9 differential for our race car. A friend has offered to give me a '73 RWA chassis with the rear axle still in it. Will it have the right ratio? Second question, is there anyone near Charlotte, NC that would like a '73 RWA chassis minus rear gear real cheap! Regards, Tom Speed www.MGRacer.com Charlotte, NC '76 Midget (Son's Restored Toy) '66 Midget (SpeedRacer) '84 Chevy S-10 (Tows SpeedRacer) '98 Eclipse Spyder (Wife's Toy) '98 Chrysler Lowered Floor Conversion Van (Tows Me) "Tom Speed" 15606... MORE
I like having the extra weight on the rear axle, helps with traction and I try to put it all on the passenger (right side, Yankee car) so that the lean is not too bad either! Matt P "Matthew Pfeil" 15586... MORE
Keith: "As near as we can tell".....the landing gear is down. Sometimes as near as we can tell just isn't good enough though it may be good enough for government work. I suggest you stop "force starting" it. The very fact it will not start on gasoline tells the tale my friend. Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 15573... MORE
Israel- Victoria British, Moss, Personal, etc. all sell aftermarket steering wheels (adaptor hubs are required and, of course, "extra"!) of smaller diameters than stock. Of course, these will increase "effort" which is the trade-off for smaller diameter. A 14 or 13 inch wheel will work just fine....stay away from "dished" and opt for "flat" which will give you even more room. Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 15558... MORE
hello everyone! I just joined your group! It seemed like a good thing to do considering I've owned a '69 Midget since 1995. So, let me explain to you why I'm here and then maybe I'll get on with asking a question or two. A long, long time ago I picked up my Midget for 300 USD from a kid who had bought the thing a year or so before and had never figured out how to make the thing run. I have worked on it on and off for years, occasionally picking up a part here and there... MORE
Hi David, Here's a few tips for you. First of all, you don't need to dump your DGV and get another for the Datsun. Just get an adapter plate from Pierce Manifolds and it will bolt right up the the Datsun manifold. It's around $30-35 if I remember correctly., so yes I have done it before. (see my Morris Traveller page) The engine (yes Allen, it is heavier than an A-series, but not sure about the 1500) is good to around 300,000 miles if it has been properly cared for, so you might not need to rebuild, but you... MORE
