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Oh, yah. That small hole for the hose. On my 76, I needed to replace the battery box floor, so I just modified the little hole to large enough to remove the slave. "Brent Wolf" 13317... MORE
That was a factory modification (I believe) in 1975 with the 1500's. It is a really bad design because when battery acid and byproduct are ignored when spilled, they will find their way to the slave cylinder and furtehr aid in it's destruction. Gerard "gerardchateau" 13306... MORE
the base element in most "bug and tar removers" is mineral spirits. This stuff is very common. Also used as oil base paint thinner. It is non-toxic, and non-flammable. However one might be careful using it on carpet that has been treated with scotchgard...it tends to dissolve it and render the carpet vulnerable to subsequent staining. My reccomendation is either using the mineral sprits and then re-treating the carpet with scotchgard........on the outer areas of the car I use a product called "BIG ORANGE" manufactured by ZEP industrial products.....works really well....but leaves the paint alone......Smells real nice too.....you thin... MORE
Brett, You leave the hose connected, but you remove the bolt(s) which attach the slave to the gearbox. Then you lift the slave up to the same height of the master cylinder- all without detaching the hose. Most Midgets had a long flexible hose which allows you to do this- although it sounds like yours has metal pipes rather than the flexible plastic item? I'm not sure why your hose goes through a small hole near the battery either- this may be a modification or a factory change I've never seen before. It sounds daft in any case. :-)... MORE
Andy- Neat conversion! Considering your comments on the stock gearbox, this may be a future candidate for a Datsun 210 5 speed, eh? Nice job, man. And you have a Sparkrite ignition system! These are very rarely seen in US....are you "over here" or "over there"!? :) Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 13300... MORE
That's true and of course the generator is not 100% efficient. However, the electric water pumpt does not run all the time. However in most climates the standard cooling system should work fine if in good condition with a quality pump. Oil cooler, watter wetter and an electric fan will also help you win the battle. Any spare heat you folks have can be parcelled up and sent to the British Isles! "Jeremy Cogman" 13268... MORE
Master clutch cylinder seems to work fine... the slave cylinder sounds like it is moving... but pushing in the clutch pedal in isn't disengaging the clutch plate. I rebuilt the slave cylinder myself... Can air in the slave cylinder cause this? Should the bleeder valve be in the top most hole... or does it matter? I thought I put it in just like it was... feeder pipe in the top, bleeder in the bottom... but now that I think of it... air would rise to the top.. The slave cylinder can be removed from the trans while it is... MORE
I've seen this before and my personal opinion is that it is not worth the time trouble and expense to fabricate when you can buy quality rebuilt levers from Peter C. in the neighborhood of $65. There are a couple things I don't like in the design also. Gerard "gerardchateau" 13266... MORE
Electric water pump drives: "It also adds 3-5hp by eliminating the water pump belt drive." Not really!! The electrical load is picked up by the alt/gen and guess what drives... well....you know where this is goin'! :) There is no "free lunch", unless you're an Enron or Worldcom "top floor" kinda guy. Then you get to keep most of what you've stolen from your employees and stockholders (as you do your part to bring down the American economy through what amounts to "fixing" the stock market while you fill your own pockets!). Oh, yeah. This isn't really free either........ MORE
The Tach gear box in my MK1 had gasped its last tooth and I was replacing it with a Smith electronic tach I had bought from a parted out 64 Midget. Much to my dismay the used Tach did not work and I was feeling down about that and the money lost . . . it was a "good buy," beautiful cosmetic condition, and on the front plate marked "positive ground," just what I had needed. A little thought pops up . . . I remembered reading a web page about switching to a negative ground system and the... MORE
Hi Folks, I've got a 1978 MG Midget 1500 cc engine sharing the garage with my Toyota Spyder. The engine was rebuilt to factory specs with a 1/4 race cam by a professional engine rebuilder. The engine is to factory specs and I've got various and sundry extra parts that will go with it. If anyone is interested drop me a line, i need more room in my garage than I do an MG engine. Tim Soxman "tentec2002" 13243... MORE
Shane- At 61K you are just about prime for a front end rebuild, in most cases. It depends to a great extent on how the car was driven and maintained during that period. A guy who lubes the front end religiously every 3,000 miles and drives sanely on rough surfaces will get many more good miles out of a front end than the "other" type of driver, obviously. Of course, there is the "pothole" that sneaks up on even the best of us to cause "mechanical" damage (also caused by collision of front end with objects, be these curbs... MORE
Well- I had the same sort of problem on my PO'd '74 Midget.....turned out to be a case of scale buildup in the radiator, which was the original that came with the car. Replaced it with a new, stock OEM item and "problem" gone!! :) Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 13202... MORE
The lower fulcrum pin offers no camber adjustment. The stock setup offers no camber adjustment. Best thing to do is rebuild, replacing all worn components (including springs) and see what happens. Then if you need some adjustment, use an offset upper fulcrum pin bushing. They are available from the racing boys. Mini Mania has some I believe. They will give you a little adjusment range. My 74 is doing the same except on the left side. Good Luck! John "mg_john2" 13187... MORE
I am posting this for a friend..that has tried to join this list..and is having problems joining..his need it immediate..so I thought I would post for him. 1975 MG Midget. Clutch was going...so we replaced the clutch. While we had it out of the car...we deicided to pull all the pollution crap in order to get more power. We also rebuilt the SU carb. The car now will not idle under 2000 rpm...has less power than before...and just runs like crap. others have suggested that I buy a Weber carb kit with manifold..air filter...etc for about $500... Before I... MORE
Don, Also, earliest smoothcase trannies had a wide spacing between 2nd and 3rd gear. There was an optional close ratio box available in early Bugeyes, and later that close ratio smoothcase box became standard. So, if you want a smoothcase, look for a close ratio box. (You can see the difference in the size of gears after you pull off the side plate...) WST "Wm. Severin Thompson" 13153... MORE
All (Please excuse my lack of mechanical knowledge!!!! but....), I have a 1970 MG Midget III (1275cc) which has a persistent over - heating problem. The problem manifests itself more so after a short run on the freeway (say 20 mins at 80 - 90k's), although the engine doesn't over-heat until slowing down. Around town from a cold start there doesn't seem to be the same problem (Although there may well be a gradual loss of coolant). This vehicle has no modifications to my knowledge. Okay, checks performed, i) Thermostat, operating correctly.. ii) Cooling system has been completely flushed..... MORE
i have a 71 mg midget ar there any wheels other than the stock ones that will fit "shred_it_up" 13138... MORE
Well Boys and Girls The Bugeye calender (along with the screensaver) has arrived, and as promised I'd let you know what you're missing...Very little really. It's 22cm X 28cm with a very bad matt colour print of a red Bugeye on the front with Austin Healey wings underneath. The Bugeye I don't recognise. It has a (blanked out) Illinois number plate, A front bumber and stone guards on the headlights. The photos inside are 15cm X 9.5cm glossy and of better quality except that he has made them fit the template of the calendar so therefore are either stretched... MORE
Datsun Violet/160j SSS has a dog-leg first, although I believe the casing is made of cast iron rather than alloy. The standard Datsun 510/Sunny RWD 'box has a conventional H-shift. HTH G "Grant Bowyer" 13054... MORE
For seriously corroded / tarnished ones I use a spot of paint cutter (NOT polish) like t-cut then a wipe with meths or another solvent to remove any residue. A small brass wire brush can also be useful. "Jeremy Cogman" 13078... MORE
ambiguity)....took these apart in my earlier days. These "little" teeth take a terrible beating (in the non-synchro boxi, anyway). I have heard from some that the non- synchro first gear was never meant to do anything but get you on your way. In other words, it was never meant to be revved but I've no idea of the validity of this. By the time I got back into LBC's after leaving them to devote my time strictly to my job in NYC and flight training, I was leaving this work to the pro's and lost my "hands on" touch... MORE
I installed the Rivergate conversion two months ago. It is great. It uses a late 1979-1981 Datsun 210 5 spd transmission. No cutting on the Spridget body or frame. I had to bang on the heater duct a bit. The kit comes with adapter plate, rear main oil seal, front u joint, rear motor (transmission) mount. I had to grind a bit on the transmission housing and cut a hoel for the starter. I used the original clutch slave cylinder and had to re-route the hydraulic tubing. Took me a few hours, but what a difference! The car drives... MORE
Jeremy- How do I know what? Please be specific. I was talking about teeth missing on the small gear of the laygear of a standard Sprite, or "non-synchro first" MGA or B type gearbox which has attained many miles or might have been "abused", whether intentionally or not. What are you talking about? Nothing unusual at all about this as I have found same in at least 4 our of 4 cases. There is no dogleg first on the Datsun box. The tunnel hump stays. If there is a "downside" to this conversion (or cutting etc. required with the... MORE
Cap'n. Bob, Is 5th. gear step-up or 1:1 in this box? If step-up, what ratio? I was going to be happy to put my original box back in, but after reading all of the good news about the Datsun box, I'm getting tempted. In which years/vehicle models was this box used? I'd like to start looking. I know that there was a lot of info given our recently on this site re necessary mods to enable the Datsun box to go in, but I discarded the message(s). I can't recall anything major other than adapter plate, but could you... MORE