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G end skittish< Sounds like standard 1/4 elliptic handling to me... ;oP "jamesbilsland" 10175... MORE
Sure, Stanley Hill- You can counter understeer (or oversteer) to some extent by varying the stock ratio between front and rear tire pressures. The stock Spridget normally runs 2-4 lbs. more pressure in the rear than it does at the front. To counter understeer, we will raise the front pressures, or lower the rear. We will bring the ratio between the two to "even" and probably end up with a little more in the front than in the rear. Which to do. Well, if the back end ride is a little choppy, we'd take 2 pounds out of the... MORE
my 76 midget has a lot of under steer in my opinion.All but impossible to bring rear around.It has 145 tires and front but no rear sway bar. Appears to be stock set up.I know that stiffening up the rear will help some, any other thoughts?? "stanley hill" 10119... MORE
Dear listers, Please excuse the almost off color slant, but I thought this brief glimpse into the air transportation of Cap'n Bob, might be interesting to some of the rest of you. Cheers, Bob in San Diego "Robert D. Gardner" 10131... MORE
Paul- Rear anti-roll bar? Uh-oh! This page; http://www.mgparts.co.nz/performance2.html has a good explanation of the dynamics of a live-axle rear, independant front setup, take special notice of the paragraph which reads "final consideration lies in the independent front/live rear axle combination of MG's from the TD through to the MGB & C. As the solid rear axle keeps the back wheels at a fixed attitude to the road (basically vertical) then reduced body roll gives no increase in grip at the rear - all the gain is at the front. A rear anti-rollbar therefore has the following effect: weight transfer... MORE
A few days ago I started up a webpage with electrical schematics of late-model Midgets, built from 1975-1980. TimS of this group has taken that idea to the next level and has created a COLOR, LABELLED version of the schematic I posted. He emailed it to me and I am making it available on the page. I shudder to think of the time spent rebuilding the schematic to get it to how you see it here! But then rebuilding things is what most folks here do... Check out the updated page... http://www.geocities.com/my1978mgmidget/schem.html or go to the new diagram directly...... MORE
Ok, Paul, here goes! As your's is a street machine, get new bushings to begin with, of course. Poly and Nylatron will both work and they will stiffen things up but, the ride will become much harsher with these and the poly will squeak and grind in time, no matter what grease you initially use; eventually, the lubrication will "go" (BTDT). Now, if you can live with these sounds, fine. I could not and went back to stock rubber. Handling in all respects didn't suffer much, but ride was much better and it bought the "peace and quiet" back!... MORE
Something tells me Cap'n Bob grew up on a steady diet of American V8 Lard-mobiles. ;-) Mike- most 175's will fit (but only just) but they'll ruin the delicate poise and handling of your '63. Total grip during cornering will be better, but you'll lose the ability to balance the car on the throttle- your wee 1098 engine just hasnt enough power to make full use of 175's. It's an old argument. Your average American equates 'handling' with 'grip', IE the car which generates the most cornering G's has the best handling and is safest. Which is, of course,... MORE
Tim and Mike: Pirelli P4s were very common here as standard for FIAT cars here during ea rly 90=B4s, and it is true they were sticky, pretty soft, good grip, and th at they don=B4t last forever.......LOL !!!!! Just take care they are not very old, and also the way they are "storaged" cos if wrong way many years, they get deformed.... 1955 Jorge Dimitrakis 1973 Midget RWA 1275 1810 Argentina Mike, That sounds like a great deal, I've heard that Pirelli's are "sticky" , they're pretty soft so they stick to the road good. However, I think that... MORE
No harm done Cap'n. I apreciate all of the imput. Actually I am upgrading to a 1275cc, keeping stock wheels and will probable stay in the 155.- 165/70 or 80 range.. Thanks Mike '63 sprite '79 Midget kna331@... 10089... MORE
Hello Folks I was under my 1971 MG Midget 1275 the other night. I have had an oil leak for awhile so I thought it I laid under it long enough I would find were she is leaking. Well I did It is coming from the transmission, There must be a official name for this plate but I will call it the plate that is mounted on the left hand side of the trans. This is were it is leaking. I had the transmission total rebuilt about 2 years ago just to let you folks know. Here is the... MORE
Hello Folks I was under my 1971 MG Midget 1275 the other night. I have had an oil leak for awhile so I thought it I laid under it long enough I would find were she is leaking. Well I did It is coming from the transmission, There must be a official name for this plate but I will call it the plate that is mounted on the left hand side of the trans. This is were it is leaking. I had the transmission total rebuilt about 2 years ago just to let you folks know. Here is the... MORE
Ok, guys!! "Down", guys, "down". :) I take it all back, ok?! I keep thinking 1275 engines and wider stock wheels than what this lister probably has on his 1098 equipped Spridget. You are correct! Go with the normal 78 or 80 aspect ratios for the smaller bores and "leaner" wheels. Growler is absolutely right. "Tossability" will go to hell with 175/70's on the "leaner" wheels and will un-necessarily "drag" the smaller engine as well. Correctomundo. The car will lose it's "fun" handling quotient. I apologize for my erroneous initial recommendation (I should have had more coffee before attempting... MORE
Click image for modified view. Details Location: Phoenix, AZ a.. Year 1971 a.. Make MG a.. Model MIDGET a.. Price $1,900.00 a.. City Phoenix a.. State AZ a.. Zip 85027 a.. Country United States a.. Phone Number 6238790341 Description 1971 MG MIDGET - convertible, vehicle runs & drives, needs tlc, $1900 or best offer, ANY CHARITY AUTO SALES, help yourself & help needy Arizona families, others to choose from, Tom 602-910-2235, Ron 602-292-8100, se habla Espanol, "Ian & Cathy" 10066... MORE
Hi, I am looking to fit my '63 sprite with new radial tires. Can anyone tell me what sizes I can use? It is basically a stock car with stock steel wheels. Having a little trouble finding tire data for LBC's. Thankful for any help. Mike K. "kna331" 10048... MORE
kna 335 175/70 good all around choice. Not too large, not too small! Won't "overpower" stock suspension set-up but will give "improved" grip over standard 145X13 or 155X13, also fittable. Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 10049... MORE
Tim, The OTHER item to download on my page is the "key" that lists the parts, and the color codes too! Here is the link directly to the key...go to it, then right click on it and choose SAVE PICTURE AS. http://www.geocities.com/my1978mgmidget/78-80_Calif_key_big.gif Or go to the page... http://www.geocities.com/my1978mgmidget/schem.html Wow, a color version. That would definately be time consuming. But way cool. Bear in mind that there are EIGHT diagrams for the 1975-79 model years! I have only posted one of them so far! "my1978mgmidget" 10039... MORE
Jeremy It's stock issue from Vicky Brit. I don't think it's a fan problem I think it's a combination of being a 1500 Midget (they run hot anyway) and installed as a pusher. Doug 77 Michigan Doug Pletcher 10042... MORE
The only thing I can think of is to feather in some polyester body filler and then use the new paint..... David A. Stevens Jr. Utilities Engineer II NYS Office Of General Services Sheridan Avenue Steam Plant 79 Sheridan Avenue Albany, NY 12210 "Stevens, David" 10041... MORE
Can anyone give me a beginners' lesson on repairing small paint chips? I have illustrated the problem (small, but growing) my '78 Midget is suffering from on this page... http://www.geocities.com/my1978mgmidget/paint_chips.html Thanks, Steve Steven Michelsen 10033... MORE
I assume you've tried: MiniMania Victoria British Moss Winners Circle (Ohio) Motorhead (Washington DC suburb) Little British Car Co. (Michigan) Apple Hydraulics (rebuilds A-Arms and has them in stock) eBay etc... etc... Curt "Curtis Carlson" 9985... MORE
I have the rear leaf springs installed but can't find anyone who has the front lower a-arms in stock. Everyone seems to be waiting for back orders to arrive. A while back I asked if anyone had some GOOD lower a-arms for sale and got one or two replies. Unfortunately I lost the contacts. If anyone has some good lower a-arms for sale, please let me know as I am tired of having to borrow my friends van to get to work. Please reply if the a-arms you want to sell are GOOD and have no play in them.... MORE
The key to success is in the painter's technique. The mask can be made to lay down close and correctly, but spraying in the right direction is the key. You don't need to sparay a lof paint to cover with black and a couple light coats is all you need anyway. Any spots that are missed, I tough up with a small sable brush. It's completely undetectable with semi-gloss paint anyway. Here's the set I did with the mask. http://www.gerardsgarage.com/GarageContent/75midget.htm I assure you they were perfect and took much less time than masking. That's my experience anyway. Original condition... MORE
I have seen the precut masks you speak of, but my main concern with them is sealing the edges and keeping the paint from bleeding under into the other field. I have had that problem with similar templates in the past. Always looking for e better solution without re-inventing the wheel. Thanks for the reply David A. Stevens Jr. Utilities Engineer II NYS Office Of General Services Sheridan Avenue Steam Plant 79 Sheridan Avenue Albany, NY 12210 "Stevens, David" 9911... MORE
I took the wheels to the blaster and had them blasted and the basecoat of pewter (silver) applied. Then, after they were dry (200 degree oven, 45 minutes), I masked off the black area using blue painters tape (same adhesive as 3M post-it notes). Then, instead of using the painters tape to cover large surfaces, I crimpled (?) aluminum foil around the large areas I wished to mask off. The Aluminum foil works well because it masks large areas, conforms to irregular surfaces, and has enough "grip" so it doesn't blow off in the wind from the paint gun.... MORE
