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"We are in the process of relocating.... sporadic cell service" Ah...a "serious" matter, then. I'd go with Biff Jones idea for sure. A second distributor...all set up, spare spark plugs, spare fan belt, and a length of spare hose and ignition wire, spare fuel pump, and necessary small bag of tools. The all important flashlite of course and a portable starter/charger as well if you're really out there in the sticks. Of course... what will serve you best is a quality scheduled, preventive maintenance program (and the "right attitude" towards being "situationally aware" in terms of survival in the... MORE
OK, working on the Midget again, it's running just peachy with the petronix. My last real issue before getting it road inspected is the brakes. There are 2 issues: 1. Brakes need to be pumped 2-3 times every time you need to stop to get full pedal. Once they are pumped, they are solid and do not go to the floor, no matter how hard they are pushed. I assume from this they are holding pressure. Additionally, they don't seem to be leaking anywhere. Next time you need to stop, you need to do pump them 2-3 times again.... MORE
How much difference was there between the two wrenches? If the surfaces are flat and undamaged, it shouldn't need a huge clamping pressure to keep 'em oil tight. David "David Jacobs" 32875... MORE
FINALLY getting enough strength in my arms again to work on the car. Pulled ligament in right shoulder, and tennis elbow on left arm pretty much decimated my sex life. Um wait, that is another e group. Anyway, I think I have found the root cause of my oil problem. I put the head on, torque it down with my trusty Taiwanese click wrench to 42 pounds. They final torque at 50, so for shits and giggles, I got my $5 flea market Craftsman beam wrench. Believe it or not, my Taiwanese wrench was not torquing as tight as... MORE
Martyn... I understand you're being a little tired of having to replace, set dwell and adjust timing periodically, when an electronic conversion basically eliminates this chore. The good thing about points is that when the system needs attention, it usually warns you by a progressive fall-off in performance. An electronic conversion is usually "on" or "off" in terms of failure... usually no warning. And of course, don't forget the dizzy needs a few drops of oil every now and then! The forgoing having been said, I've used Crane "700" and "3000" units up until a couple of years ago,... MORE
The typical function of a resistor in either the coil as in built in, special resistance wire to the coil or with one in series between the power supply and the coil is this. When the resistor is cold, it passes a lot of current so the cooil will have about full voltage at start up to produce a hot spark. As the resistor heats up, it reduces the amount of power getting through, so instead of a full 12 volts, for example, it now is passing only 9 volts or so. The coil will still produce a full... MORE
I'm getting ready to rebuild my 79's MC, as it keeps dripping brake fluid on my foot. Any special words of advice from someone who's done it? Are there any things I should be especially aware of, or any special precautions to take? Thanks in advance, George "chuibuddy" 32784... MORE
Mike, Let me start by saying if there are no leaks and the fluid level in the MC dosen't drop, I would suspect your MC. That said, does your brake warning light come on when you turn the ignition on? If it dosen't then the switch is centered. When either the right or left brakes fail the internal shuttle is push to one side or the other to seal off the side which has lost pressure and when it does it activates the switch and the dash light comes on. If your light is on after bleeding the brakes... MORE
Jens, After a complete re-build of my car, including new radiator and cap, I too was loosing water out of the overflow pipe for no apparent reason. The clue lies in the new cap. Although this was rated at the correct pressure (7 psi for early cars, 15 psi for later ones) it turned out to be a modern one with a neck that was too short, so was never seating properly! The easy way to check if yours is seating is to look at the bottom of the rubber seal to see if it has a circular indentation,... MORE
They are a real challenge! I have removed serveral this way: Soak (and I mean SOAK) the bolts with penetrating oil for a day or two. Put the nut back on the bolt and turn until the end of the bolt and the nut are even. Get a BIG hammer and hit the end of the bolt hard! After a few hits it will begin to move. You will have to use a punch to finish the job. The rear ones are harder because you can't get a good swing with the hammer. Just keep working on them. Although... MORE
Rob, That helps. So let me get more clear. The spring rate (color) determines how high the piston will rise in relation to redline under load, for example if it will not reach the top under load or it reaches the top way before red line under load, it is a function of the spring/color and how fast the piston reacts (not how high it goes) is a function of the viscosity of the oil in the damper. Is that close? Now all we need is a midget to curl up in the engine bay and peer into the... MORE
Air in the line will only give you a soft or spongy petal, not a loss of brakes. Loss of brakes would be caused by a leak, either a wheel cylinder or a brake switch, which would have fluid all over, or a master cylinder, which can have fluid all over or it might leak back into the reservoir, which you wouldn't see any fluid. You say that you rebuilt the master, but don't mention the wheel cylinders. Brake fluid eats rubber parts. I would suggest rebuilding, or at least inspecting the wheel cylinders. Check for leaks, and check... MORE
Hi all Looking for some advise. Have a '79 Stock Midget with dual line brake system. Have done work to it in the past year including: Rebuilt master, new rubber hoses all around, good linings, adjusted with nice firm pedal, NO leaks. Brakes seem fine then suddenly pedal goes to the floor with no brakes at all. This happened a few months back so I rebled the system and we have started to drive the car on a more regular basis now. Drove car about 100 mi before it happened. Pedal comes back up to normal with 1 or... MORE
Guys... Can't help but believe we are losing something in the translation, here. A faster rising of the piston (as Duncan points out) can be counterproducive to acceleration in terms of low end torque not only because of the "ramming affect" of a "smaller" venturi at the low end, but also because of the "leaning out" of the mixture on acceleration caused by "too great a rate". The thing is, the "proper weight" oil is "correct" for "rate of rise" in accordance with the maker's design of the application to begin with. The spring controls wherein the needle will... MORE
Don't get confused, Jens. The butterflies must fully open when the accelerater pedal goes fully down. This is mechanical matter. The pistons (air valves) must not reach their full upward travel prior to redline (or reasonably thereabouts). If they do, you require a stronger spring. Probably yellow is next. Aldon would know the different spring rates/colors. The weight of the oil determines the piston's rise RATE. The engine is being revved under no load circumstances. Thus, the butterflies will not require much opening in order to allow the motor to reach it's redline under this no-load condition. Cap'n. Bob... MORE
1. The shortly later models used a 3/4" dual master cylinder with disk brakes. Looks just like the Bugeye 7/8" but takes less pressure. 2. There is a mastercylinder cap? on ebay for the dual mastercylinder that is raised an holds more fluid than the flat cover??? 3. I'm not sure that they will let you race with a later mastercylinder/clutch cylinder system? I don't know, I'm "simi- stock". Bob, Troutdale, OR Capt'n Bob, Quite. "Robert Webb" 32710... MORE
Hi, Just ran my Bugeye in 4 Vintage races but fortunately blew a head gasket, cutting short my last race, because the master cylinder had suddenly lost about half its fluid in a few laps! Guess now is the time to upgrade to a dual circuit cylinder. What is the easiest route to do this? Any "how to" guides on the internet? There is a roll cage tube that goes quite close beside the "box" the master brake/clutch cylinder unit is in, so I don't have a lot of room for anything. Is there a later spridget dual brake/clutch... MORE
The Purpose of Tools HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate expensive parts not far from the object we are trying to hit. MECHANIC'S KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on boxes containing leather goods. ELECTRIC HAND DRILL: Normally used for spinning steel Pop rivets in their holes until you die of old age. PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads. HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on... MORE
I have recently acquired a 'new, old stock' crankshaft rear oil-seal kit for an A-series engine, but it did not come with any fitting instructions. Although it looks fairly simple, I want to make sure that everything is fitted correctly, so I wondered if anyone has fitted this kit and still has the fitting instructions? If so, would it be possible to scan or otherwise reproduce? All replies welcome. Thanks in advance Dave "daveo138" 32688... MORE
The replacement jets arrived this afternoon. My son installed them and measured the gap, right in the middle of the range. The lids were put on the float bowls and the pump turned on..... NO leaks. The engine was started again no leaks. Now I just need to tweek the carbs a little. I believe the car will be running on the road this weekend. Thanks to all who suggested going back to SU jets. I should have know! Martyn "Martyn Eastwood" 32656... MORE
What are the lengths of the two hoses that run between the oil cooler and the block/filter on a 73 Midget with a 1275? Moss Motors informed me yesterday that they sell these hoses as individual lengths only. I don't have a set to measure. Thanks for your help, Jim C 73 Midget 67 MGB "Jim Crowder" 32649... MORE
Buy a pin spanner that goes in the clips. Beats using a screwdriver and trying to get it into the groove without it flying who knows where. It makes it easy, and you know when they are truly in the grooves. $3-5.00, and I'll bet a whole lot cheaper than what your mechanic is gong to charge you for him to use his "pin spanner." Bob, Troutdale, OR "Robert Webb" 32646... MORE
Sunday I replaced the u-joints in my 79 1500. I got all the C-clips in their grooves, I thought, and re-installed the drive shaft. This AM, on the way to work, one grease cup let go, letting another one break out, and the car ended up being towed to my mechanic, where he's currently replacing the damaged u-joint. Is there some trick I'm missing, or am I just a F$%^#ng idiot? The clips seemed seated, but I guess not. This is the second time in two years I've had trouble installing these little buggers, and I'm dying to know... MORE
Hi All, I just wanted to rant about the shoddy condition of the Midget that i am restoring at the moment. This is my first Midget i have ever owned and have always wanted to have an MG. So I purchased one about two months ago which was mechanically sound ( apart from the clutch) but is a bit shoddy bodywork wise. I ordered the replacement sills (inner & Outer) and started work today removing bits for the job. So where does the frustration come in to it you ask. A weekend spent taking a car apart is 'fun'... MORE
Rich... Your fuel pressure setting is correct. There is some falling off in pressure between pump and carb. I've been using low pressure (2.5-4.0) Facets for many moons now with stock float valves...no problems. Same with previous Vizardized Series A with 90hp to rear wheels and Weber "45" except pump was Facet 6psi or so through 2.5 pressure regulator. Stock float valves in this case also. No problems. What pressure does your pump initially put out? What "color" would appear on a NEW set of spark plugs on your car after a hard run, preferably up a reasonably sloped... MORE
