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Thanks for the tips David. Now that I think about it I think I am to fault for the problem. I towed it home with the rear wheels on the dolly and the steering locked in center position. The California freeways, that in sections are fast approaching third word conditions, could have been too much jarring on the steering lock. 880 between Hayward and Berkeley is some of the worst freeway surface I have driven on in the states. Live and learn. Don "Don May" 23598... MORE
So that is a key release . . . sure happy it does not work. What a stupid place to put it, where you can't push it with out contorting yourself into unnatural positions.... The car is in the back yard and on a non-op permit so at least the steering lock will not lock on me while driving on the road until I fix it . . . NOW another question . . . can I defeat the durn thing. I do not want a steering wheel lock, that is what club sticks are for if one is... MORE
On my new 73 when I turn the wheel with the key on and steering lock supposedly disengaged I can hear and feel the steering wheel lock detents clicking and feel a slight catching as I turn the wheel as if the lock is not fully disengaged. Any thoughts as to what may be causing this. And what is the small chrome button just under the key slot for? Don "Don May" 23590... MORE
Hi guys At last I've almost finished the paint stripping/underseal stripping. What a boring, tedious, monotonous job that was! By far the worst I've had to do so far and I'm so pleased its now almost finished. This does now bring into focus the filling/spraying aspect. All of the car has now been taken back to bare metal, and I intend to spray an acid etch primer coat on top of the bare metal, before the primer coats. Now, the question is, should I put filler on before the etch primer or afterwards? Second question is, there is still... MORE
Rio From Aug 1977, for a Russet Car, Beige interior superseded Autumn Leaf and had a chestnut carpet. Nigel "amukdigiphoto" 23572... MORE
how much would a column stalk be over here? I bought my last one second hand about 10 years ago so don't have much idea! David "David Jacobs" 23538... MORE
Dear Listers, I hope someone out there can point me in the right direction. Just finished ( to the point where it should run well) my '75 Midget. I have a recurring problem with stumbling and power loss during higher speed cruising, above 40 mph. The spluttering is usually accompanied by a 5 dg. or so rise in coolant temp. If I back off, the car will smooth out again and run OK if I don't push it. The magic number seems to be 50 mph. If I cruise lower than that I usually don't have problems. At 50... MORE
The tires rest a bit on the inside slopes of the wheel racks of the dolly but did tie down snugly. A buddy that had towed a midget on a dolly went down with me and things went smoothly. Backed it up on the dolly and locked the steering wheel. Stopped several times on the trip home and all was fine. Feels so good to have finished the paper work hassle and now to have it home at last. As far as U-Haul knows I towed home a 1985, blue, two door, Ford Escort. :-) I have no idea... MORE
http://www.teglerizer.com/mgstuff/obs_finished_interior.htm is shot showing the Autumn Leaf interior of my BGT The dashboard pics, mid page at http://www.teglerizer.com/midgetstuff/interior2.htm show the true color of 'Biscuit' very well. Paul Tegler ptegler@... www.teglerizer.com "ptegler@cablespeed" 23544... MORE
Hi Everyone: I am now trying to fit my car's interior back together (it's a 1979 1500 Midget with Russett Brown xterior and what I think is Autumn Leaf interior). I have heard conflicting names for the brownish/russet colored interior that my car came with.can someone tell me how I can determine definitively if its Autumn Leaf (and not Biscuit or Beige or something else)? Also, if anyone is selling any interior vinyl panels in this color I would be interested to buy them. Kinldy contact me off-line. Thanks. Rio rior@... (take out the REMOVE in the middleplease) "Rio... MORE
Hi All I have a 79 midget and have to no lights.The column switch is very loose and needs replaceing. I got a new lucas switch from my local import parts store. I paid $98.00 for it.Is this a fair price? I am planing on putting it in tomorow morning.Will I need a puller to get the steering wheel off. And if anyone has any other helpfull hints or sugestions please let me know. Thank you very much Rick "mtman19552002" 23533... MORE
sorry, the only measurements I have seen are for use with original dealer body checking gauge sets, so you're out of luck unless you happen to have one of those hanging around! You could try marking your own datum points on the centre-line of the car (start by making diagonal lines from fixed points left and right to accurately find the centre) then measure where the shock absorber mounting holes come relative to this centre. One other thing, have you checked the top trunnions to make sure they're the same each side? Regards David "David Jacobs" 23522... MORE
Does anyone have the measurements between the 6 points on the shocks on a 1975 midget. I live in a very small town and the body shops here don't have any type of information on mg's. My midget has more problems than I first thought. I replaced the negative camber bushings in the lower a-arms with a new set of stock ones, checked the distance between the lower a-arms after buying a shop manual from Moss, checked the spindle, and removed and checked the shock mounts to see if they had been played with and still have too much... MORE
Does anyone have the measurements between the 6 points on the shocks on a 1975 midget. I live in a very small town and the body shops here don't have any type of information on mg's. My midget has more problems than I first thought. I replaced the negative camber bushings in the lower a-arms with a new set of stock ones, checked the distance between the lower a-arms after buying a shop manual from Moss, checked the spindle, and removed and checked the shock mounts to see if they had been played with and still have too much... MORE
If its a street car I wouldn't worry too much. You could always run 1/4 inch wheel spacers. My race car rubs like a son of a gun I've finally got it so it is only rubbing fenders instead of springs. The advantage of the smoke screen around corners is offset by the fear of sidewall failure. More BFH work and a Panard bar eventually will solve it. Jay Shaffer 23508... MORE
Ed, When I put the new tire and wheel on the front, I had someone sit in the car and then we depressed the suspension while the steering wheel was turned both directions. It didn't rub. When we put it on the back, we bounced the car up and down and found no problem with the fender wells or outer fender, just that narrow gap between the inside of the tire and the spring. I'm just wondering if the tire will ever flex enough in the sidewall to rub against the rear spring. The wheels are 13 x 5... MORE
Jack, I'm running 185 70s on Cosmic 5.5s with 1/4" spacers on the rear. Have about 1/8" clearance to the springs. On hard cornering, they apparently rub the spring at one of the clamps, because the paint there is very slightly erased and the sidewalls have the slightest scuff mark. A smudge, not an abrasion or cut. I can't hear 'em rub at all, so I'm not worried. I suspect your 1/4 - 1/2" is plenty enough. Anybody got a good reason otherwise, I'd like to know too. Hamondale "hamondale" 23464... MORE
I came across a really good deal on a used set of Minilite replicas with 175x70x13's mounted on them. The guy let me take one home and check to see if there would be any clearance problems. On the front, there is absolutely no doubt that they will run without rubbing. Lock to lock there is no touching. On the back, they roll just fine but, I noticed that there is only about 1/4 to 1/2 inch clearance between the inboard sidewall and the rear eliptical spring. With my stock wheels and the little 155x80x13's there is about an... MORE
"I am building a 1275 to the specs of my 1340 Cooper S that I had in the UK. I had the cam ground close to the 731 cam that I had in that motor. It will have a big valve head and cooper s distributor. It is .030 over. I have several leather hides and decided to cover all panels and dash with that. I put floors, lt rocker and A post piller sections back in it plus a new bonnet. (Since buying a bonnet I bought a 68 with an excellent bonnet for $400.) Oh well. All... MORE
Hello Folks I have just finished last spring on a 3 yr restoration on my 1971 MG Midget. The only thing I did not touch would be the motor. The PO said at the time of purchase that he had rebuilt the motor and it only had around 6,000 miles on it. Maybe he did maybe he didn't. My question is, if the timing chain goes what can I expect? Will it screw the whole motor or what will it do? Thanks for the advice Jason 1971 MG Midget 1964 MG Midget "Jason Gross" 23419... MORE
Kim said, .You're too kind Alan! I have another collector's car, a Mini and that will be time-consuming enough. I say minis are great little cars, I've had plenty of them, but to work on and for summer / occasional driving the 'older' midget sure beats them. Minis are fine to work on if you have 2 foot long legs, a five foot long back and three arms - four foot long and no more than 2 inch diameter !!! Keep the midget and ditch the mini I say, !!! Alan "alan.east-jones" 23389... MORE
Thanks your pics are helpful. It appears that the upper bolts are accesed from under the dash, correct? I have tried to remove the lower screws and bend the dash out for access but it has a lot of resistance. The dual gauge is above the steering column and limits access. "MARK " 23368... MORE
I've completed converting my Bugeye over to negative ground, but I am having a problem converting the tachometer from positive ground to negative. The only tach conversion instructions I have been able to find on the internet or books are for a different type (earlier positive ground tachs?) and the configuration & colored wires do not match. I need advise from Listers who have done a similar tach conversion in past. First ... tach is not original Bugeye. My tach is from a later Mark 2 Sprite (HAN7), specifically a Smiths RVI2401/00 Positive Earth. The white wires wrap around... MORE
Hi I think I might be to late put my two pennyworth in. I have just done the very same job on my Mk1 Midget and it is exactly the same.The rear end was fixed to a point behind the trim with a self tapping screw.The frount and had a small bracket that fixed around the trim and bolted to one of the nuts that are attached to the padding on top of the dash.As far as the trim around the door space is concerned this is fixed by little clips with barbs on them that clip on to... MORE
Kim, Take it from one who can store twice the stuff in a given space than one normally does . . . Put all the bins and bags in it, lay the windshield flat over it and build a work bench surface over it. Otherwise you risk kicking yourself a few years from now for selling it. You can even open and close one door to put more stuff in it. A workbench with a Sprite cabinet door. Don, with more buried ex-hobbies that the squirrels have nuts stored in my back yard. "Don May" 23329... MORE
