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David... The 3.7 diffs were supposed to be of lighter construction than the previous 3.9's and 4.22's, though I have never had a problem with either the 3.9 or 3.7 in normal street daily driving, and that goes for my 90+HP @ the rear wheels Vizardized '74, my Judson blown '67 and my current Cooper S spec. 1293. With respect to "transfer of power", none of these cars were driven abusively. Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 23460... MORE
"...if the tming chain goes, what can I expect?" Jason... The engine is not an "interference" motor with respect to valve/piston clearance so mechanically nothing much to worry about. It'll probably backfire a couple of times as it looses power and quits as valve timing is lost. BTW, as timing chains really wear, they usually "rattle their cage", making quite a bit of mechanical noise under there, especially to those you are approaching who are standing outside towards the front of the car. They usually last a good, long time, though. Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 23420... 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
The green wire spoken of is inside the case. An excellent illustration is on this site: http://www.lotus-cortina.com/electric/convert.htm There is also a schematic for the more technical savvy. A 150 ohm resistor, (mistakenly called a diode in some instructions) in the "positive ground" unit one end is soldered to the "power in lug" which in a positive ground car would be the negative side of the battery. Resistor color ring markings: first brown 1, second green 5, third brown x 1 zero. The silver band would be the tolerance which is +/- 10% "Don May" 23394... 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
"Anyone ever fitted electric fan to a Mk.3 Midget..... Affirmative, M&M....guilty. Front mounted along with use of 5 bladed trop plastic fan for summer, heavy NYC Metro area traffic...good results. A few questions....is the tendency to run warm occurring "at speed" or crawling along as in traffic! Are you using a theromstadt? If so, summer one? You running a 50/50 antifreeze/water mix? If not, what's the current "ratio" of the mix? At around what ambient temperature does the tendency to run warm under the "circumstance" become apparent? Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 23354... MORE
They just stopped by Placerville on Hwy 50 on their way to Gardnerville Nevada and eventually Wisconsin - or was that Minnesota? This is the cross-country pickup of a 71 Midget from Southern California. They've had a hot-running car, which fits the 100+ weather, but the 14lb cap is holding and, tho it dribbles once stopped, seems to be holding pressure fine. The fancy wide wheels are a bit too wide and the left rear tire has been rubbing, but a service stop in Fairfield on the way across California saw some adjustment for clearance. I wish now I'd... MORE
The ignition switch is giving me problems. It no longer springs back to the on position after starting the engine and the starter doesn't disengage when the switch is manually moved from start to on. I have taken the steering wheel off and am stuck at the plastic cowling surrounding the switch. The turn signal stem won't let me pull out the left 1/2 of the cowling and the right 1/2 seems to be stuck in place also. Any tips on getting the faulty switch out of the column? I also would appreciate any MG parts websites in the... MORE
In his PR work for Ford in the seventies JYS used to do performance driving instruction and films. One of the things they did was make people driver a saloon car with a dish about 3' in diamerer mounted horizontally on the bonnet/hood. The dish had a depth of 2-3" and it had a tennis ball in it. The trick was to drive round a circuit or slalom course, keeping the ball in the dish. The point being, smooth is quick. jeremy.cogman@... 23283... MORE
a friend of mine wanted to test a secondhand Triumph Dolomite engine before buying it, and simply connected top and bottom hose together, and with the temperature gauge connected, just ran it till it showed on the gauge - a minute or two - long enough to see if there were any unusual noises or anything. (the engine was 'mounted' in a supermarket trolley for this test!) This method is simpler if you don't have access to a water supply, but slightly more risky than Cap'n Bob's, as there is nowhere for the expanding coolant to go, so pressure... MORE
I must apologize to those who followed my progress report, just don't have the time nor the room anymore to work on my 67 Sprite. It is a 67 Sprite that is torn down and middle of restoration. It has a lot of body work done already and shouldn't take much to finish. The shell and doors were professionally sandblasted to bare metal. (cost over $400 for just that). Car is apart but well cataloged, small parts in Ziplock bags with labels, bigger parts in categorized plastic bins, shell on a dolly, new VB parts used cost over $600.... MORE
G'day all Gotta ask - why?????? Under heavy braking, when the weight transfers to the front, the rear brakes lock up with the standard drum brakes fitted. I get slower as I get older (or so my bride tells me), but perhaps someone can explain to me why locking up the rears sooner (by using disc brakes) is an advantage. Personally, I enjoy power oversteer, but don't cherish disappearing backwards into the shrubbery under hard braking. Of course I have seen a few people fit rear disc brakes. Guess what they fit next. A brake biassing valve (usually off... MORE
That reminded me of a funny story my father told me. It seems a fellow had rebuilt a Midget motor and clamped it to some timbers to start it before he installed it in the car. He was doing this in an old house trailer that had a carpet floor (don't ask me why). Every thing was fine until he rev'ed the engine and it tipped over. The flywheel then snagged the carpet and ripped it loose from the floor. The motor ended up wrapped up in the carpet at the door of the trailer. The motor was unharmed... MORE
Talk about redundant? What with weight transfer and momentum, the fronts do at least 75% of the braking. If we gave equal power to the rears, they'd go light and lock up, skidding and providing no control. The rear brakes mainly act like the tail on a kite, stabilizing the car. It's over a hundred outside today - no wonder I'm taking so much interest in my email! David McCartney 71 Midget 72 Mini 69AA etc Captain Rapture 23277... MORE
Ahh but his is the nub of the matter, is that always the quickest way? Yes you can do some 2g braking just before you turn in but all the weight will be on the front of the car, your rears will have probably locked and you'll lurch through the corner at a slower speed and less optimum line than someone going in balanced from some gentle braking. Different on the track maybe (and I'm not sure we've established this is not a track car) but on the road then smooth is the way. Ref. Jackie Stewart and his... MORE
There's usually a mechanical linkage for rear discs or sometimes a small brake drum built into the disc to provide a handbrake; however, a more fundamental question is why he needs discs on the rear of a Midget anyway?! it's not exactly a high performance heavyweight car. David "David Jacobs" 23240... MORE
Hi A friend with a 1500 rubber bumper job has just bought (breakers yard job) the rear disks and calipers from a Rover 216 GSi. He has been told these will fit his midget, all he has to do is make up a new back plate to support the caliper. He has been told the original habdbreak cable can be retained. Has anyone done this if so have you a drawing of the backplate to give him a start. He has just fitted the frontline telescopic mod and thinks it is fantastic, makes the front of the car more... MORE
Bill, Unless I am mistaken, the original horn switches have heavy contacts that can handle the amperage necessary to operate the horn. The "curly wire" you are interested in is of a very light guage. I don't believe that it would handle the current that it takes to make the old "beep-n-tooter" work without overheating. I would suggest that the curly wire would work well if you incorporated a relay to send power to the horn instead of direct wiring. Again, I defer to the experts in the group to make the appropriate corrections. Cheers Dewd David A. Stevens... MORE
I would also appreciate info on testing the ignition switch. Thanks in advance. Neil "Neil Hernan" 23160... MORE
Electric Windows???? How much torque and HP do you think you are dealing with here? And your life is not complicated enough, already? Heh, heh, heh, heh!! Simply reposition the winder upon it's shaft (per another lister's excellent advice) and stay with the KISS principle....you'll be glad you did! :) (When Frank C.'s electric windows fail, he just gets another set of doors off one of his other cars and begins all over again!!:) Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 23102... MORE
List, I'm getting closer and closer to welding in a new (left hand side) outer sill. During preparations I noticed that the sill closing plates don't fit very accurately to the sill! (Especially in the curved area's). I might be able to dress them up a bit to achieve a better fit. Does any of you have some tips / tricks concerning the fitting of the closing plates? How to prevent rust after fitting them with quite some gaps / spaces? (Painting that area upfront isn't an option since they have to be welded in place) Could I best... MORE
Wimpy.... There are 1500 owners who would very much like to be in your shoes with your 1275 driveline set-up, believe me!! When YOUR transmission goes, you can at least exchange it for the readily available, easily installable Datsun 210 conversion for about what it costs for a rebuilt British ribcase at today's prices. AND, you have the benefit of already having the higher geared 3.7 diff. as well (most likely) which came stock in the later 1500 Spridgfires. Which is a good thing considering the first 3 ratios for the 210 gearbox are slightly lower than those in... MORE
I have a 74 MG Midget, I already know it's been pieced together from SEVERAL different year cars, but I have run all the wires down and come up with two that have no where to go. One is Blue with a female connector on it, the other is Green/Purple with a male connector on it. I have checked the wiring diagrams in the Hayes manual and another English manual (it's red can't think of who it's by) and neither of them show these wires. There are two possibilities in my mind, one being horns (none installed) the other... MORE
Brad, I can't comment directly on your question, but some things I know (or think). Weber side drafts aren't much fun to try to tune and keep in tune. If I were going to upgrade the carbs on an A- series, I'd go with twin 1-1/2 or a single 1-3/4 SU. Easy to tune and parts are no problem. I did once convert an Elan from twin Strombergs to a single side draft SK, which is basically a Weber copy. It ran like stink, but I ended up buying many dollars worth of jets, air bleeds, emulsion tubes, ect,... MORE
On the Brit A series engine, the most common aftermarket carb is the Weber. I have a friend I am going to visit tomorrow that has a Mikuni sidedraft that he is willing to sell me. I have no idea of condition, age or model, but ballpark figure, what would be a fair price to offer for the carb, should it not be visibly abused. My other questions are, are these worth fitting to the 1275 cc engine, too much, or too little. What is the parts availability on these carbs? I have a Dellorto on a rotary project... MORE
