well spotted all! This is a better shot of the same car and yes, 1275 engine and drivetrain. It does have the Austin wing on the dash. I helped put a 5 speed in it and it was really really tight!
well I found a cord for the NAS drive but of course now my computer won't open the directory. So, some Midget pics I just found.
You have already seen the day one photo - to recap it is a 1976 California car - I got it in 2004 from the second owner. The car had been off the road since the 90's due to this:
the engine looked like this:
but the engine was free. That was 2004 - in 2006 we moved back to Canada and I finally got the bodywork done.
The good news about the rear end damage was that it made it super easy to decide to do a chrome bumper conversion. For those not initiated into the the ways of Midgets (that sounds creepy doesn't it) - BTW a number of years ago there was a conversation on a forum about the difference between a Sprite and a Midget - in actual fact while they were basically badge engineered, originally the Midget was a slightly higher spec car - at any rate, a forum member comes on and says, here is the difference: You are at a pub and you want to impress the young woman you meet there - you are going to get a lot further if you say 'do you want to see my Austin Healey Sprite than if you say - do you want to see my midget. But I digress.
Coming back, if you knew the ways of Midget you would know that when they put the rubber bumpers on the car, they cut the bumps off the rear of the car under the taillights. Likewise they did some cutting on the front for ventilation and moved the signal lights onto the bumper - and brought the new bumper through where the grille was. Fortunately a traditional grille still fits the opening.
So, in this next series you see that the body guy put the chrome bumper rear panel on (it was easier to buy the replacement than straighten the old)
he also repaired the front panels and built new bumper brackets
it was then painted Old English White and returned
In the meantime I refreshed the engine
So what have I got?
a car with a '63 Grille, and not rectangular signals - beehives instead. also 1972 front bumpers.
on the side I had the side signal reflectors removed - and put on bullet mirrors - that don't work at all but the chrome makes the car go at least 5 miles per hour faster. Oh and I found an amazing deal on a canvas top on ebay.
On the rear I had the chrome bumper conversion and also had the reverse lights removed. On the left under the bumper is a motorcycle signal light that is now the reverse light And the clever among you will notice the Harley Davidson chrome muffler.
In the interior, the steering wheel came out of a Volvo. I replaced the original black carpet with red and then had the seats reupholstered in black with red trim - at which point I removed the headrests to make it look a bit more retro.
The engine is stock - except for the Delco alternator and the carb is now an MGB HS4 instead of the original Zenith Stromberg.
All in all a car I am very happy with - subtly personalized and it confuses people in the nicest possible way. In fact, I went to the 50th anniversary of the Square Bodied Midget at Elkhart Lake in Wisconsin - a horrible 600 mile drive complete with breakdowns on the hottest days of the year and a Midget on Interstate/ 400 series highways.
But I won an award - ironically a chrome bumper category for a rubber bumper car.
Post by grumpynorthener on Dec 13, 2020 10:11:17 GMT
In my book what you've done to the car is exactly what ownership of older cars is all about - building something that suits you & what you want - not what the 'Rivet Counters' consider correct (coming from someone that occasionally professionally restores cars to concours standards)
In my book what you've done to the car is exactly what ownership of older cars is all about - building something that suits you & what you want - not what the 'Rivets Counters' consider correct (coming from someone that occasionally professionally restores cars to concours standards)
Thanks and, I agree - not just about my car, but, different horses.....
The Vauxhall is going to stay as close to original as I reasonably can make it, in part because there are so few left. Midgets are not in any danger of extinction. Also, near us (20 minutes drive) we have, annually, the largest one day British car show in North America (1000+ cars) In my experience the 60th Midget/Mini/MGB/Spitfire/Tr6 looks pretty much like the first - especially in North America where there is a much greater impulse to restore to original. I don't love every mod but, generally would rather see a personalized car every day of the week.
Happy news to report! got the Midget almost 100%. The car starts and runs and the alternator is charging. Unfortunately the car made a disconcerting bang every time I hit a bump. Much bouncing of the rear end of the car and a new set of eyes (eyes from within my bubble I hasten to add) and we spotted that the rear shock wasn't mounted correctly - 10 minutes later and all was well. Runs well, and with all rebuilt shocks (and one new spring) the ride is so very much better.
Now trying to decide whether to put it in storage for the next three months or just leave it in the garage and work to get the wipers working again.
Oh and you get bemused glances driving an MG Midget in Toronto on the 28th of December while it is snowing.
Happy news to report! got the Midget almost 100%. The car starts and runs and the alternator is charging. Unfortunately the car made a disconcerting bang every time I hit a bump. Much bouncing of the rear end of the car and a new set of eyes (eyes from within my bubble I hasten to add) and we spotted that the rear shock wasn't mounted correctly - 10 minutes later and all was well. Runs well, and with all rebuilt shocks (and one new spring) the ride is so very much better.
Now trying to decide whether to put it in storage for the next three months or just leave it in the garage and work to get the wipers working again.
Oh and you get bemused glances driving an MG Midget in Toronto on the 28th of December while it is snowing.
Do you fit winter tyres to it or just be really careful where you take it ?
Happy news to report! got the Midget almost 100%. The car starts and runs and the alternator is charging. Unfortunately the car made a disconcerting bang every time I hit a bump. Much bouncing of the rear end of the car and a new set of eyes (eyes from within my bubble I hasten to add) and we spotted that the rear shock wasn't mounted correctly - 10 minutes later and all was well. Runs well, and with all rebuilt shocks (and one new spring) the ride is so very much better.
Now trying to decide whether to put it in storage for the next three months or just leave it in the garage and work to get the wipers working again.
Oh and you get bemused glances driving an MG Midget in Toronto on the 28th of December while it is snowing.
Do you fit winter tyres to it or just be really careful where you take it ?
Oh there was no snow on the ground just in the air. I did for a few years take it out on New Years Day just because but, decided that this was a dumb idea due to salt on the roads. In fairness it does have all season tires so it would be good enough in the snow if I wanted to drive it. Actually if I did drive it in the winter (which they obviously did back in the day) the real issue would not be tires but ground clearance - it is easy enough to get a low car hung up on a pile of snow.
Also, near us (20 minutes drive) we have, annually, the largest one day British car show in North America (1000+ cars) In my experience the 60th Midget/Mini/MGB/Spitfire/Tr6 looks pretty much like the first - especially in North America where there is a much greater impulse to restore to original. I don't love every mod but, generally would rather see a personalized car every day of the week.