My 1979 MG Midget

Positive signs

2010-03-08T10:06:00.001-08:00

I had just about given up hope on my MG when a guy at work told me he knows all about them and offered his help. Hopefully his guidance will be all I need to get this car back on the road where it belongs.

Getting started again

2009-10-03T18:08:00.001-07:00

Big changes at work kept me from working on the MG all summer and now I have some time.

Went over to the Pole Barn and my brother and I decided to move the car to another bay. We pumped the tires up and they held!!!

We moved the car a few feet and tomorrow we will move it to the other bay.

Once there I plan to put it on stands, take off the wheels, take out the seats and interior and clean out the engine compartment. There will be pictures.

I’m excited about the future.

MG Advertisement #14

2009-07-19T11:23:00.001-07:00

On Vacation and an MG Question

2009-07-10T15:05:00.001-07:00

I’m in Ocean City Maryland enjoying the boardwalk and I’ve been thinking about what color I should paint my MG when it gets to that point.

I bought the car and it was a beautiful Russet Brown. Since then I’ve seen gorgeous British Racing Green, Deep Red and White. My wife’s MG (the one that she totaled) was white with a racing stripe. That car was a beauty but my memory may be influenced by remembering her in the car with the top down and her hair flowing back from the wind.

I found a 1980 Midget that looks exactly like mine when I bought it. It is David Gilberts and I have no way of contacting him . So there is a problem with me posting this picture let me know and I’ll delete it. In the meantime go HERE and check out his MG with his wife's MGF VVC

I like the look of it and I seldom see midgets that are russet brown. That’s the way I’m leaning right now. Let me know what you think.

MG Advertisement #13

2009-06-25T23:38:00.000-07:00

What is the reasoning with no one driving the car? I’d love to see ad advertisement of a woman driving the car with the top down and the wind through her hair. It’s not to be. Instead you see the couple looking at the car. Hmmmm.

MG Advertisement #12

2009-06-22T23:05:00.000-07:00

I am amazed that they never show anyone driving the car. My wife had a white one like this when I first dated her.

MG Advertisement #11

2009-06-18T21:11:00.000-07:00

Another. This time the guy has decided to ride a bicycle instead of driving the car.

MG Advertisement #10

2009-06-16T21:07:00.001-07:00

I haven’t been able to get to the car this week so I’m putting up another advertisement.

Notice again that they aren’t driving the car.

Windows Live Writer

2009-06-09T19:50:00.000-07:00

This has nothing to do with MG Midgets but I started using Windows Live Writer to write my blog entries. It is a wonderful tool that makes blogging easy. If you blog it’s a must have. Check it out.

Before Pictures: The Body

2009-06-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

I haven’t had a chance to do a detailed analysis of the body but it looks pretty good. There are a few rust spots and only one that is all the way through. Not bad for a car that is thirty years old.

Here are some pictures, notice that there is still a lot of clutter around. I’m working on it.

The rear looks great .

Here is the worst damage on the right wing, a ding and a rust hole.

Other parts (near the door as in this picture) there is corrosion. I don’t know much about body work but this sort of thing seems minor.

Some body work and a new paint job and the car will look great.

Before Pictures: The Wheels

2009-06-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

The wheels have rusted pretty badly. I plan to have them sandblasted and then I’ll mask and paint them. I really like the look of nicely painted Rostyle wheels. I found a great post on a MGB blog (that I’m adding to my blogroll as we speak). You can read the post about refinishing Rostyle wheels HERE.

They look worse then they really are.

Before Pictures: The Engine

2009-06-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures of the engine and they are pretty raw. The battery is out and there an it is pretty dirty. The carburetor is off and I have a separate picture of that. While I was cleaning I found a carburetor rebuild kit that I bought a long time ago.

Finally: Some Before Pictures: The Interior

2009-06-05T11:05:00.001-07:00

I’m still cleaning and I”m not done by a long shot. The plan is to get the bay clean and then the brother and I organize tools and the workspace.

Today I got enough out of the way that I was able to take some pictures. They are basic pictures and once I get real room and time I’ll take more detailed pics.

The Interior

The seat on the right isn’t that white, that is caused by the flash. The dashboard looks good and I will do a detailed analysis of what needs to be done at a later date.

Here is a different angle that shows the color better. Plus you can see the great speakers I had installed back in ‘79.

Here is a closer look at the steering wheel and instrument panel.

Tomorrow I’ll post pictures of the engine and after that the body.

The Purge Continues

2009-06-04T21:01:00.000-07:00

I’ve been cleaning out the pole barn like a madman. The older I get the more I realize that I don’t need so much stuff. I have boxes of junk that I haven’t looked at in years and will never need to look at again.

I’ve found hundreds of genealogy documents that I will scan and discard. I will have the area clean and organized soon. My brother is helping me so it will be done right. He is the practical one and knows how to set up the work area properly.

During the day I am getting the area clean and at night I’m looking at Victoria British and Moss Motors catalogs. Then I look at the restoration guides.

Life is good.

Found another manual

2009-06-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

I’m amazed by the amount of junk in that bay of the pole barn. It’s taking longer than I expected.

I’m surprised to say that I found another manual, one that I forgot that I bought. Imagine the surprises in store for me when I actually work on the car.

Found one of the manuals

2009-06-03T12:25:00.000-07:00

Cleaning out the pole barn is kind of fun. I'm finding tons of stuff I had forgoten about. One of the impprtant things is a Haynes Manual for the MG Midget that I bought years ago and thought forever lost.

This should be a great help. I'll be spending the nights going over it and getting an idea of what I am getting myself into.

Digging out

2009-06-01T01:41:00.000-07:00

I spent a few hours trying to dig out the MG Midget from years of detritus. The bay in the pole barn that the MG is in is full of years of junk and clutter. It's going to take a few days to clean it out and then organize the workspace.

1979 MG Midget Commercial

2009-05-30T23:50:00.000-07:00

I was poking around the tubes of the interweb and found this commercial from 1979. I love it.

Finally Found My Title

2009-05-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

30
Been organizing my records and I finally came across the title to the ancient beast. The ID Number is GAN6U214313G. The car is russet brown.

Since the car is British I plan on using British terms for things. This will annoy many when they read tyres and petrol.

Soon to the car.

MG Avertisement #9

2009-05-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is the most blatantly misleading ad I've ever seen for an MG Midget. The lens makes the inside of the car look roomy. I've spent a lot of time in the car and it's anything but.

MG Avertisement #8

2009-05-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

MG Avertisement #7

2009-05-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

One thing I've noticed is that you never see the car being driven in these advertisements. Usually the couple is leaning on it, sitting on it or some activity nearby. Interesting.

MG Avertisement #6

2009-05-26T18:10:00.000-07:00

I haven't had time to dig out the midget so until I can get a real good look at it this week I'll continue to post advertisements I've seen on the web.

To Be Totally Honest

2009-05-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

I should have said this in my first post, but I know very little about cars. That is why this is going to be such a challenge.

I've changed oil, replaced a starter and such but I'm no backyard mechanic. I plan to join the local British Car Club and ask a lot of questions. I'm sure I'm going to make a lot of mistakes. The only thing I'm sure of is that I'm going to learn a great deal and the car is going to end up looking like it did when I brought it home from the showroom.

Recreating the Advertisements

2009-05-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

I've been looking at the old advertisements for the MG Midget. They are Sooooo seventies.

I told the wife that after I get it restored I want to go and recreate all of the ads with the two of us. She gave me the look that I get whenever I suggest something stupid.

I think it would be fun and plan to get her to do it, at least MG Advertisement #2. I already have the car and the guitar.

From the look of the later ads I may have to purchase a skateboard.

MG Avertisement #5

2009-05-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

MG Avertisement #4

2009-05-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

MG Avertisement #3

2009-05-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

MG Avertisement #2

2009-05-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

MG Avertisement #1

2009-05-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

I won't be able to get to my MG until next weekend so this week I'll post some of the advertisements that I've found.

Restoration vs Renovation

2009-05-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

I've been surfing the tubes of the interweb and over at The MG Experience they explain the difference between Restoration and Renovation.

Restoration takes the entire car apart and every part is cleaned or replaced. That is expensive and time consuming. With a Renovation much of it is done but at a lower level.

It's going to be interesting to see how close I can make it to a showroom look. I can't wait to get started.

The Plan

2009-05-16T05:52:00.001-07:00

Over the next few weeks I will be cleaning out a bay in the pole barn. Then I'll set up appropriate lighting and gathering tools. Then I'll take inventory of the car and take pictures. I'll take the wheels off, remove the interior and get to work.

On this blog I'm going to keep track of how much the project costs me. I'll have a widget in the sidebar that breaks down how much I spend of parts and accessories.

I have no idea how long this will take. Could be six months, could be three years. I'm looking forward to doing it.

My Story From The Beginning

2009-05-15T18:26:00.000-07:00

When I was in my early teens in the 1960's my older brother and his friends had muscle cars. My brother had a Chevelle that was superfast. These cars didn't interest me. What interested me was the little British cars.

My interest started when a girl down the street (a senior in high school!) gave me a ride to school in her MGB. What a car. I felt like a king riding to school in cool sports car with the top down and a pretty girl driving. I decided right then and there that someday I would have my own MG.

Fast forward a few years and I'm twenty-one. I just broke up with my girlfriend so I decided to get my dream car. I searched and found a mustard yellow MG Midget. I don't remember the year but it had chrome bumpers. Here is a picture:

The car was everything I expected and drove like it was built for me. I loved that car and washed and waxed it every weekend.

I'd been driving the car for less than a year when I entered a chess tournament in Columbus, Ohio. I drove down there with a master chessplayer friend and at the end of the tournament tragedy struck. While driving down a one-way street a stop sign was missing and we entered a busy intersection. A large car hit us from the side and the impact tore off the front of the car directly in front of our feet. We spun around and when we finally stopped we couldn't believe we were alive. We didn't have a scratch on us, and this was before airbags! It was a long bus ride home but I knew I had to have another MG Midget.

Not long after I went full time job and had some money so I decided to get a brand new 1979 MG Midget, the last year they were to be made. I went to Cleveland to buy the car and it took a week to get, but the car was mine. I went to pick it up and it was filthy. They figured that being young they could treat me that way. I was lucky because my older sister Debbie was with me. She told me to leave and they could keep the car. I did as she told me to and the guy ran out after me saying he'd make the car shine. My sister and I went out for coffee and when we came back the russet brown midget shone. I got into the car and the needle was way below 'E'. I asked him about it and he said that there was a gas station at the end of the street. Back then gas was $.50 a gallon and the MG had only a 7.2 gallon tank. I was seriously pissed so we had to walk out again and when we returned it had a full tank of gas.

Driving this car was even better than the first one. I paid big money to put a serious stereo cassette deck in it (with FM!) and few things were better than driving at night with the top down listening to Roxy Music and watching the stars.

After a couple of years I started having serious electrical problems. Everyone I spoke to would roll their eyes and say, "Lucas". I've since learned that Lucas Electronics are the main reason that MGs were known as Mostly Garaged. I couldn't afford to keep a car that wasn't running so I sold it to my cousin.

Twenty-some years later we were on strike at work and my cousin called me out of the blue. He wanted to make sure I was okay and I assured him I was. Over a cup of coffee I asked about the old MG and he said he still had it in his garage covered by a tarp. We rushed to his house, he pulled off the tarp and memories flooded back to me. He gave me the car back at no cost. I couldn't believe it.

The next weekend we decided he would tow it to my house. I jumped in and got stuck. When I bought the car I was 175 pounds, now I was an eighth of a ton. It felt like the car had shrunk and I accused him of leaving the car out in the rain. While cleaning it out I found a roll of film in the glove box that had been taken when I owned it and had it developed. The pictures were of my little brother sledding when he was about eight, he's thirty-seven now.

So now the car is in my pole barn. I have the desire to do something. Now I need a plan.