I'm hankering after starting another build and have come to the conclusion that the most efficient way of doing it (from a £ perspective) is to do a scratch build, either Locost or Haynes.

I prefer the Locost as I like the compact dimensions - IMHO it is just that bit prettier for having better proportions (like Caterham v Westfield).

The donor parts for the Locost seem to be commanding a premium at the moment.

However, I just happen to have an MG Midget axle and front hubs sat in my Father-in-Laws garage. What's the reckoning on these being decent donor material? I would be using a bike engine, so not worried about the engine/gearbox side of things - quite fancy womething like an ST1100 V4.

Other options might be to sell the midget stuff to fund escort items, do a sierra based version of the locost or use MX5 gear.

Personally I think with a little modifying Midget or Spitfire would be ideal.

convert midget to sebring , double your money .......

a chap at work has done a load of research , pick up cheap midget , buy the sebring stuff , enjoy for two years , sell for profit .

so if youve got a midget - do share ...

Just sold the midget, so I just have the axle, front hubs and a few other bits left over.

If you don't want large amounts of power the MG Midget rear axle is one of the lightest live axles going (lighter than the Escort 'English' axle), so is perfect for a locost in that sense. I suspect the half shafts would struggle to stay in one piece with something like a mildly tuned 2 litre engine behind it though, they are not particularly robust items.

Front uprights could certainly be used, but you'll need to fabricate custom wishbones to attach to the trunions, though it wouldn't be difficult. Standard brakes are pretty weedy though.

[Edited on 29/4/11 by MikeRJ]

My plan for my Midget when I had it was to convert it to a GRP frogeye BEC.

With that in mind, I already had plans to replce the half shafts with uprated race items from Peter May engineering once the 2 sets I have on the shelf have reached the end of their use.

Trunion wise, Peter May does a conversion ro allow adjutable camber.

With regard to brakes I would be looking for an upgrade too - I have 1 pair of cortina and 1 pair sierra calipers in the garage, so if these could be fitted then I;d do that as a stop gap. If not, I'll save the pennies and get a Wilwood setup. M/C will likely be a wilwood twin m/c setup.

Rear brakes I could go either minifin drums or disc conversion. The former would be desirable in terms of lightness and simplicity (and would probably give enough braking performance for the rear).

I'll have to measure up against my friends Lotus 7 S2 to check the axle width - my midget was esceptionally norrower than my Indy (though I reckon a book chassis is norrower than an Indy too). Ideally I want to keep everything to the book in terms of proportions as I want to buy bodywork, not mess around making it.

See if you can find the centre section from a Riley 1.5, taller gear ratio. I used one in a Volvo P1800 powered Frog eye years ago, stronger axles are recommended, used to keep a spare in the car. The locost would be a good chioce as that axle is quite narrow compared with an Escort.

The Spridget axle (strictly speeaking the Austin A series axle used in the Nash Metropolitan) was used in the early Lotus Sevens and of course in a lot of Mallock U2s, but it is narrow, the Spridget front end has good geometry but the king ping and trunnion are prone to wear and need regular lubrication however on a low annual mileage this shouldn't be a problem.

Midget was used as a donor for the Westfield XI which under the body is pretty similar to a 7 iirc.

Mmmmmm. If there was a place to get hold of a set of XI bodywork cheaply that might give me other ideas for a project...

As I said, I'll have a measure up of my mates S2 Lotus 7 and see how they compare.

I could just sell the parts and look out for cortina uprights and an escort axle, but it seems a shame when the midget front end is perfectly good and the axle, as said, is light (if a bit weak, but can be strengthened).

The early Westfield sevens used the midget also.
Early lotus sevens used A-series engines with spitfire uprights and probably midget or similar axles

Have you considered using the MX5 as a donor? They are cheap to buy, modern mechanics and reliability built in.

I did think about the MX5.

The basis of thinking about the Midget is that I have the axle and hubs sat in the garage. I'll probably just sell them for what I can and get something more suitable.

Dunno.. Spridget.. king pin Uprights are usually Knackered and a competent rebuild might cost as much as fresh Triumph uprights?
You didn't mention If you were planning on using the Midget trans? Don't... these had inoperable synchros even when brand spanking new > most owners (not the Anoraks :-) substitute a Toyota 5 spd as matter of course (It fits :-)
Rear axle is made of cheese,a tweaked A series can and does sheer an axle end.. repeatedly.
But a 450/500kg car weight may extend it's life into 'reasonable'.
Personally I'd be looking for a Suzuki Swift 1.3 IF after Lightness and actual mechanical integrity you can use and trust.

If I want lightness, I wouldn't be touching any engine that oiginated from a car

Bike engine all the way, with uprated half shafts and twin bearing conversion to beef up the axle.