beagley
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| posted on 17/5/12 at 05:32 PM |
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MG Midget vs MGB
A couple of days ago I posted a poll regarding a MG Midget that I had spotted and within that thread I had also found a MGB to me locally. The
consensus was that I should skip the Midget and opt for the MGB as it wasn't so "girlie". 
Well, to recap, here is the Midget:
 
Possible Project?
 
Engine Looks Good
 
Interior looks good
 
How many miles?
Decent looking little car. It needed some work, but I liked it.
Known Issues:
- Dealer said it needed a new battery, but I think the whole charging system is wonky. After it was running he took the charger off the terminals
and the car died.
- Needs a new top already, big hole on the passenger side. By no means a deal breaker.
I didn't get a chance to drive this one around so I don't know anything about the brakes, but I didn't see any oil once it
had been running.
Here is the MGB that I got to look at and drive today:
 
Description
 
Description
 
Description
 
Description
Also a decent looking car. Couple of things that I noticed and was hoping to get some wisdom from the collective on this one.
My issues:
- There were ZERO brakes. The pedal would go to the floor and barely had any effect on the speed, thankfully I was just putzing around a downtown
area (small town) where I rarely got into 2nd gear. Even sitting on a slight grade I had to floor the brake pedal to keep myself from creeping.
- The parking brake didn't work at all. Not a big deal, most likely just a cable... right.... or could that also be linked to the non-existent
brakes?
- It started fairly quickly which was nice, but after a couple of minutes of warm up I popped the hood and noticed a small amount of oil on the valve
cover. Wasn't sure because the owner said that he had just changed the oil, etc. Is that something to be concerned about?
- Gearbox felt really good
- Engine looked as if the previous owner knew what he was doing. There was exhaust wrap on the headers and it looked to have been taken care of.
- The current owner has painted the car, even those black bumpers, which makes me wonder if something had happened to it. Decent paint job, but it
was starting to bubble in a couple of places.
What else should I look for before I plunge in, should I keep looking? He's asking $4k but I was wanting to go about $3k.
Beags
I'm not scared!!! I'm just marking my territory.
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Wadders
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| posted on 17/5/12 at 06:01 PM |
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Both are really simple mechanically, and dead easy to work on, spares are cheap and readily available....over this side of the pond at least, so i
wouldn't worry about dodgy brakes etc, just use it as a bargaining tool.
Personally i would go with the B, as the Triumph engined Midgets were pants compared to the earlier A series engined cars.
I would also say the B would be more suited to modern roads and traffic, Midgets just look plain scary surrounded by modern cars.
Iv'e had both BTW, although the Midget was a round arch 1275 not a 1500.
Al.
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Volvorsport
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| posted on 17/5/12 at 06:30 PM |
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midget......
then sebring replica kit , k series and type 9.....
www.dbsmotorsport.co.uk
getting dirty under a bus
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beagley
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| posted on 17/5/12 at 06:34 PM |
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I like the looks of the MGB quite a bit more, but there were those few things that really unsettle me as "unseen money pits". I'm
wanting an easy project to ease SWMBO into, and having to completely replace the brake system or the charging system isn't a good way to start
it.
I just heard from a work colleague that there is a lady with a nice MX5, 5 speed, leather, that has a blown head. If I can pick that up for $2k,
being that the engine is blown and all, I can easily drop another $2k to put in forged pistons and rods for the potential supercharger that would find
its way onto the engine. 
I'm not scared!!! I'm just marking my territory.
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mark chandler
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| posted on 17/5/12 at 07:07 PM |
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Both have rubber bumbers, given that they are already 30 years old I would look for a chrome bumper model pre 75 I think is when they ruined them.
Midget has the triumph engine kills it off for me, you really want a round rear wheel arch one if possible.
MGB then looks like a better bet.
MX5 stuff seems to be very expensive there though.
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britishtrident
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| posted on 17/5/12 at 07:08 PM |
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Avoid the rubber bumper cars the handling is so roly-poly compared to the earlier cars.
The MGB is a very heavy car the suspension dates back to pre-ww2 and isn't really up to such a heavy car so even with regular greasing
suspension overhauls are a regular event. The brakes are dead simple Lockheed well up to the job, normally a B will stop on a sixpence. Electrics
are dead simple with ACR17 alternator. On post early 1960s models the engine gearbox and back axle are just about unbreakable.
The Midger/Sprite is a much smaller lighter car the suspension dates from the Austin A30 of 1948, the gearboxes (both A series and Triumph) on
all models is fragile, the later engines ie 1275 A series and 1500 Triumph engines are less robust than the earlier 1098 A series.
Brakes are also a Lockheed system but they have less bite the than system on the B
Although I loved my MGB I would never consider owning another unless it had be re-shelled.
[I] “ What use our work, Bennet, if we cannot care for those we love? .”
― From BBC TV/Amazon's Ripper Street.
[/I]
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