Start of a MG Midget Project

Hi,

My first real project and I'm wondering if I've bitten off more than I can chew !!

This is how it stands today, only got the car last weekend. As you can see the exterior body work at first glance doesn't seem to bad although I'm not sure what horrors are lurking under the paintwork. What is good is the engine, runs really nicely with no knocking of little or big ends, and the hood. The hood looks fairly new to be honest. What is bad is the floorpans, rear arches, spring hangers, all the normal places for a soft top Midget.

Hopefully over the coming months I'll keep you posted. If anyone has any hints or tips these would be gratefully received.

We'll here's some pics !

Cheers
Bilbo

Best of luck. It looks a bit scary. If you need any inspiration have a look at the retrorides forum or the turbosport forum. They are always showing full body restorations there.

At least you will get plenty of chance to do some welding. Hope you can find some sound metal to weld to.

That's the sort of thing you used to see during the "classic car boom" when people were buying them as investments. Signs of history repeating itself now there's nothing else for them to invest in. Nice and shiney on the outside and nothing much holding it together.

Is it a fairly fresh respray? I'd guess they'll have covered horrors, though panels are available, cheap and decent quality for the Midgets so I can't imagine the restoration will be too much hassle apart from all the cleaning up and stripping. Thought about a new shell?

I think I'd go down the new shell path too! You can make sure it's well waxed before you bolt the bits to it.

Wow - I thought mine was bad

All the best with this one at least you can get all the panels for the Midget.

If you want some inspiration check this out

http://www.practicalclassics.co.uk/f...pic.php?t=2870

Not as bad as yours but it has given me a lot of inspiration during my midget resto.

jrmig

Hi,

my ex-boss bought a car just like that...

a week later he found out his wife was having an affair with a guy she worked with...

it wasn't only the bosses car that was sh*gged!

Regards
Peter

They are rebuilding one that's in a pretty poor way in 'Practical Classics' at the moment. Might be worth a read.

whoa i thought mine was bad and i couldn't see the driveway through the floor.
I'll scan some of the photo's and post them.

Good luck with the project

Phil

Lol, loved Peters response !

It's bad I must admit, at the moment it will be whether I can get a better secondhand shell, there's a company that advertise secondhand shells from £100 to £500 and as this only stood me in a couple of hundred pounds it might be the way to go or buy all the repairs panels, depends what make the best money sense.

To answer Malcolm, the body had a 'Full Body Restoration' according to the receipt I've got in 2003 (cost £1683) so theres bound to be some nasties lurking but as you say all the repair panels are easily obtained.

So the plan is to completely strip out the shell and make a proper assessment of whats required and price it up, have a look at a secondhand shell and then make the call.

I'll keep me quiet thats for sure !

Bilbo

I've seen a lot worse than that

the body looks ok from the outside

the door gaps look ok, the body isn't sagging

if the doors open and close without bidding then your off to a good start.

the best way to work on it would be to strip out the body to ease the weight on it

you,ll need to brace the doors if you have to replace the sills

the floors and the rear spring hangers can worked on with the body turned upside down