1968 MG Midget

Miguela's Rust woes.   (I cant decide whether  this car should be called MiGuela or Barnaby.) This may seem like a lot of rust to some, but for a car that's lived in Canada, it is relatively minor. It is possible that the accident damage the car sustained kept it off the road, as it was parked for 32 of its 54 years. Left Rear Quarter Am thinking I'll de-rust the inner panel and cut out any weak material.  I’ll then and plug and seam-weld a patch over top from behind.  I many need to form a flange on the the edges of this patch. I'm not sure if the outer left rear quarter requires a repair panel to replace the whole thing, or if I could fabricate a smaller repair panel myself Muffler mount The heat of the muffler caused the boot floor to rust.   It is a bit thin, and the stud itself dropped out.   Can patch from below I think. Left rear corner of trunk This tricky section below the left tail light may be better left to a pro.  Conve...

 Useful Links Downloadable copies of the factory service manual.   Indispensable.   http://www.spritespot.com/referencedesk.htm MG experience forum - great source of ...  MG experience. https://www.mgexp.com/ Blog with a similar challenging chassis repair https://www.mgmidgetrestoration.com/2020/04/front-chassis-legs.html SU carb parts https://www.carburetor-parts.com/su-k4330.html High torque (gear reduction) starter.  An oft suggested upgrade is to a modern gear reduction starter.  Two REMY part numbers are suggested, 16878 or 17240, which may have some minor clearance issues.   Alternatively, a starter with a clockable mounting plate can be ordered from a specialist.    https://www.mgexp.com/forum/mg-midget-forum.3/isuzu-gear-reduction-starter-install.3087193/#msg-3087193 https://www.tsimportedautomotive.com/gearreductionstarters.html https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=3377271&jsn=4 Local Machine shops https://w...

So Barnaby arrived with an early wheel (like the one pictured above)  that is almost certainly not original.  based on the info I've found online, its hub should not be compatible with the '68 '69' steering shaft. (the hub on this wheel fits the shaft, and the shaft - apparently - is correct for the car.)  ***  Turns out this info was wrong and the earliest cars had the same shaft diameter and spline count as the '68-69.  ****   Regardless, the wheel is pretty beat up, and I am fond of the banjo-spoke type (below) particular to the 68/69 mode years.  The splined and threaded portions of the steering shaft vary by year, apparently as follows: Steering column splines for both MGB and Midgets:  58-61 spline 5/8 by 36 splines  62-67  spline 3/4 by 48 splines  thread 11/16 X 27 TPI  68-69  spline 5/8 by 36 splines  thread 9/16 X 27 TPI  70-80  spline 11/16 by 36 splines  thread 9/16 X 18 TPI And here ...

 So, the muffler - silencer - is located beneath the trunk -boot- floor on the left side of the midget.  The fuel tank is offset to the right to provide space.  This is the area in which Barnaby has suffered his greatest rust, no doubt helped by the heat.  The original stud appears to have fallen out, and to have been replaced with a bolt in a different location.  As my first mig welding adventure I would like to repair this and replicate (dimensionally at least) the stock setup.    To do so I need to confirm the original mounting and it’s location. Top and bottom photos… And here’s what it should look like: “  Here ya go. From the inside it's just a flat solid washer. Guess it was a stud with the "washer" on it, pushed through the hole and spot welded there.   Don't really see the spot weld though. Maybe it's just a pushed into a tight hole. Bolt with a washer and some silicon or JB weld would do it.  5/16 x 24 fine thread, distance fro...

 "I smell mice, don't you?"    Noticed this right away when examining the car and later, found a mouse low-rise residence in the Smiths heater box.  This was not the worst of the ventilation system, but it did create some fear of difficult to repair corrosion in this area.  Turns out the mouse pee corroded the smiths heater box but not so much the car body, though the adjacent battery platform is thin and pinholed.  Not a difficult fix.  In my initial examination of the car I missed the destroyed heater fan though I did note the missing ductwork. The heater box itself was a beeyatch to remove as the four machine screws securing it to the body were firmly corrorded.   Had to drill them out. Rad and heater core will go to Barrie Radiator in Oshawa - a rare old-school rad shop, 10 minutes away.

Update  Update - Never say die.    I had been reading up on the use of Citric acid as a rust remover and after some success with a few other parts I thought I’d try with this tank.  I poured in about 2 gal mixed with about 1 cup of citric acid powder.  I also tossed in a large handful of roofing nails (best) and some other parts (not a great idea) to scrape the tank when agitated, hopefully helping to remove any rust.  This physical abrasion/disturbance of the surface proved to be necessary.  After some experimentation, I was able to get a pretty decent result and I am able to  reuse the fuel tank. Getting started  I was thrilled to be able to remove the fuel  tank with ease, and was hopeful that the surface rust on the exterior could be addressed and the tank reused - a few bucks saved.  When drained of the last of its 2-3 gal of very old fuel the extensive internal rust and gunk became evident.  the level sender was removed a...

June 15 - confirmed that the chassis is not bent!  Plumb bob and chalk lines. See section R page 18 of the Bentley manual for dimensions and method.   Update June 12 - more photos of frame  Update -  Obvious accident damage and clearly the frame horns are not as they should be.  Measurement and verification required.  The photo below is rather telling. The horns should be 12” apart (11” between the flanges), parallel to the car’s centreline and level and straight with respect to its the frame rail.  I am not certain precisely how far each  horn should extend from the crossmember. I will assume but should verify that the rad uprights are at 90deg to the horn, and should verify the height of the rad support above the horn. the threaded bosses for the grill shroud (2 in each horn, 3 in each rad upright) are the most critical location points with respect to hood alignment, as these locate the front end assembly. Straight edge clamped to frame rai...