1968 MG Midget

 Miguela's seized engine could not be freed in situ.   After weeks of soaking, rolling etc I could not get it to budge and resigned myself to the teardown I had suspected was inevitable.  The odometer reads 49000 miles.  The "12CD" series engine is original to the car, and it does not appear to have been opened in the past, though it does have a copper-faced head gasket which may not be original. Some of the photos also show the light green paint colour that is particular to this series of engines.   They are rare and particularly fast as a result.  Ease of access is facilitated by the absence of any front end sheet metal.  After more hardened mud and grease were removed, the starter, generator, induction and cylinder head were removed.  The engine and gearbox were then unbolted and removed.   While lifting the engine alone was possible with a helper, an engine hoist will be required for reassembly as the gearbox and engine will be ...

Update Oct 23 - Worse than I thought.... In preparation for repairing the frame I removed the front suspension and other obstructions, then cleaned off as much of the cement-like mixture of clay and grease.   This provided the chance to check the frame rails and unfortunately the drift begins further aft than I thought, to a max of around 3/16.   The good news is that - I think - the front crossmember is where it should be.   More than I bargained for but so it goes.   Miguela had some rough times in her youth and bears the scars, worst of which is the damage evident in the front subframe and chassis ‘horns’ as pictured here.  I first noticed this when I arrived with the rented uhaul after a 2+ hour drive (with Covid sy symptoms peaking...  my excuse)  I noticed a bit of irregularity and had assumed someone had tweaked something to fit an exhaust pipe.  I should have looked harder, and taken a moment to think....     Fortunatel...