The only thing missing would be Kevin and Mook suddelny showing up, it would be the perfect "Junkyard Sparks" crossover episode. Very cool and nice classic car. Great history. Your grandfather is such a nice and humble man. Seeing your mom getting in the driver seat in the backgroud kind of heart-warming to see.
It is very rewarding to restore these old cars. Greetings from Yorkshire, England where I have a similar restored MG midget and a restored MGA. So far I have had 3 cars restored and I'm doing some finishing off on a Land Rover Defender 90. It is great to keep these old cars running. Well done you guys. It sounds like your Grandfather is of a similar way of thinking. It is good that they live close enough.
UK MG Midget owner (and also Bayliner owner!) here. You're gonna at least need complete inner and outer sill (rocker) sections and outer floor pan. If you're really lucky, the inner arches may be OK. Lots of work ahead but please, please bring her back to life. These nippy little cars are so worth it :)
When Grandpa said "SU" carbs. I thought straight back to my first proper job as a "sprocket" or sprog in a garage in the north east of scotland. that would be about 92. so was chuffed to hear him. folk like your grandad would of been my mentor at the time. long story short. do the the half shafts between the rear wheels and diff. they had a habbit of striypping off the splines or just plain snapping, more so on restored vehicles in this day and age. I am no" expert" in anyway shape or form. but I am really glad I watched your video. took me back a few years and so glad to see that folk still have a passion for saving old timers like this and getting them back on the road. nowadays distributer and carb mean things you read on your watch when you go running. so this is a breath of fresh air.
You got me a little emotional. It's clear I have a few years on you both,. My grandparents are no longer with me, but I still think about them every day. Enjoy every second you have with them.
Being able to have your grandparents around is a huge blessing! I know I don't have to say this but spend as much time as you are able with them before you can't. Awesome video y'all!
Huh, the little MG runs and the smoke's cleared. Neat. This thing's definitely got potential. Seeing the excitement on your grandparents' faces was truly heartwarming. Here in Brisbane there's a fairly significant MG Midget club, you see them scootin' around everywhere. Tiny little things.
cherish those sweet old grandparents. my grandad was a car guy and i made a living as a mechanic be between my dad and him we were always wrenching on something when i was a kid. so that pretty much made us best friends. i still and will always have the 65 lesabre i helped my grand dad restore along with a few others
Love the old MG cars. Had an MGBGT which my wife drove to the hospital when our first Daughter was born. Got out of the Service with an Austin Healey Sprite. The old bug eye. Fun cars to wrench as well as drive. Hate that I ever let either one of them go.
Man that brings back memories. My friend had a 76 midget. We did a lot of work to get it road worthy. He was working on the rear suspension when the wrench slipped and he whacked his hand hard. I was on the other side of my garage working on my 77cutlas at the time and heard the impact. Next thing I hear is a growling sound and then metal on metal banging hard. I go over to him as fast as I could cause I though the car had fallen on him. When I get thru the door I see the back end of the car bouncing up and down as he was bench pressing the entire rear of the car in anger. About a month later we were cruising all over it that little thing. SUPER fun car to have and drive.
I had a 74 MG midget when I was 17 (1983), it had duel carbs and header and was very fun. Mine was orange and black. No rust but the top was rotted. Great to see you rescue one. And your grandpa is right the original carbs needed adjusted/tweaked weekly
Phew, my sigh of relief when you pulled those oh so nasty hub caps off to reveal the Rostyle wheels was immense. My Dad had 3 MGB GTs during my childhood, he even picked one of them up brand new from the BL (British Leyland) factory in Cowley, Oxford UK. One of my child hood friends has rebuilt his 1275 Sprite (same A-Series engine as the Mini Cooper S) from the chassis up. The Austin Healey Sprite was the same car as the Midget, just with a different badge. The Midget sold in the states had 1500cc engine to comply with US emission regs. This ran hotter, because of the reduced engine bay space, than the original 1275 and hence the reliability issues you folks talk about. Love yopur videos and am always anxious for the next one to come out. Will watch the midgets progress with interest. Please restore it and enjoy doing so. They are raced over here because they are such fun track cars.
Good find. There is a suspension kit (Moss kit, I think) that will take the rubber bumper cars back to the original specs, and maybe a bit lower. It will re-establish the original ride height. You can also get chrome bumpers to replace the rubber, if you wish. The rubber bumpers didn't offend me so much, but it does for some. In the early 70s I had a friend into who was into MGAs. We replaced a lot of drivetrain with MGB stuff. Dependability was always an issue. The main car is fine but the electrical is abysmal. The lights fail. The wipers fail. Charging fails. The ignition fails. Failures for seemingly no reason. We changed everything to Delco from lights to alternator to wiring and then he carried a spare distributor. It wasn't so bad after that. Still not a car for non-mechanical people. Oh, and a weber is a great change. I've used them on a number of cars.
I had an 1973 MGBGT back in the 80s here in the UK one of my biggest regrets was selling that can brought back good memories can't wait for the next one
My brother-in-law/sister-in-law, had an MG Midget. He also had a company car, so they would use the company car when they went anywhere with their daughter. He changed jobs and moved the family from Michigan to Oregon. They rented a U-Haul truck and were going to rent a trailer to haul the MG. The trailer rental was going to cost more than the truck did, so they decided to just drive the MG and follow the truck. When they were in South Dakota, they thought about visiting Mount Rushmore. They left the truck at the motel, and all 3 climbed into the MG, with my SIL sitting on her daughter's lap, and off to Mount Rushmore. They got lots of stares with 3 people from Michigan riding in the MG. BTW my BIL got a company car with the new job in Oregon.
Wonderful parents and grandparents bless them, your grandfather seems a so enthusiastic! Lovely new jam jar, I had a string of MGBS and a terrific MGB GT V8.
What a great little vid, best thing about the MG is all the parts are available here in the UK, if you need and links to sites etc just give us a shout and good luck.
What an awesome video and fun car. You both out did yourselves again ... and the family ties was very special. What a blessing to share in the excitement and pass the torch, um "carb adjuster", down the line ..
We were resurrecting my '66 Volvo 122S after 20 years in a neighbors field. When it started for the first time it blew "popcorn" out the tailpipe. Mice had stored all sorts of seeds, including kernel corn in the exhaust system and when you add enough heat, Ta Da.
So cool to see her come to life again, and she’s a sweet little runner. I got a chill when she started smoothing out and idling. And she almost fit in the back of the F450! Great work and thanks for bringing us along.
having owned 3........the points go bad often......but they EAT condensers......like 1 a month t times......so i got one meant for a 72 chevy big block, mounted it outside the cap,,,,,,ran the wire inside the cap,and never had to change it again. And another head banging feature.....is turn signal AND brake lights all run through the signal switch and a blinker under passenger side dash.......thats a blast to figure out
Good video, I had one exactly like yours. I bought it because I wanted the wire wheels for my bugeye sprite. Mine had the SU carbs that I always liked. My sprite had a Webber 40 doce carb and a high performance cam. Also had a 1959 tr3 and a 1960 Volvo 544 , all had su carbs . This will be a fun car ( of course I’m partial to the Bugatti👍😄🎩
Love the MG's, Austin Healy's. Brought up on working on them with Dad and Uncle. This Midget takes me back awhile. Looking forward to you 2 working on this.
My last MG (B) came from Harvard Illinois. $500 and I drove it home... Good luck with this little guy! The only rust that kills these is in the torque boxes underneath... I learned early on to always slide a gm wiring harness in place of the stock Lucas stuff. Great find and I wish you good luck!!
Good T-Shirt Aaron (Junkyard Mook). With some TLC another MG has been saved. I agree with you Emily, the steel rims look great on this Midget. Steve from "This Week With Cars" has many parts from various MG's and other old cars from the UK.
Partially right about the carburettor fitted to the Midget, the UK used SU, I believe some States used low emission Stromberg, the two makes are both side draught rather than the down draught normally used on US cars, mainly due to bonnet (hood) height. The two carburettors both use an aluminium piston and vacuum chamber, though the SU is a machined fit between both, the Stromberg uses a rubber diaphragm to seal between the two, which tears easily and causes rough running. A metering needle is fitted in the bottom of the piston in both types and sits in a jet at the bottom. I have come across a Californian spec MGB which had been used in the UK for some years, originally the car had 2 Stromberg 150CDE carbs and Lucas Opus ignition, so your Midget may have been fitted with electronic ignition as standard. There used to be an MG parts supplier in the UK called Ron Hopkinson Cars at Derby, though I'm not sure if they are still trading, though Rimmer Brothers at Lincoln are very good
Hi guys if you want to add to the MG Kevin on Junkyard Digs is looking for a home for a TR7 another car from British Leyland and a stablemate of the MG. Great channel guys,all the best!
I am from the UK, I used own a MG Midget, You have a 1500cc engine. All the body or sheet metal as you would call it. Can be bought new, from British Motor Heritage in the UK. I am sure these can bought in the USA. What I did with my engine was to rebuild it fit a fast road cam . I also fitted to 2 twin Webber 40DCOE a 3 branch exhaust system and lowered it to the ground. It felt really fast even at low speeds. I look forward to seeing what you do with yous
Ya'll found a little jewel there! The carb you a having such a time with was built by Holley/Weber. It was also OEM for the Pinto and Mustang II, so some parts may still be available. The motor is 1048cc version of the motor that ran the Bug Eye Sprite this car is direct kin to. As is most of the drive train. It has a Lucas electric system and components as specified by British Leyland, the government's planned savior of the British car industry- if it looks wonky, cut it out and replace it! Aaron, those rusty "side panels" are actually stressed skin panels- the car will fold up like a card table if they get past a certain point. Get a good look at all of the floor before you get drastic and price the panels- it's not a cheap car to do body/chassis work on. And you will have to see the shocks to believe them- but some surprises are best left to discover! FR
I built one of these several years back. It was beat to hell. Built a hot little engine for it with the same Weber carb. Massaged the body and painted her Candy blue with silver accents. Cool little cars.
I am so happy that you two rescued this beautiful British classic! MGs and Triumphs are such wonderful cars! You will have a blast driving her. The MG car community is incredible; lots of helpful people out there. Cheers!
In the 70's all of the British car industries were nationalized under government ownership. Austin, Morris, MG, Rover, Triumph, Jaguar, Landrover etc. They all then became part of "British Leyland". So, all Brit cars of this period would have been sold as this marque. Was later split up sold off as Austin Rover (and others) in early 80's.
Love the Midget. I fancy saving one of those myself (or the Austin Healy Sprite, which is basicly the same car). I noticed Grandad referred to SU carbs, but you referred to Strombergs as oroginal equipment (they look similar). Did they use Strombergs in the States? In the UK it was always SUs. However, I know that in the US market they substituted Strombergs on the Triumph TR6s (I think you might know it as the Triumph 250??). With regards to making it idle without the choke (strangler?), I was thinking why don't they open the mixture adjusting screw on the Weber (it is near the bottom of the carb)? (Screw it out a bit, lefty loosey).The carb may never have been adjusted before. Also, sometimes they have an electric cut off valve on the idle circuit, which would need a 12v ignition live supply. But I doubt they would put that on an aftermarket conversion. I was so pleased when you took off those horrible plastic wheel trims. You doubled the value of the car at a stroke! Good luck with the restoration.
Oh lord they don't know what they've done. Use to wrench on these things all the time. This is the engine with built in obsolesce, rods through the side of the block. They were a blast to drive but real maintenance pigs. Good luck! My first experience with MG's started with the MGA, MBB and GT. Never had a Midget, couldn't fit into the things, too tall.
You are going to love this car. My foster parents had an early model. Oh man it’s a great little car. By the way there’s plenty of groups here in England that you can find out about parts and history of near enough all the ones made. Can’t wait to see her finished. Look up MG owners club.
Great video! I had a Luminition Electronic Ignition system on my Mk1 Ford Escort 30 years ago, was a great system for its day. I spotted the electronics module fitted to the drivers side bulkhead (firewall).
I found a heap of old UK car magazines in a charity shop, was really cool looking at all the aftermarket part reviews and adverts, lumenition was everywhere as well as ads for exchange cylinder heads with hardened valve seats due to leaded petrol being discontinued Also cool looking at how cheap classics were back then.
Wow! An R2.8 would be an awesome swap into that little car. My next door neighbors had a 1976 Midget when we were kids, growing up. I think they bought it new. It was about the time both my half brothers were in college back in MD.
Hi, keep in mind that car wouldn't have been built to run on unleaded. If you get chance do a compression test to see how it's fairing. Many will have been converted with harder valve seats over the years, but that might explain the high spin over speed on the starter. All the best. John
Awesome to see your mom and grand parents! Grandpa seemed excited! I'd like to see more of him with this car. Even if he's just the supervisor! Sweet grandparents!
New sub, found you through VVG's recent video. Wish I would have found the channel sooner. This video deserves more likes. Hidden gem. Thank you for posting
Had 2 friends when i was in the military that had MG’s they were a blast to drive and wrench on… oh the wrench thing was allot.lol Keep the great content coming 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I spotted a "West Germany" label on the key-fob (@ 13:41), so I wonder if this car was bought by a US serviceman in German and shipped back to the States?
Cool deal!! I have a feeling this has so much family juju ya gotta keep it... Grand parents, parents, daughters history... Its RUNNING!!! AND as far as a name, I kept thinking " "Dame Edna"... 🤣🤣😎👍
I had an Austin Healy sprite which was the same as your one in 1967. Quick car at that time and loved corners. Repairing the body was a difficult repair as it had an inner sill to give it strength. Reply if you want more details or pictures as we still have races for classic sports cars. Good luck. Love your videos
I have restored old batteries like that, maybe not that old, but dead, with a good desulfator maintainer. My camper pulls the batteries lower than they should be fairly often, so I keep a desulfator on them when at home. I get 5 or 6 years with them that way.
Hi I had a midget we are in the uk, and when the old gent said SU or something my ears pricked up coz that’s what most had single or twin SUs this vid brings back so many memories for me so cool and thanks
My grandad had an old comet he was always working on. He put a 351 in it with a 2 spd and a 9 inch . That thing was scary fast and wicked loud . I miss that car and grandpa alot
Being a MG B owner in Germany I found dozens of Videos about MGs in TH-cam. A man called John Twist at University Motors. Should be easy to find. Good luck with your MG
Finley seems to be impressed no matter which car he gets to inspect. The Chevy LUV would be an awesome Cummins project. Or the COE truck. Admittedly, I was expecting Aaron to refer to the "Fuel Maker It Happen-er". Finally, Happy Birthday to Grandpa
I had a 1978 full size MG, under the driver seat was the main ground...really dumb place...but can be something to know for the future, fun cars Cheers from Vietnam
Here's a great plan now just here me out, make it a autocross car with og powertrain but u know the suspension and tires for the autocross just a thought😉
AWESOME!!!! Luv you guys, From Halifax Nova Scotia I`ve always wanted one of beautiful MG`s just never then time. I hope you enjoy the car, can`t wait to see what do with it
I learned about electricity at the age of 5. My dad wanted to know if the lawn mower had spark, and handed me the wire. Yikes! He laughed like an idiot.
*looks like the rust can be repaired easy enough on the body they sell floor pans too for these. sounds like the carb needs adjusted big time. Webber carbs usually do though so nothing new there. they ALWAYS need re-adjusted too. For some reason they never hold their settings. maybe you will get luckier than most usually do with that part though. it will be neat to see yall breathe new life into this one for sure*
SUs are only in tune for minutes at a time, but Webers don't go out of adjustment , unlike the SUs there are no moving parts in the metering system, though they're a pain to set up initially.
@@racketman2u i have no experience with the SU carb the webbers however i have had significant experience with and you're constantly having to adjust them in my experience. it's like they just don't want to hold where you leave them for some reason. i mean you can get them where they are close and things not change that much but with all the different kinds of fuels that there are out there i think that's where the problem lies more so than the carb it's self
Helping a friend restore a 1966 MGB. Rimmer Bros British Automotive Parts and Accessories is a good place of parts. There's also Moss motors but I'm not super impressed with them.
Hey Guys, I do this a bit with old fuel tanks.... I have a 3/4 inch PVC clear hose about 6 feet long and about a foot from the end I have a shop air duster glued in to the PVC via a hole in the side with a 4 inch tip pointing to the end of the hose creating a vacuum which will prime and allow you to literally vacuum out the bottom of a fuel tank through whatever access you can find and with 2 people you can seriously drain and clean out a tank well.
Such an awesome find guys . Its now going to have a great home and besides it was Finley approved . Cant wait until your next video to see what you have done to her. With some upgraded mods she would be a great autocross car .. Just saying HA HA !! Take care and be safe guys . Oh , by the way you have some great grandparents and mom .
You might want to look at Moss Motors out of Oregon I think, they carry body parts interior parts and other parts for English cars. That carb is a weber and there are books written about how to set them up for MG Midgets etc.
The only thing missing would be Kevin and Mook suddelny showing up, it would be the perfect "Junkyard Sparks" crossover episode.
Very cool and nice classic car. Great history.
Your grandfather is such a nice and humble man.
Seeing your mom getting in the driver seat in the backgroud kind of heart-warming to see.
It is very rewarding to restore these old cars. Greetings from Yorkshire, England where I have a similar restored MG midget and a restored MGA. So far I have had 3 cars restored and I'm doing some finishing off on a Land Rover Defender 90. It is great to keep these old cars running. Well done you guys. It sounds like your Grandfather is of a similar way of thinking. It is good that they live close enough.
UK MG Midget owner (and also Bayliner owner!) here. You're gonna at least need complete inner and outer sill (rocker) sections and outer floor pan. If you're really lucky, the inner arches may be OK. Lots of work ahead but please, please bring her back to life. These nippy little cars are so worth it :)
Hiiiii!!!
Yep, we’re already looking at a parts list! 😂
When Grandpa said "SU" carbs. I thought straight back to my first proper job as a "sprocket" or sprog in a garage in the north east of scotland. that would be about 92. so was chuffed to hear him. folk like your grandad would of been my mentor at the time. long story short. do the the half shafts between the rear wheels and diff. they had a habbit of striypping off the splines or just plain snapping, more so on restored vehicles in this day and age. I am no" expert" in anyway shape or form. but I am really glad I watched your video. took me back a few years and so glad to see that folk still have a passion for saving old timers like this and getting them back on the road. nowadays distributer and carb mean things you read on your watch when you go running. so this is a breath of fresh air.
I'm just getting underway restoring a 1960 MGA 1600. Used to be my father's. You are going to have so much fun in that car 😁😁😁.
You got me a little emotional. It's clear I have a few years on you both,. My grandparents are no longer with me, but I still think about them every day. Enjoy every second you have with them.
♥️♥️♥️♥️
Being able to have your grandparents around is a huge blessing! I know I don't have to say this but spend as much time as you are able with them before you can't. Awesome video y'all!
One of my favorite cars was my 1968 MGB I bought in '76 or so. Had a friend in 76-77 that had a Midget almost exactly like that one. HAVE FUN!!
That smile on your mom's and grandparents face deserves a million likes....thank you for sharing this awesome car and video with us.
Huh, the little MG runs and the smoke's cleared. Neat. This thing's definitely got potential.
Seeing the excitement on your grandparents' faces was truly heartwarming.
Here in Brisbane there's a fairly significant MG Midget club, you see them scootin' around everywhere. Tiny little things.
cherish those sweet old grandparents. my grandad was a car guy and i made a living as a mechanic be between my dad and him we were always wrenching on something when i was a kid. so that pretty much made us best friends. i still and will always have the 65 lesabre i helped my grand dad restore along with a few others
Was awesome for the family to stop by. That’s a car family right there. 🥰
Brings back old memories!!! My first car was a 1964 Austin Healey Sprite, which was a twin of the MG Midget. Lots of memories!!!
It's so amazing that you're grandfather is still driving, love it.
Love the old MG cars. Had an MGBGT which my wife drove to the hospital when our first Daughter was born. Got out of the Service with an Austin Healey Sprite. The old bug eye. Fun cars to wrench as well as drive. Hate that I ever let either one of them go.
Man that brings back memories. My friend had a 76 midget. We did a lot of work to get it road worthy. He was working on the rear suspension when the wrench slipped and he whacked his hand hard. I was on the other side of my garage working on my 77cutlas at the time and heard the impact. Next thing I hear is a growling sound and then metal on metal banging hard. I go over to him as fast as I could cause I though the car had fallen on him. When I get thru the door I see the back end of the car bouncing up and down as he was bench pressing the entire rear of the car in anger.
About a month later we were cruising all over it that little thing. SUPER fun car to have and drive.
I had a 74 MG midget when I was 17 (1983), it had duel carbs and header and was very fun. Mine was orange and black. No rust but the top was rotted. Great to see you rescue one. And your grandpa is right the original carbs needed adjusted/tweaked weekly
Thanks for the video. My first car was a 69 MGB. I wasn't the coolest guy in high school but I had one of the coolest cars.
Phew, my sigh of relief when you pulled those oh so nasty hub caps off to reveal the Rostyle wheels was immense. My Dad had 3 MGB GTs during my childhood, he even picked one of them up brand new from the BL (British Leyland) factory in Cowley, Oxford UK. One of my child hood friends has rebuilt his 1275 Sprite (same A-Series engine as the Mini Cooper S) from the chassis up. The Austin Healey Sprite was the same car as the Midget, just with a different badge. The Midget sold in the states had 1500cc engine to comply with US emission regs. This ran hotter, because of the reduced engine bay space, than the original 1275 and hence the reliability issues you folks talk about. Love yopur videos and am always anxious for the next one to come out. Will watch the midgets progress with interest. Please restore it and enjoy doing so. They are raced over here because they are such fun track cars.
Good find. There is a suspension kit (Moss kit, I think) that will take the rubber bumper cars back to the original specs, and maybe a bit lower. It will re-establish the original ride height.
You can also get chrome bumpers to replace the rubber, if you wish. The rubber bumpers didn't offend me so much, but it does for some.
In the early 70s I had a friend into who was into MGAs. We replaced a lot of drivetrain with MGB stuff. Dependability was always an issue. The main car is fine but the electrical is abysmal. The lights fail. The wipers fail. Charging fails. The ignition fails. Failures for seemingly no reason. We changed everything to Delco from lights to alternator to wiring and then he carried a spare distributor. It wasn't so bad after that. Still not a car for non-mechanical people.
Oh, and a weber is a great change. I've used them on a number of cars.
I was brought home from the hospital 2 days after I was born in one of those! Frigid January morning in 1973! 1971 MGB GT, convertible of course!
I had an 1973 MGBGT back in the 80s here in the UK one of my biggest regrets was selling that can brought back good memories can't wait for the next one
My brother-in-law/sister-in-law, had an MG Midget. He also had a company car, so they would use the company car when they went anywhere with their daughter.
He changed jobs and moved the family from Michigan to Oregon. They rented a U-Haul truck and were going to rent a trailer to haul the MG. The trailer rental was going to cost more than the truck did, so they decided to just drive the MG and follow the truck.
When they were in South Dakota, they thought about visiting Mount Rushmore. They left the truck at the motel, and all 3 climbed into the MG, with my SIL sitting on her daughter's lap, and off to Mount Rushmore. They got lots of stares with 3 people from Michigan riding in the MG.
BTW my BIL got a company car with the new job in Oregon.
This made me smile so big!!
Wonderful parents and grandparents bless them, your grandfather seems a so enthusiastic! Lovely new jam jar, I had a string of MGBS and a terrific MGB GT V8.
Nice Vice grip garage hat. Seemed very appropriate for this project. A A Ron. 😁😁😁
What a great little vid, best thing about the MG is all the parts are available here in the UK, if you need and links to sites etc just give us a shout and good luck.
Awesome rescue. I can remember at about 10 or 11 years old my stepbrother having one. Very cool cars.
What an awesome video and fun car. You both out did yourselves again ... and the family ties was very special. What a blessing to share in the excitement and pass the torch, um "carb adjuster", down the line ..
I love Emily's passion and excitement when y'all bring life to an old vehicle.
We were resurrecting my '66 Volvo 122S after 20 years in a neighbors field. When it started for the first time it blew "popcorn" out the tailpipe. Mice had stored all sorts of seeds, including kernel corn in the exhaust system and when you add enough heat, Ta Da.
That’s FUNNY!!!
@@flyingsparksgarage got a photo but don't know how to share it with you.
Those late 50s and early 60s MGs and Austins are worth restoring.
So cool to see her come to life again, and she’s a sweet little runner. I got a chill when she started smoothing out and idling. And she almost fit in the back of the F450! Great work and thanks for bringing us along.
Those Smiths gauges are things of beauty! I don’t really fit in little roadsters but that doesn’t stop me from wanting one!
First video I've watched and I absolutely love the woman's excitement. She's awesome!
I sure appreciate that!! 🙏🏼
having owned 3........the points go bad often......but they EAT condensers......like 1 a month t times......so i got one meant for a 72 chevy big block, mounted it outside the cap,,,,,,ran the wire inside the cap,and never had to change it again. And another head banging feature.....is turn signal AND brake lights all run through the signal switch and a blinker under passenger side dash.......thats a blast to figure out
As soon as I saw the ‘Will it run again?’ question, I just KNEW that it would! This is going to be a brilliant project car.
that car is not a pile it is a great memory to enjoy you two are awesome please never change thank you !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good video, I had one exactly like yours. I bought it because I wanted the wire wheels for my bugeye sprite. Mine had the SU carbs that I always liked. My sprite had a Webber 40 doce carb and a high performance cam. Also had a 1959 tr3 and a 1960 Volvo 544 , all had su carbs . This will be a fun car ( of course I’m partial to the Bugatti👍😄🎩
Love the MG's, Austin Healy's. Brought up on working on them
with Dad and Uncle. This Midget takes me back awhile. Looking
forward to you 2 working on this.
Don't know why but the exhaust note on cars like this I just love it
Little MG's are so much fun. You are going to have a blast.
My last MG (B) came from Harvard Illinois. $500 and I drove it home... Good luck with this little guy! The only rust that kills these is in the torque boxes underneath... I learned early on to always slide a gm wiring harness in place of the stock Lucas stuff. Great find and I wish you good luck!!
Was nice to see your Mother & Grand Parents come to look at the MG. :-)
Good T-Shirt Aaron (Junkyard Mook). With some TLC another MG has been saved. I agree with you Emily, the steel rims look great on this Midget. Steve from "This Week With Cars" has many parts from various MG's and other old cars from the UK.
Partially right about the carburettor fitted to the Midget, the UK used SU, I believe some States used low emission Stromberg, the two makes are both side draught rather than the down draught normally used on US cars, mainly due to bonnet (hood) height. The two carburettors both use an aluminium piston and vacuum chamber, though the SU is a machined fit between both, the Stromberg uses a rubber diaphragm to seal between the two, which tears easily and causes rough running. A metering needle is fitted in the bottom of the piston in both types and sits in a jet at the bottom. I have come across a Californian spec MGB which had been used in the UK for some years, originally the car had 2 Stromberg 150CDE carbs and Lucas Opus ignition, so your Midget may have been fitted with electronic ignition as standard. There used to be an MG parts supplier in the UK called Ron Hopkinson Cars at Derby, though I'm not sure if they are still trading, though Rimmer Brothers at Lincoln are very good
Interesting, I only have experience with the BSU type.
Gosh, I’ve not heard anyone mention Ron Hopkinson’s for many years. I believe they closed down some years ago.
Awesome find kids I fell in love with the Midget when I was in high school back in 68
Hi guys if you want to add to the MG Kevin on Junkyard Digs is looking for a home for a TR7 another car from British Leyland and a stablemate of the MG.
Great channel guys,all the best!
I am from the UK, I used own a MG Midget, You have a 1500cc engine. All the body or sheet metal as you would call it. Can be bought new, from British Motor Heritage in the UK. I am sure these can bought in the USA. What I did with my engine was to rebuild it fit a fast road cam .
I also fitted to 2 twin Webber 40DCOE a 3 branch exhaust system and lowered it to the ground. It felt really fast even at low speeds. I look forward to seeing what you do with yous
One of the many things I love about y’all is that you do the kind of stuff I did 40 years ago. And, having your grandparents around is awesome.
Ya'll found a little jewel there! The carb you a having such a time with was built by Holley/Weber. It was also OEM for the Pinto and Mustang II, so some parts may still be available. The motor is 1048cc version of the motor that ran the Bug Eye Sprite this car is direct kin to. As is most of the drive train. It has a Lucas electric system and components as specified by British Leyland, the government's planned savior of the British car industry- if it looks wonky, cut it out and replace it! Aaron, those rusty "side panels" are actually stressed skin panels- the car will fold up like a card table if they get past a certain point. Get a good look at all of the floor before you get drastic and price the panels- it's not a cheap car to do body/chassis work on. And you will have to see the shocks to believe them- but some surprises are best left to discover! FR
I built one of these several years back. It was beat to hell. Built a hot little engine for it with the same Weber carb. Massaged the body and painted her Candy blue with silver accents. Cool little cars.
I am so happy that you two rescued this beautiful British classic! MGs and Triumphs are such wonderful cars! You will have a blast driving her. The MG car community is incredible; lots of helpful people out there. Cheers!
Kind of amazing this car ran this well right out of the box. Good deal on a very fun car.
That brings back memories. I had a 76 MG midget 25-30 years ago. Got all my parts from moss motors catalog. Great little cars. Great fun.
I see it has a Layland key just like my 1980 Mini! Same factory I’m guessing. Love it !!
In the 70's all of the British car industries were nationalized under government ownership. Austin, Morris, MG, Rover, Triumph, Jaguar, Landrover etc. They all then became part of "British Leyland". So, all Brit cars of this period would have been sold as this marque. Was later split up sold off as Austin Rover (and others) in early 80's.
Love the Midget. I fancy saving one of those myself (or the Austin Healy Sprite, which is basicly the same car). I noticed Grandad referred to SU carbs, but you referred to Strombergs as oroginal equipment (they look similar). Did they use Strombergs in the States? In the UK it was always SUs. However, I know that in the US market they substituted Strombergs on the Triumph TR6s (I think you might know it as the Triumph 250??).
With regards to making it idle without the choke (strangler?), I was thinking why don't they open the mixture adjusting screw on the Weber (it is near the bottom of the carb)? (Screw it out a bit, lefty loosey).The carb may never have been adjusted before. Also, sometimes they have an electric cut off valve on the idle circuit, which would need a 12v ignition live supply. But I doubt they would put that on an aftermarket conversion.
I was so pleased when you took off those horrible plastic wheel trims. You doubled the value of the car at a stroke!
Good luck with the restoration.
Sweet....we had an Austin Healey Sprite back in '63....fun car.....and hey.....nice seeing the Vice Grip Garage hat......
Oh lord they don't know what they've done. Use to wrench on these things all the time. This is the engine with built in obsolesce, rods through the side of the block. They were a blast to drive but real maintenance pigs. Good luck! My first experience with MG's started with the MGA, MBB and GT. Never had a Midget, couldn't fit into the things, too tall.
You are going to love this car. My foster parents had an early model. Oh man it’s a great little car. By the way there’s plenty of groups here in England that you can find out about parts and history of near enough all the ones made. Can’t wait to see her finished. Look up MG owners club.
Great video! I had a Luminition Electronic Ignition system on my Mk1 Ford Escort 30 years ago, was a great system for its day. I spotted the electronics module fitted to the drivers side bulkhead (firewall).
I found a heap of old UK car magazines in a charity shop, was really cool looking at all the aftermarket part reviews and adverts, lumenition was everywhere as well as ads for exchange cylinder heads with hardened valve seats due to leaded petrol being discontinued
Also cool looking at how cheap classics were back then.
Wow! An R2.8 would be an awesome swap into that little car. My next door neighbors had a 1976 Midget when we were kids, growing up. I think they bought it new. It was about the time both my half brothers were in college back in MD.
Your reaction holding the sparkplug was priceless!!
Hi, keep in mind that car wouldn't have been built to run on unleaded. If you get chance do a compression test to see how it's fairing. Many will have been converted with harder valve seats over the years, but that might explain the high spin over speed on the starter. All the best. John
Love those Illinois license plates from the 70’s and 80’s .
Brings me right back ! 👍
Awesome to see your mom and grand parents! Grandpa seemed excited!
I'd like to see more of him with this car. Even if he's just the supervisor! Sweet grandparents!
They’ve already been back over while we were working on her!!! They’re the sweetest.
My neighbor has a racing green one I think he's selling it. Also so nice to see the revivals.
Loving that you are living your best lives!
How cool family memories and bringing an old girl back to life I can't wait for coming videos on this car
New sub, found you through VVG's recent video. Wish I would have found the channel sooner. This video deserves more likes. Hidden gem. Thank you for posting
Can't believe this was abandoned. Nice work!
Had 2 friends when i was in the military that had MG’s they were a blast to drive and wrench on… oh the wrench thing was allot.lol Keep the great content coming 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I spotted a "West Germany" label on the key-fob (@ 13:41), so I wonder if this car was bought by a US serviceman in German and shipped back to the States?
Cool deal!!
I have a feeling this has so much family juju ya gotta keep it...
Grand parents, parents, daughters history...
Its RUNNING!!!
AND as far as a name, I kept thinking " "Dame Edna"...
🤣🤣😎👍
I’ve lost track of how many cream puffs are in your fleet. Roxy needs a little love for next years race season. Good Luck!!
Shop dawg, trompin' in the mud!
Great little cars and all the parts are available inc things like original seat covers and foam.
Nice to see a new project car, means more videos are coming!!!!!!!!
I had an Austin Healy sprite which was the same as your one in 1967. Quick car at that time and loved corners. Repairing the body was a difficult repair as it had an inner sill to give it strength. Reply if you want more details or pictures as we still have races for classic sports cars. Good luck. Love your videos
You guys are a great to watch. You have your feet in every activity that I enjoy. Please, keep it up!!!
I have restored old batteries like that, maybe not that old, but dead, with a good desulfator maintainer. My camper pulls the batteries lower than they should be fairly often, so I keep a desulfator on them when at home. I get 5 or 6 years with them that way.
Hi
I had a midget we are in the uk, and when the old gent said SU or something my ears pricked up coz that’s what most had single or twin SUs this vid brings back so many memories for me so cool and thanks
Congratulations on your fun little jewel!
I had a 1957 MGB. I put a small block Chevy in it. Fun cars!!!
My grandad had an old comet he was always working on. He put a 351 in it with a 2 spd and a 9 inch . That thing was scary fast and wicked loud . I miss that car and grandpa alot
Being a MG B owner in Germany I found dozens of Videos about MGs in TH-cam. A man called John Twist at University Motors. Should be easy to find. Good luck with your MG
My grandpa had an MG TF in the 50s and kept it till he died and now it’s mine they are fun to drive keep the original engine in it
Finley seems to be impressed no matter which car he gets to inspect.
The Chevy LUV would be an awesome Cummins project. Or the COE truck.
Admittedly, I was expecting Aaron to refer to the "Fuel Maker It Happen-er".
Finally, Happy Birthday to Grandpa
Finley didn’t seem that impressed to me 🙃
She'll be a cool car! Love your Grandparents!!
I had a 1978 full size MG, under the driver seat was the main ground...really dumb place...but can be something to know for the future, fun cars Cheers from Vietnam
Here's a great plan now just here me out, make it a autocross car with og powertrain but u know the suspension and tires for the autocross just a thought😉
AWESOME!!!! Luv you guys, From Halifax Nova Scotia
I`ve always wanted one of beautiful MG`s just never then time.
I hope you enjoy the car, can`t wait to see what do with it
I learned about electricity at the age of 5. My dad wanted to know if the lawn mower had spark, and handed me the wire. Yikes! He laughed like an idiot.
I got my ass chewed by the wife, for doing that to my son, lol...
Got love the MK3 midget , my dad had one and was fun to drive 👍
*looks like the rust can be repaired easy enough on the body they sell floor pans too for these. sounds like the carb needs adjusted big time. Webber carbs usually do though so nothing new there. they ALWAYS need re-adjusted too. For some reason they never hold their settings. maybe you will get luckier than most usually do with that part though. it will be neat to see yall breathe new life into this one for sure*
SUs are only in tune for minutes at a time, but Webers don't go out of adjustment , unlike the SUs there are no moving parts in the metering system, though they're a pain to set up initially.
@@racketman2u i have no experience with the SU carb the webbers however i have had significant experience with and you're constantly having to adjust them in my experience. it's like they just don't want to hold where you leave them for some reason. i mean you can get them where they are close and things not change that much but with all the different kinds of fuels that there are out there i think that's where the problem lies more so than the carb it's self
Helping a friend restore a 1966 MGB. Rimmer Bros British Automotive Parts and Accessories is a good place of parts. There's also Moss motors but I'm not super impressed with them.
Rimmer can be very expensive pal. As a Brit with MG owning friends, I will ask them if they know any other suppliers who may be able to help
@@philgrimsey3637 There is also British Parts Northwest and The Roadster factory.
I can smell the old interior of that MG....smells like stale bread and fake Christmas tree. Love the VGG hat!!! much love fam!!!
Oh man, those MG’s are a nightmare. Hope ya’ll have better luck than I had back in the day 👍🏻
Hey Guys, I do this a bit with old fuel tanks....
I have a 3/4 inch PVC clear hose about 6 feet long and about a foot from the end I have a shop air duster glued in to the PVC via a hole in the side with a 4 inch tip pointing to the end of the hose creating a vacuum which will prime and allow you to literally vacuum out the bottom of a fuel tank through whatever access you can find and with 2 people you can seriously drain and clean out a tank well.
Such an awesome find guys . Its now going to have a great home and besides it was Finley approved . Cant wait until your next video to see what you have done to her. With some upgraded mods she would be a great autocross car .. Just saying HA HA !! Take care and be safe guys . Oh , by the way you have some great grandparents and mom .
Thanks for bringing back memories 😊 , my mother had a 1980 MG BGT, British racing green , I learnt to drive in it.
You might want to look at Moss Motors out of Oregon I think, they carry body parts interior parts and other parts for English cars. That carb is a weber and there are books written about how to set them up for MG Midgets etc.
We’ve already got parts on the way from them 😂🙌🏼
Like # 6 missed you guys. Always a good show especially with a single malt scotch, neat.
Scotch is so yummy. Cheers!!!
@@flyingsparksgarage