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Looking for a 1275???

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Hooper11772

Hooper11772

Senior Member
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Hi All,
I'm new to this forum and to the world of MG's. I purchased a then dismantled 68 midget back in October of 07 and have been working to restore it since then. This is my first attempt to restore a car and have already learned some hard lessons. When I purchased the car I was told that everything was there the previous owner was selling it since he had started a family and could no longer see restoring a two seater since he had kids. I recently purchased all the materials to give the engine a tune up. (gaskets,distributor, plugs etc. and found that I was unable to turn it over.)
After about two weeks of trying everything from mystery oil down the plugs to a breaker bar I took it to a local MG shop to be assessed. $300.00 later he told me the engine was no good. severely overheated and I would need a new or re-machined block along with pistons, a reworked head etc. Needless to say I was less than pleased since the prior owner assured he he was driving the car months prior to dismantling and me purchasing. Now I need a new engine since I cant afford the cost of a rebuild for mine. I could have just asked if anyone had any 1275's lying around they were looking to sell in the New England area but I wanted you all to share in my pain. I've already spent countless hours restoring a car that has no engine and would hate to give up now but a rebuild is astronomical. Thanks for the help and for reading my novel. I needed to get that of my chest.

Here's some pics of my engineless car.....!
share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Bbsm7dq1asXVQ
 
There used to be a Leyland dealer in or near West Springfield so there should be SOME 1275's hiding around in garages or back yards in the area. :wink:

Get with a local MG club, ask around. Bound to turn up some choices/options.


Welcome to the forum, too! You couldn't have found a better place on the 'net for help and advice. These guys are a friendly lot, and can usually come up with the right answers.


Oh, and pay no attention to mine. I'm the resident Foole. :jester: :devilgrin:
 
Even an old 1275 laying around in somebody's garage will, at the least, need refreshing (new rings, bearings, etc.)...were it me, the first thing I'd do is disassemble the engine myself & take the block, crankshaft & pistons to a machine shop so they can mic them to see what you need.

Once you know that, you can start looking at the best places to buy parts - the big catalog companies have dealers or distributors who will sell parts to you at reduced prices....building the engine is pretty easy & inexpensive after the machine work is done.

The head can be checked by the same machine shop & you may get by with just a good 3-angle valve job.

But, you don't know anything until you disassemble it & have it checked.....& just telling you its no good isn't what I'd expect for $300!! Actually, for $300 I'd expect to get a turned crank & a bored block back from the machine shop!

Here's my recent machine shop bill for a 1098 I'm building as a guide (even though I'm in the South):

Hot Tank engine, head & all parts & magnaflux block, head, crank, rods....$75.00
Bore & hone block....$100.00
Pin Fit & Rod Align....$45.00
Grind crankshaft....$75.00
Balance all reciprocatng parts....$125.00
3-angle valve job....$60.00
Surface head....$35.00
Install/fit new valve guides to new valves....$50.00
Install hardened exhaust seats....$45.00
Surface flywheel/install new ring gear.....$30.00
R&R Block freeze & oil plugs....$20.00
Total with tax....$705.00

& that's making everything new! Also, the above is all he charged me for but there was lots of work involved in the above that you don't see (i.e., tapping & prepping oil plug holes for threaded oil plugs; new valve seals/installation of valve train, etc.)....& I take lots of work to him so he probably gives me a better deal than the guy with just 1 engine; however....$300 & just a "the engine is no good" isn't acceptable anywhere!

Prices are gonna be different depending on where you are but I hope you got a clean, disassembled engine with the specs of each part for your $300 - if you didn't you need to go back & find out what he did for the money!
 
Never ever let anyone do work on your car, they charge awful prices.
 
Oh, I looked at all 14 of your photos - you're doing that car the right way....don't give up now, you've got the hard stuff done!!
 
All the machining you would need to totally freshen a clapped out 1275 should come in under $1000. And that would include sleeving one or two buggered bores. Time to find a new machine shop.

Glen Byrns
 
I'm inclined to agree, Glen. And also to be certain the same block/bits come home that went INTO that place... but it could also be seized. I'd want a "second opinion". Another reason I suggested getting into a local MG/LBC club, or mebbe some of the "rodders" know good machinists, too. I don't know a hot-rod guy who <span style="font-style: italic">isn't</span> friends with a machinist. :wink:
 
Wow, you guys are quick. In the journey home from my job Which is not as a mechanic if you can't already tell I have this many good suggestions. I wish I found this site prior to shelling out $300.00.
The guy I took it too specializes in British cars. He's been a mechanic for 25 years and is based in Avon Mass Britannic Motors. Nice enough guy but when I brought the engine to him I explained I didn't know much about it the prior owner said it ran when he took it out and maybe it just seized from sitting too long. He thought he could free it up and I already had all of the components removed including the head so he could see the pistons and the bores. He said he wouldn’t know for sure until he took it totally apart. So here I am thinking 85.00 an hour is worth it if he gives me back an engine that turns over I figured $300.00 alright. But when he ever called me and said it was blown I almost died. Not what I expected. He said the machining new pistons, all that jazz would be 3,000 to 4,000 allot more than I’m hearing from you all. I'm 27 years old. I rent and have very little money. This is the second time I got one pulled over on me since I bought this car.
I'm hoping to get a used engine so I can at least drive the car for the summer save up some money and do it the right way. The thing is getting a used engine from a guy I can trust seems to be a rarity in this part of the country. If I am to buy a used one that is presumably a working engine out of a car what should I look for? There's a guy in western mass that is selling a 1275 for 400.00 dollars unsure of the condition but he said I could dismantle it and take a look while I’m there, but once I leave with it it's mine! Does this sound shady to anyone else? I don’t want to have two "rebuildable engines and a shiny car that I cant drive. thanks again for all the support you guys are great. I wished you all lived closer.
 
I agree with Tony, you have a really good start on that project!! The rest of the guys all gave advice that I can't add very much to, except to say that a little diligent work should dig up a decent 1275 locally, and you could keep an eye on ebay though most of those deals are iffy and do usually require a local pick-up for stuff as heavy as engines!
 
If you could find your way to NJ, SPRITENUT (Frank C.)is the guy you need to meet. He could probably knock together a running 1275 out of parts under his workbench before the engine of the car you drove up in gets cold.

Glen
 
jlaird said:
Never ever let anyone do work on your car, they charge awful prices.
Click to expand...
I don't know, Jack. Hap's doing my motor... (and no, it isn't cheap, but worth every penny) :devilgrin:

Hooper, to give you a real idea on cost, I'm having a true Sprite expert build me a hot street motor -- far more involved than a standard rebuild. Cost will be around $5000 or so. A standard rebuild by a reputable builder would be closer to $3500.

Doing much of the assembly yourself, you're closer to Tony's estimate. Definitely join your local club -- they'll know what's around, and you may even find someone who can help you out.

Most of all, stick with it! These little cars can be a bit frustrating (especially for those of us, myself included, of nominal means) but the rewards should be worth it. I certainly hope so!
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]He said the machining new pistons, all that jazz would be 3,000 to 4,000 [/QUOTE]
<span style="font-weight: bold">B.S.</span> Did you look at my machine shop bill? & new pistons are way under $300 at the price I'd sell them to you!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]There's a guy in western mass that is selling a 1275 for 400.00 dollars unsure of the condition but he said I could dismantle it and take a look while I’m there, but once I leave with it it's mine![/QUOTE]
Too much money - put that in your engine if it doesn't have a hole in the block!

Just my humble opinion!
 
Welcome! Great work so far - first off, this is the right place to be - second, if you aren't getting anywhere with a 1275 block - which is the preferred option - consider a new engine. Here in Toronto I can buy a Japanese Miata 1.8 with a 5 speed for $650 (20-30 k mileage) - likely something similar there

good luck!
 
I've heard of that shop from an MGB friend of mine Paul S. He's had a good deal of work done by them and from what I understand they only do top notch work, but you pay for it too. Paul is also the President of the Boston Area MG Club.

https://www.bostonareamg.com/

If I were you, I would consider rebuildign it myself.

Good luck and welcome!
 
3-4k sounds about right given the car and the geographical area. You aren't in the deep South, so price accordingly. $85 an hour for a good wrench isn't obscene.

If you feel up to rebuilding the engine - and just paying for the parts and machine work - then you can likely get out for under $1500. You can get a TR6 motor rebuilt for 3k, and this one has fewer parts...

Of course you could always try somewhere like this - sounds like he has plenty of spares at least :wink:

https://www.race-cars.com/carsales/mg/1199541860/1199541860ss.htm

Good luck.
 
First of all Roger, welcome.

I'm not too far from you and use a good machine shop in Weymouth. He isn't cheap but he does race quality work, mostly drag motors, but he had a good friend with a B and did some crazy stuff to it (think offset bores / custom pistons / stroked crank / machined head and block for copper o'ring head gaskets etc.). He likes to get something other than a big block in the shop every now and then. That said, he's expensive but probably close to the rate the guy is Avon would charge once his machinists costs got marked up. Rates are closer to $50/cylinder for a bore and hone, $300 to go though the head, $75 to deck the block, $50 to R&R the pistons and rods, assume you can just polish the crank at $75, $75 to jet wash the block and head and your into machine work for $775 but is the minimum and doesn't include balancing and R&R on the flywheel (which I don't think you need). Add parts and your over a grand but less than the $3K your quoted assuming you can do the assembly work, if not add 8hrs @ $75/hr - $600 per day. It's already disassembled so call it 1-1/2 days to put it back together for $900. That puts the total at $2k barring and major problems.

Now realize that the current engine in my street car cost me $50 (underwater in a NH basement from the spring floods 3 years ago) and has the best used rings from 3 engines in it, a used oil pump, a new gasket kit, used bearings etc and I've beat the snot out of it on Rte 3 for 2 years. So what if it only has 10 psi oil pressure at idle in the summer and uses a quart of oil a week. I choose to spend my engine money on the track 1275. So I'll ask the non-purist, improper question - what do you want to do and are you willing to take the risk that the engine won't last and you'll be in the same spot next year? If you think that you can live with it and maybe have some more cash next year then I'd get a used engine, put new bearings and a water pump in it and run it. These are pretty tough engines.

If you want to stop by my place with your block to get a second opinion send me a PM. I'll be around this weekend puttying the track car back together.

Either way, I'll give you a hand if you need it. Good luck
 
Again thank you everyone for all the help. It's difficult to judge what is the right cost to pay for something without a jumping off point. All of the ideas and insight you all gave is definitely helping.
I am going to look into an area MG club perhaps Chris can hook me up with a way that I could meet a few people and learn some more. To answer your question Chris I would like to get a used motor and slap a water pump on it and run it this year. I know next year i'll be in a better spot financially and will be able to some more revenue into the block. I'm definitely for sweat equity everything I ever send out I try to do myself first. I think this is out of necessity and that fact that I like to learn about these things.
My major concern is that i'll buy another used engine with what little money I have left and be in the same situation. I have very little experience with the internal working of engines. Prior to this car I could do a water pump, tune up, brakes, thermostat etc. but nothing major. I bought the Haynes manual with every intention of jumping right into this project knowing that if I got in over my head (ie. the crank wont turn) I could drop off the engine to Brittanic spend a little money and hopefully be back on track. The seized engine is not something that I was prepared for.
Chris i'll shoot you a PM and see if we can get together on Sat. It would be great to see what you think and get some more input.
 
Appears things are looking up...way to go Chris!!
 
:iagree: Chris you are the best!!!

And this is from personal experience. :thumbsup:

Pat
 
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