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My Midget is back and better then ever!

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M

Midget78

Jedi Trainee
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Hey gang. After a month of having my 78 midget over at the mechanics she is finally back and better then ever. $1300 later but it was all worth it. This car has a new battery, coil, Pertronix unit, rotor, distributor cap, NGK plugs, Pace Setter exhaust manifold, Weber DGV Carb with the Pierce manifold, fuel regulator with the proper gauge and a new original car jack on the way. The mechanic took care of the carb stuff and the other miscellaneous I did. I think Im good to go for this summer. I know I need to empty the brake fluid from the system due to using DOT 3 which I found out is a no-no. I'll get to that when I look at the front passenger calliper witch is sticking it seems. Im going to try and post some pics to share with all of you to see my little project. It needs some paint work from being in the Texas sun before I purchased it yet the body is solid with no rust areas eating at the body. I feel complete again. Now Im ready for spring!
 
What's wrong with DOT3?
 
Hay, Miss Agatha has Dot 3.
 
Congrats! It'll all be worth it once ya start driving it again. And from the equipment you have there it should go like stink. ... And .. you should be good for another year or so, at $100 a month...(Or didn't you spend any last year?--LOL)..

ENJOY!
 
wow - my wife & I bled mine nearly two years ago...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]
<span style="font-weight: bold">me:</span> ok honey, push...
<span style="font-weight: bold">her:</span> I've heard that before...
<span style="font-weight: bold">me:</span> no, I mean push the pedal down!
<span style="font-weight: bold">her:</span> oh yeah, sorry... I had a flashback to that <span style="font-weight: bold">11.5 lb son of yours</span>...
<span style="font-weight: bold">me:</span> no, the brake pedal hon...
<span style="font-weight: bold">her:</span> oh, yeah - this one in the middle???
<span style="font-weight: bold">me:</span> yes dear, the one in the middle
<span style="font-weight: bold">her:</span> ok, it's pushed - am I done now???
<span style="font-weight: bold">me:</span> ... ... ... ... (muttering) *!@*#
[/QUOTE]

In this day & age you haven't had any fun until you try to find a doctor that will circumsize a 12 pound baby.

But I digress...

I've got great brakes now! Thanks (many, many) to my dear wife.

When you've seen a woman deliver a kid that size, you'd dang well better show a little respect!!
 
lbc_newbie said:
I was just reading my manual and found that you are supposed to use DOT 3 and nothing else. You might want to check me on that. I just had mine bled by a mechanic and they are still spongy. I need to find out what he used.
Click to expand...
Of course there was no DOT 4 or 5,6,7,8, when the manual was written but, I figure if 3 was good originally then it's still good, something else may be better but, original is good.
 
Hey guys. The mechanic said to use Castrol "LMA" brake fluid only. Apparently in the MG's they use real rubber seals in the braking system and the clutch. He said something about DOT 3 & even 4 having something in them that will turn the seals into sponges and then they begin to leak and even come out after time. Im not sure if anyone has experienced this but Im taking his word for it from looking at his years of experience working on these cars.
 
I think I've heard that too but those original type seals should have long since been rotated out of service I believe, in other words, all the seals made today are of the type of rubber for use with 3,4. Anyone with a 40+ year old car running original seals in their brake parts?
 
Okay, the information you received was true, IN ITS DAY, but that day, as mentioned by others is long past.

Now Castrol LMA is a recommended fluid, but not necessary.. Dot3 and Dot4 are compatible, in that they share similar boiling temperatures and hygroscopic capabilities(lousy) to each other.

If you really want to go with a non-silicone(Dot5, not Dot5.1) and put brake fluid in your car that will eat paint when spilled, then I recommend the higher temp Ford type Blue racing fluid. Same hygroscopic as Dot3 and Dot4(lousy) should be flushed out at least every two years. As it's boiling resistance is a lot higher than most over the counter fluids(other than silicone Dot 5).

Some people will tell you that silicone fluid will give you a "mushy" brake pedal. I disagree, a properly bled silicone filled system in a non-abs system gives a very hard pedal..(If all the hydraulics are in good shape)
 
When I rebuilt my brakes ages ago, I put DOT 5.1 in it. I thought I was putting silicon in, but got confused by the fancy labeling.

Everything seems to work fine as long as I remember to adjust my rear brakes periodically.

Any thoughts on how DOT 5.1 compares to the others?
 
And DOT 5 was blamed for wrecking seals, which may or may not have been the case with "NOS" seals before they started making them with DOT 5 safe rubber, or something like that, I don't know. You're not supposed to mix 5 with earlier types too I believe so I've never bothered to switch over as I guess you'd have to flush the system thoroughly. 4 and 3 is all I use.
 
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