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Hello, my name is Mark and I am a Sophomore Mechanical Engineering student at the School of Mines in Rapid City South Dakota. My mother has a 1979 MG Midget and hasn't used it in quite some time. My father has told me that something needs to be done with the Midget or it is going to get junked. The motor in it needs a rebuild, but since the stock motor isn't rated for a staggering amount of power I plan on doing a four or six cylinder motor swap. I was thinking about finding a Ford Ranger 2.3 and using it as a donor vehicle for the swap. Once I have the swap working I plan on having the car painted. In the end I hope to have a good looking Midget that can perform. So I will be on the forums looking for as much information that I can get my hands on.
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New from South Dakota with MG Midget
- Thread starter MEMarkC
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bill_young
Jedi Warrior
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Mark, first of all welcome to the BCF. As far as engine swaps into Midgets goes it will be a bit more complicated than I think you envision. Take a look at the various swaps shown in the British V8 Newsletter https://www.britishv8.org/Photos-MG-Conversions.htm both for MG Midgets and AH Sprites. The only Ford engine used in those was the Zetek. You might find that the 2.3 is a bit tall, but some time with a tape measure will let you know for sure. One thing you need to consider with any major increase in power and/or torque in the Midget is the replacement of the rear axle. It's just barely adequate for a well tuned stock motor and really won't be reliable with most any other engine. That adds a bit of complexity to the swap, but it's not a show stopper.
I'm not agains engine swaps,(that's an understatement!) but you should be aware that the original 1500cc engine can be quite a nice performing power plant for a Midget with just a few little mods during a rebuild. What it responds to most is increasing the compression and some cam timing. Installing flat top pistons in place of the original dished peices and a mild cam can really wake up the lump.
My suggestion would be to do a mild rebuild on the original engine for now and drive the car for a while, then decide if you want to go for a swap. If you're like most of us who have a limited budget for our hobbies the basic rebuild will be affordable. Plan on spending several times that amount to complete a decent engine/tranmission/rear axle swap.
I'm not agains engine swaps,(that's an understatement!) but you should be aware that the original 1500cc engine can be quite a nice performing power plant for a Midget with just a few little mods during a rebuild. What it responds to most is increasing the compression and some cam timing. Installing flat top pistons in place of the original dished peices and a mild cam can really wake up the lump.
My suggestion would be to do a mild rebuild on the original engine for now and drive the car for a while, then decide if you want to go for a swap. If you're like most of us who have a limited budget for our hobbies the basic rebuild will be affordable. Plan on spending several times that amount to complete a decent engine/tranmission/rear axle swap.
toysrrus
Yoda
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Hi There Mark,
Allow me to "Welcome" you to one of "THEE" best, informative, cordial & "Fun" LBC sites bar none.
I`m a Degreed ME myself. I worked as an ME for a Machine Tool Builder for about a yr. & then got into Industrial Sales & have been there ever since (Long Time Now).
Its not too often these days that you hear of someone studying Mech. Eng. No one wants to get their hands or brains dirty anymore.
So; "Congrats" on your "New/Old" car & best wishes with cont. education.
Regards,
Russ
Allow me to "Welcome" you to one of "THEE" best, informative, cordial & "Fun" LBC sites bar none.
I`m a Degreed ME myself. I worked as an ME for a Machine Tool Builder for about a yr. & then got into Industrial Sales & have been there ever since (Long Time Now).
Its not too often these days that you hear of someone studying Mech. Eng. No one wants to get their hands or brains dirty anymore.
So; "Congrats" on your "New/Old" car & best wishes with cont. education.
Regards,
Russ
Offline
Mark,
First of all, welcome to the BCF. Bill has already given you more advice than I ever can, but I look forward to following the progress of your endeavor. And be sure to post pictures of your progress, as we all enjoy looking at each others cars.
Enjoy the Ride!
First of all, welcome to the BCF. Bill has already given you more advice than I ever can, but I look forward to following the progress of your endeavor. And be sure to post pictures of your progress, as we all enjoy looking at each others cars.
Enjoy the Ride!
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Welcome!
Bill's advice is sound. A rebuild is straightforward, and with your background it should be easy and even fun to do! You can also get your hands on a replacement stock engine (if that is what you decide to do) fairly cheaply, and then remove the need for major surgery and endless frustration!
It really is a fun little car in its stock configuration. If you need to increase performance you could always remove those honking great rubber bumpers, they weigh a ton!
Bill's advice is sound. A rebuild is straightforward, and with your background it should be easy and even fun to do! You can also get your hands on a replacement stock engine (if that is what you decide to do) fairly cheaply, and then remove the need for major surgery and endless frustration!
It really is a fun little car in its stock configuration. If you need to increase performance you could always remove those honking great rubber bumpers, they weigh a ton!
Thanks all for the insight! I haven't devoted much time to research just yet, things at school are in full swing. Before I make any moves I will price out a rebuild on the stock motor and hopefully find an estimated horsepower value. Next I will roughly price out the cost of a wrecked Ford Ranger, cost of fabrication to a drive shaft and a rear end. I have a 2.3L in my Ford Focus that I can measure dimensions with. I have an immense amount of research to do before I even decide on which route to go. A rebuild sounds like a walk in the park in comparison to the swap. But being a young gun I enjoy power quite a bit. I hopped up my Harley Davidson motorcycle so that it could do a 12 second quarter mile, which I know isn't all that great for a bike but on the fast end of Harleys. Between my father, brother and myself, we decided to try and keep the overall cost around 5,000 dollars.
bill_young
Jedi Warrior
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Marc, you should be able to come close to that budget if you're careful and get some good deals on parts. Don't limit yourself to the Ranger, pickups are usually more expensive even wrecked, didn't the Mustang use the same engine and trans? Another thing to consider is the shifter location. Don't know about the Fords, but on the Chevys the S10 5 speed shifter is quite a bit forward of the location on the Camaro 5 speed and winds up too far forward for most MG swaps. For a Midget it's easier to go towards the rear with the shifter than the front because of clearance with the dash for your hands.
Another thing to consider is the choice of a rear axle, make sure the brakes will clear a 13" wheel if necessary. That's another thing that would make a drive train from a Mustang desireable, small wheels and brakes that come closer to matching the Midget. As long as you're selecting parts, might as well look for a good gear ratio as well. Running 13" tires I find that a rear between 3.4:1 up to around 3.08:1 is in the ball park for both decent power and good economical cruise. For a 4 cylinder I'd go towards the 3.4 side.
Another thing to consider is the choice of a rear axle, make sure the brakes will clear a 13" wheel if necessary. That's another thing that would make a drive train from a Mustang desireable, small wheels and brakes that come closer to matching the Midget. As long as you're selecting parts, might as well look for a good gear ratio as well. Running 13" tires I find that a rear between 3.4:1 up to around 3.08:1 is in the ball park for both decent power and good economical cruise. For a 4 cylinder I'd go towards the 3.4 side.
Well my brother and I had a discussion. We have decided to do the rebuild. Main reasons being that the vehicle is so light that the lack in the power department is made up for(i'm HOPING for a sub 10 second 0-60), also the frustration of a money pit just doesn't sound too attractive while I am in college. I need to spend more time on these forums, but I just haven't had the time. I want to learn all about the potential power I can get with a rebuild. I hope these things can handle because we want to take it auto crossing. All I have got to say now is it is time to break out the Haynes Manual and start reading through the forum. I will be able to start work on the car about mid May, and boy am I getting excited to clean this baby up!
I appreciate your guys' insight!
I appreciate your guys' insight!