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Where do I begin?

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vping

vping

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I could use everyone's help in starting my 2nd project. I have a 1971 MG Midget that is completely rust free & needs minor body work & then paint. By minor I mean it may have ding here & there but not anything a little hammer & dolly work can fix.

Not on the car:
Gas tank
Engine
Dash & all electrical Including lights.
Interior
Windshield
Fenders, hood, nose & bumpers.

The car was involved in an accident very early on in its life & was repaired although I am currently checking measurements & tweeking.
I want to know where I should begin. What part to work on first. Should I paint it and then rebuild the front end. Should I work my way front back to front? Engine & tranny Do I rebuild those?
I am thinking about a racer as I have asked about before. Someone mentioned the EMRA. I would like to drive it as often as I can and if I can get into racing I would like to be able to do that as well without much breakdown.
I'm looking for a little hand holding until I get the ball rolling and it all starts to make sense.
 
Wow man, sounds like you have a winner there. Not sure I can advise you on where to start since it isn't a running vehicle at the offset. I like to get everything mechanically sound before I fool with paint and body work. I guess it comes down to accessibility. How do you know what is good and what is bad? I'd get the tub as right as I could to make sure that it tracks right and then just start going through things (since it was in a wreck). The engine is out but do you have any idea of its condition? If you are planning on racing it, you might as well go ahead and build it as a racer. Racing can be hard on an old engine. One that would be decent for a couple of years as a daily driver may not hold up to the stresses racing puts on them. Transmission might need synchros but can't be sure without ever running it. I guess the first thing you have to decide is what you want the car to be when you are done. Then start on the mechanicals and work from there. Plan on doing something to the brakes if it has been sitting for a long time. Hopefully, this helps but I'm afraid I answered your question with more questions...
JC
 
I agree on JC... greasy hand prints are murder on a shiny new paint job.
 
Everything so far measures out ok on the Frame. The engine & tranny were out of a running 69 Sprite with 60k but I was going to rebuild anyway. I feel the same way about getting the mechanicals sound first. So you should basically build the car and then take it all apart again & work on the body?

I'd have to put the dash back in and rewire the entire car. Get it running & take it on a test drive. Fix what is needed test again and so on & on. Then tear down to rebuild again.
I guess if I knew I was going to make it a racer I would not be as concerned about the body right?
Can you have a daily driver & and racer?
 
And I do not agree with the others.
Painting around suspension, wires, brakes, and an engine is difficult and shows as a shoddy job.
I like to strip it down, do the welding, body work, and paint.
You can always clean and paint the subassemblys while the bondo or primer are drying.
Once it's all one color, put it back together.
Now you can decide on new parts, good used but clean, and you will have the oppertunity to examine ALL the parts you took off leaving nothing to chance.
 
vpng,
You have got plenty to do, thast no doubt. get the body ready, rebuild subasemblies, test fit everything, remove everything, paint car, put back together. Thats the short version.

Some guys are big on paint. it would kill me to scrath a new paint job up while putting it together. Getting a car painted is the last thing i would do, after it was mechanical sound, and tested out, once you have "been there" it all comes back apart pretty quickly. if the dash and harness are already out, you might as well get all of that painted up before you put it back in, you know kinda paint your way out if you know what i mean. the body can always be painted later, after you fix the dents from rubbin a few laps on the track?
wheres farmingdale?



mark
 
Me too. I agree with Spritenut...
 
I don't have an ETA of when the parts are coming out, but soon I will have the gas tank, to include the fuel pump, and lines if you want them, and I can sell you my guages, and all interior lights and switches, but I'm keeping the dash. and heck, what do you know, I just so happen to be getting rid of the 1275 engine with less than 50000 miles, and hasn't been started since early 1998. it has a new generator, but everything else appears original. the harness to the head lights had to take one for the team, because after replaceing the bulbs they never worked again. quote me a price, and well figure out shipping issues and what not.
 
Mark, Farmingdale is about mid Long Island and I agree with you that since I have the thing gutted, paint the inside. and then worry about the outside later on if I am serious about this race idea that's in my head.
adam70, thanks for the offer. I am not sure where to begin with an offer nor am sure of what it would cost to pallet this up to send to NY. Sounds tempting as you can never have too many parts in the garage.

I saw an SCCA race a few years back and an MG Midget won the race. Only this year have I been fixated about trying to find them on the TV to watch them. You can really zip around in these little cars and it's too crowded & unsafe to race around the somewhat limited backroads of LI. (also the Midget is match for any other car on the road. (a VW bug could wreck your day if you hit one)
I would think it much safer for me and others to test my limitations on the track where safety is the concern of everyone around you.

The king pins seem solid but I want to change all the bushings up front. I think I should go with Urethane all around. The springs are solid and so are the shocks. The rear is nice & solid too. I need to decide if I want to tear down the engine & trans but I need to find someone locally to give me guidance. I want to do most of the work myself other than the machining. If I do make a race motor out of it I would like to be able to tear it down & rebuild it myself as needed. Same goes for the trans although thats another ball game for me.
How would the stock braking system hold up to racing?
 
its funny you mention the VW vping. there is one parked next to my midget in the driveway that my uncle drives to work everyday. its a white 72 with flames on it, and about 95% stock, its pretty sweet, had tons of tlc throught its life, but yeah a midget makes a Bug seem like an SUV.
 
I am guilty of doing most everything the hard way. I still think that if I was in your position, I would probably prep and paint the underside of the tub and the interior while things were out of the way. Might as well knock out the engine compartment as well but you know that you'll have some touch up spots once things start going back in. I would still get most everything else sorted out before I put the final coat on the outer skin. Just my preference though. There are lots of paths that lead to the same place. I try to sort out the mechanicals first probably because that is what I am most comfortable with. I've only sprayed a couple of cars in my lifetime so that part of this experience has me a little nervous. But I want the one that I'm doing to be all mine when it is finished.
JC
 
BTW, Victoria British has their sale on until the end of the month. Call and they will send you the catalogue. Good Luck!
 
Moss catalog has better diagrams & break outs.
 
vping:

If you are interested in wheel-to-wheel sports car races in the Eastern U.S., you can always come to an EMRA race. We are very low key and always happy to have folks show up and watch. We have many events in Pocono which is not too far from you. We also run an event in Lime Rock (Conn) which is not too far....plus a bunch of other events. Many moons ago, we even ran out passed you, at Bridgehampton, L.I. Unfortunately, that is now a golf course.
Check our schedule at:

https://www.emraracing.org/Emraeven.htm

Sometimes we get several Sprites/Midgets in our small-bore races. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions (I'm the EMRA Race-Chair).
 
Aeronca, I remember you telling me about the EMRA and I have seen the schedule. I need to decide if I want to go to the time trials or sprint race or both during May. I'd like to get a good feeling of how everything goes at these events but don't know if I go will I be more of a spectator in the stands or will I be able to meet & great in the pits?
Looking forward to that weekend if I can schedule it. IT will also give me an idea of what kinda of car you would actually need to make it around the course.
 
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