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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Cable routings - Sprite Mk2 RHD

Hi folk
Help I’m struggling here! The attached pic is the best I can find to show what the five holes between the control box and the battery, but it’s a LHD car.
Can anyone show me the correct routes for the speedo, tacho, brown power lead, heater control cable, oil pressure and water temperature pipes for a RHD car please? A photo of this area of a right handed midget Mk1 or Sprite Mk2 would be brilliant!

Thank you!
Andy


A Cross

That pic is odd (or a late April fool!) as the steering column (labelled 'shaft') is on the RHD side despite the throttle being shown for LHD and the dipswitch being shown on both sides!
I reckon apart from the accelerator cable it's correct for RHD.
David Smith

Thanks David
The speedo cable is definitely wrong too!
I need to get to see an unmolested early Sprite to be sure, as I need to get the cable and pipe routings right too.
I’m embarrassed that my pre stripping pics are so poor, and the lovely Mr Horler avoids a detailed view too.
Andy
A Cross

More to come, I'm sure, but let's begin with a general view.


Nick and Cherry Scoop

. . . . and here's the picture I posted many years ago asking for help.


Nick and Cherry Scoop

One of our resident search experts ought to be able to find the thread in which Nick got the answers...
David Smith

Brilliant, thanks Dave and Nick.
Nick, I think I’ve found your thread in the archive. It’s in General, from 2006, titled “Sprite Holes and Fixings Quiz”. The pictures aren’t working, but they may be just me.
I knew I wouldn’t be alone on here...... well done all.
Andy
A Cross

David, I think that pic is right, both steering column holes are shown as are both dip switch holes.

I've got the same thing confronting me, I did take some pics before I stripped it, I'll have a look later.

About the only difference I've found between LHD and RHD early shells are the four holes for the brake pipe clips across the bulkhead. I've welded them up on mine. Hopefully I won't notice anything else I've missed when it comes to building it up!

John Payne

I can agree John, if it's meant to show both LHD & RHD, except they've then misssed the RHD speedo cable and throttle, and maybe the RHD tacho cable goes in the one labelled 'plugged'?
David Smith

That archived thread is very interesting.

Nick, did you ever download Paul H's factory photos, as the links no longer work.
Dave O'Neill 2

No, I can't find them, Dave. And my own website died with FrontPage. But I do still have my huge loom drawing. Andy - are you going alternator or dynamo?


Nick and Cherry Scoop

I am taking this from memory.The tach goes in the plugged hole. The starter pull and the choke are in the same hole in the firewall as illustrated. In the dash they are in reversed position. Check your owners manual. Nigel where are you? The speedo cable is questionable. There is a small bracket that that connects to the starter switch that routes the speedo cable on the drivers side. Is there a hole near the steering shaft? I haven't looked at it to verify.
J Bubela

" There is a small bracket that that connects to the starter switch that routes the speedo cable on the drivers side."

Surely that would be for the tacho cable?
Dave O'Neill 2

Yes that’s definitely for the tacho cable.

Thanks to everyone on here, and to Alan Lo and Philip Sellern at Bristol MASC last night. Alan has sent these pictures of his MO, the early Mk1 Midget he owned, and all is clear now.

I’m amazed that the speedo cable on mine was coming through high on the bulkhead before, not where it should be down by the steering column!

If I can sort out the right grommets now she may even be running at the weekend.

Thanks again all!
Andy

(Pic too large, I’ll resize and post it in a mo.)
A Cross

I have a nice rebuilt dynamo, Nick, thanks to John Davies. Incidentally, I found the tacho gearbox was too close to the distributor until I found a slightly longer fan belt and that needed a longer dynamo adjustment bracket. I’m sure I have the original sized pulleys, so that was weird.

Try the picture again.....
Alan kindly traced each cable for me. Perfect! Probably the only non-original item is his dis-car-nect thing, the green knob.

Andy


A Cross

That's interesting: Alan doesn't seem to have a channel at the front edge of the scuttle - just a ledge. If true, very sensible: the rubber holds water against the steel channel, which rots, as I know to my cost.

On the other hand, it's directly above the control box and other electrics.
Nick and Cherry Scoop

It looks like it does have a channel. You can just see the lip on the nearside, where the rubber ends.
Dave O'Neill 2

I don't know, Dave. The rubber sits in the channel, so it should show black with blue below. The hinge seems to show that the flange isn't there.

Alan used to join us here, didn't he?
Nick and Cherry Scoop

Do the square bodies Sprites use the rubber that sits into the groove? In the Frogeyes it is needed as it has a V slot to support the bonnet. But my later car didn't have one, but l did fit a rubber seal that clipped over the front lip of the gutter, and would look rather like that one in Alan's car.
GuyW

Well done, Guy. I bet that's what it is.
I don't intend to use the solid rubber seal in Cherry. I've got a few of the side rubbers, as shown in Alan's picture, and I'm going to experiment.
Nick and Cherry Scoop

Alan’s Mk 1 Midget had the same channel as my Sprite, in a U shape. The seal is just a hollow type commonly used on doors, I think, looking at another shot he sent.
Andy


A Cross

Does anyone have a spare Smiths heater snail housing like that one of Andy's. I have one, but it's been badly cracked in the past and a poor attempt made to glue it together again.
GuyW

none here at the moment Guy - early rusty wrecks for parts are getting hard to find !
David Smith

Ashley Hinton can provide
http://www.mg-cars.org.uk/ah/heater.htm
Motley 5

Andy,
Take a look at the Clutch fork pivot thread below this one, Dave Smith has posted a couple of images of the speedo cable bracket that I mentioned/we discussed on Wednesday night.
There's the main bracket that bridges the 2 bottom gearbox bolts, and on to this fits the exhaust pipe steady and spring clip for the speedo cable.

I'm not sure if you would use this version, or the earlier slightly different one used on frogeyes?
PN Sellen

This thread was discussed between 11/04/2018 and 13/04/2018

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG Midget and Sprite Technical BBS is active now.