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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Engine bay refurb - pt II

My engine bay is now somewhat shiney. I've given up on the sand blasting for now and used surface prep wheels and wire brush drills to get the crud and paint off. The plan is to give it a light blast to etch it before using POR15 paints.

It looks like the left side has been replaced and rebuilt in the past - possibly due to accident damage. It's been done well though and it's all in very good condition. The O/S is original and not so good. I have repaired the O/S inner wing at the top corner and where it joins the footwell. Part of the footwell front plate has been replaced before and that's all solid. However, the triangular section from engine bay to O/S wheel arch is not so good in places. I can repair the sides of this, this but having prodded inside it there's about a 1 in hole through the back into the closed section at the front lower edge of the driver's footwell. Unless I cut out loads of metal here and create a much bigger job it's impossible to repair that one as it's inside the triangular gussets at the front and inside the closed footwell section at the rear. I could just waxoyl it and leave it but I fear an MOT fail and if nothing else it will fill with water and rot the front of the drivers floor.

So, I'm now thinking of plating over the triangular guessets to prevent further ingress, and then putting waxoyl and drain holes inside the void created. I know that the triangle is used to access the oil filter fron the O/S wheel arch but I'm switching to a cannister filter so that's not such a messy issue as it used to be. Other than for originality (of which my car has already lost lots) is there any other reason to keep the triangular acces hole open?

Ant
Ant Allen

I find them very useful for hooking calipers in when working on the suspension....
Dean Smith ('73 RWA)

even with the hole access to the screw on filter is difficult

no room from below and restricted room inside the engine bay if you ever get arthritic (dont ask!)

why not fit covers with self tappers if you really want to blank it off?

and yes, loads of waxoyl sprayed about and

KEEP THE DRAINHOLES CLEAR
Bill

Been thinking about this more since I wrote the above. Has anyone repaired the front of the footwell from below? The floor at the bottom of the closed cavity is pretty poor and I'm thinking that if I cut out a bit more than I need to I might get enough room to weld this hole up higher up from the footwell side.

Ant
Ant Allen

Ant
I don't know for sure, but the hole in the triangular gusset might help to take air from the engine bay out behind the front wheels (a low pressure area). If you block the holes the air has to go under the car, encouraging lift at high speed.
I'm playing around with this stuff at present with the race car. It would be much simpler if I had a wind tunnel in the shed.
Mike Allen

I had another prod in the garage last night. I'm now thinking of cutting out the rear outside section of the triangle, plating the footwell from the wheel arch side, and then putting the triangle section back in again with new metal. Messy, not that easy to do, but I think it'll be best. I then need drain hole in the bottom of the triangles, and a smaller repair to the front of the floor.

I tried taking photos but it's hard to show up as everything is so reflective now it's been prepped.

Ant

PS - I did admit to the other half that it's extremely unlikely to be on the road as a wedding using wedding cars sevenoaks car on Apr 18th. Hmmm. Didn't tell her the cost of the engine work. I think the wedding is still on :-
Ant Allen

has anybody else had the left hand triangular section crack? mine was cracked, and it has happened to my bosses wife's midget too.
Shawn

I think there've been a few Shawn

still plenty of thick Hammerite should sort it...
Bill

I wonder why it's always the left side, never the right?
Mike Allen

This thread was discussed between 02/02/2009 and 04/02/2009

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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