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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - frogeye grille

my Grille is rusty (just surface rust) and a bit dented...
i could get it re-chromed, but want to look at other options first.... and i dont really like the 'pointy bit' on the top of the grille, would like it all contained within the 'mouth' of the bonnet.
i thought of making one myself using stainless wire mesh..

has anyone made their own grille ? or are there other styles available that ive not been able to find ?
if so can you post some pictures ?

Andy Phillips

Ashley Hinton does mesh grilles, black or metal finish, and I think others might too, though not at Thailand prices I'd guess

metal - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MG-midget-AUSTIN-HEALEY-SPRITE-STAINLESS-FRONT-GRILLE-AHA8098-AHA9925-/251262170252?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3a8064748c

black - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MG-MIDGET-FRONT-GRILLE-BLACK-WITH-FREE-MG-BADGE-NEW-/290893359057?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item43ba9867d1
Nigel Atkins

Hello Nigel. The text didn't say it, but it's a frogeye if you check the thread title.

Charley
C R Huff

found this one.... but cant decide if i like it or not.....


Andy Phillips

Andy,
Where did you find that? Did you get a price?
Makes it look like its a retro car!
Steven Devine

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Austin-Healey-Sprite-Bugeye-Frogeye-custom-alloy-grille-worldwide-shipping-/170979485711?

thought a frogeye (bugeye) WAS a retro car ?
Andy Phillips

yeap Charley I done it again, I was thinking of another thread I think, and I missed the thread title of course, sorry

Andy,
personally I don't like that grille, if you have a fiberglass bonnet you probably want as much air getting in as possible so a more open design would be better and I think that grille would look better painted another colour to tone it down from it's heavy look (just an opinion of course)
Nigel Atkins

yes, agree, it looks a bit heavy duty for my car. The guy who makes them says theyre based on a rally design which makes sense.

i have got a GRP bonnet and i had a lot of trouble with heat build up and even vapour lock, but a large bonnet vent and cowling at the front has sorted this out...

i think i'm going to go with a home made mesh version,, i have found a source for the stainless mesh locally...
Andy Phillips

with fibgreglass you want plenty of cooling air getting in and as much of the hot air getting out

a lot of the cooling air goes under the grille and bonnet so keep this area open and free of obstructions

bonnet vents and cowlings are good they do need to be positioned to allow the hot air out as well as cool air in

another idea is to have the bonnet lifted up when in the closed position to give a gap for hot air to escape but that wont look good on a one-piece Sprite bonnet but perhaps a long vent or vents to the rear of the bonnet, a long vent might need the bonnet reinforcing around it to prevent weakening the bonnet or causing it to twist

hot air can also lost at the sides and bottom of the engine bay by vents and having larger gaps around heat sources like the engine and exhaust

cooling other components that get hot helps overall too, brakes, gearbox possibly diff

having the engine cooling systems (oil and 'water') in good working order with clean systems and fully working components and parts with clean fresh coolant and oil helps

clean gearbox with fresh clean oil in g/box (and diff) helps (plus cooling fins if available)

even things like insulating washers and rubber mounts on the exhaust to reduce the amount of heat transferring to the body of the car (I can't think of another example at the moment)

oh, yes, last one having an open car, no hardtop especially fiberglass :)
Nigel Atkins

Hmmm... It is a retro car, and yet he is selling a part that makes it look like a modern retro car!
I dont know what to say! I like the way it looks though!
Steven Devine

picture of my bonnet vent...its actually an intercooler intake scoop from a toyota pickup, but turned around to extract hot air rather than force cold air in.
That, together with the cowling i made around the radiator solved my cooling issues, it runs nicely at 87 degrees C now and electric radiator fan only comes on if stood in traffic.


Andy Phillips

a rare event - I actually recognised that as a Scooby vent before reading it was

I've had four factory built fiberglass bodied cars all with off centre rear facing vents on the bonnets but none of those vents were for the engines in those cars just a case of using the mould because it's there, true English car manufacture :)
Nigel Atkins

When positioning vents, you dont want them too close to the base of the windscreen as that is a high pressure area (especially with our near vertical windscreens).
As its high pressure it will try and force air into the engine bay rather than letting it out....(dependant on speed and other modifications etc)
(i did LOTS of research on this before cutting the big hole in my bonnet).

For the grill, yes it needs to present the least impediment to airflow possible...however, it can be an advantage to block off the side parts (as with the originals) to prevent air going directly into the engine bay without going through the radiator first.
If this happens then the air flow through the radiator stops as there is as much pressure behind as in front of it.
This was the issue i had, the engine would run cool and the elec fan did its job when stationary, but as soon as i started moving it just got hotter and hotter and even the elec fan running didnt make a difference....
Many hours of research to work this out...!
This is also why its important to fit the splash gaurds at the front each side of the radiator...mine didnt have those so i had to make some up..
pic of my home made radiator ducting/splash guards attached... radiator from unknown source, slightly angled back to fit


Andy Phillips

good point about the vents near the windscreen I must admit I was thinking of more modern cars with more slope to the screens (or Abath Fiats :) )

yes I think I know what you mean by many hours of research, with me it's usually until someone points out the obvious to me :)

does bring up another point about blocked off sides on the grille, you could fit a wider radiator, shorten your splash guards/directors (they look good) and have a wider open grille

btw, what's above the horn
Nigel Atkins

Yes, i tried a wider radiator first, from a nissan silvia.. it covered copmletely the front of the engine bay, but it still didnt work as i didnt add the cowling as well, so the air took the easiest route around the side and into the wheel wells.... all very interesting if frustrating...

Above the horn is the relay for the elec fan, it has a moulded rubber cover on it... picked it up at the scrap yard out of a box full of them... off a toyota ...
Andy Phillips

Nigel, you must work nights or something..its 3 am for you ! 9am for me...
Andy Phillips

er, long and boring story but not up by choice

yes, perhaps you could now try a wider rad but not quite as wide as the Silvia (I had to look that up as we don't see many of those over here)

the standard crossflow rads over cool in this country, well in normal use

I'm a big fan of Japanese parts and cars, most are very well made and very long lasting and reliable, I'd have preferred a 5 speed Toyota box in my car like they used to, best soft top hood I've seen is on the MX-5/Eunos none of the British/German designs are as good - despite what some say of the weather here (always over pessimistic) we buy loads of convertible cars and have exported them for many decades so we ought to be able to do better, the MGF roof was good but not as good as the MX-5

and look at that little alternator, when my electric cooling fan kicks in the big alternator on my car must suck 5hp out of my engine :)
Nigel Atkins

oh yeah, I meant to put, with your existing rad you could angle out your splash/divertor shields and box in the gap top and bottom to make a funnel toward the rad and use the full width of the grille aperture and grille open full width same as on my standard car
Nigel Atkins

good idea, i'll see if that is required once i make up the new grill....good to have something up my sleeve if required..
Andy Phillips

This thread was discussed between 18/04/2013 and 23/04/2013

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