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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Installing a marina engine in a moggie minor

My mate has a moggie minor into which he'd like to put a 1275 engine in. So I got him a Marina engine for £60, which I thought was a good price.

Another mechanic mate of his has told him the engine is no good, he'll have no end of trouble with it, and to top it all he'll need an adaptor kit to install it. So he's giving me the engine back, which is no problem as I can keep it as a spare.

He was going to fit it to a ribcase box so I can't see any problems with the backplate etc.

Am I missing something here?
Tarquin

IIRC the Marina has a larger flywheel and a different backplate so he would need a backplate to suit the ribbed box and a flywheel. The 1275 spridget flywheel won't fit without machining either as the Marina crank has a slightly larger flywheel mounting boss.
David Billington

Was he going to replace the clutch actuation method too?

Moggies have a direct pedal to clutch linkage of some sort

I understand, so the Moggies gearbox would not be compatible with the A+ flywheel, gearbox etcetera...

Bill

I suggest he finds a new mechanic mate!

I can't imagine there's much difference fitting a Marina engine to a Minor than a Spridget aside from the clutch.

Bill - the Marina is NOT an A+ engine but does have the same flywheel as the Ital which is.
Daniel Thirteen-Twelve

summarising, he needs a 1275 midget frontplate, backplate and flywheel, and a bit of machining of the latter to fit the Marina crank. If he's keeping same box, clutch actuation can remain too. If the engine is in the way I'll take it off you for what you paid...
David Smith

Done it to several Mogs. 1098 Mog flywheel with 4 extra bolt holes drilled in (use Marina flywheel as a template), open out Mog backplate to have the same size (offset) hole as the Marina or fit a Midget late 1098 or any 1275 Midget backplate. Fit Mog frontplate and check breather can clearance on mog fan. Open out spigot hole in Mog gearbox and backplate to suit or lathe down Marina one. Mog clutch and mech will work as-is.


rob multi-sheds thomas

Thanks rob.
Shame this engine didn't come with a flywheel. So I need to get one sorted, shouldn't be a problem. I think i'll keep it for the time being, he can pay £200 for a midget engine and still have to change the front plate.

One tries one's best.
Tarquin

ESM sell converted (drilled) Moggy flywheels for about £80 exch. That includes a skim, a new flywheel and an extra dowel if you want to use the Sierra clutch cover on it (type 9 conv). Mog clutch is a bits weak but my current A+ is nowhere near as fierce as the 1275A was.
1275 Midget flywheels need quite a fancy bit of lathe work to fit over the crank flange but the Mog one fits flat on the flywheel face. Late 1098 Midget one is not worth using since the flywhell bolt PCD is different. I got alloy backplates laser cut and soft soldered alloy oilpump covers on. I added some extra 'ears' to the backplate to hold crankcase heatshields and a steady bar.
rob multi-sheds thomas

Rob,

Where did your cool flip-top oil filler cap come from? Is that a BSA gas cap?

Charley
C R Huff

Think Automotive near Gatwick airport using airport transfers tunbridge wells. Standard cap but milled out to fit the neck of the cover. Can anyone guess where the cover came from???

That engine was the one I had in my Midget that once had a 2 litre twincam in it. It must be 25+ years old but still under 10000 miles.
rob multi-sheds thomas

The 2" Monza flip top cap aside from being used on the oil tank of one of the works Austin-Healey Sprites (don't have the page number handy) was used on some triumph motorbikes.

Rob, we don't need to guess your cover because you told us before!!!


Daniel Thirteen-Twelve

Yup! MG Metro cover with the fins ground off. Looks nice when polished.
rob multi-sheds thomas

"Think Automotive near Gatwick airport."
when I went a couple of years ago they were in Isleworth near Heathrow airport, but I suppose one airport looks like any other, ho ho.
;-)
David Smith

I've had that problem for many years. All tarmac looks the same. People ask you what such-and-such a destination is like. Problem is that I may have been there a hundred times but I've never gotten off the plane.

Luckily I've only got 2 trips in November. Cardiff to Barbados and....Cardiff to Barbados. Stay there for a week and then have a week off when I get home. Tough job but someone has to do it!


Good thing about THINK was that after a few orders they gave me 15% discount on everything.
rob multi-sheds thomas

Well, I probably won't be near that airport any time soon, but I suppose I have too many other things to spend money on anyway.

Thanks,
Charley
C R Huff

The design for the cap is called (I think) an ASTON. Quite common design over here. Fits to quite a lot of school busses in Wales.




Thinks; "Is that one the ASTON or is it the one in the pic?"


rob multi-sheds thomas

Rob's and my own and the Le Mans Sprite (page 91 'More Healeys' use the Monza cap.

The Aston cap is indeed what you see on buses everywhere not just Wales and isn't available in a small a size as 2" and is the one in the Pic of the car - fuel filler cap. Car has interesting back lights.
Daniel Thirteen-Twelve

Looks like TR4 tail lights to me.

Charley
C R Huff

I used to work for Aston Martin. They were surplus stock from the stores but certainly might be the same as TR stuff.
rob multi-sheds thomas

Came across this when looking for something else entirely different!

The link to the supplier of Aston and Monza caps is:

http://www.thinkauto.com/caps.htm
Richard Wale

"surplus stock from the stores"

LOL!

= Nicked
Steve Clark

This thread was discussed between 19/11/2008 and 25/11/2008

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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