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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Long Range Fuel Tank

Has anyone any knowledge about long range fuel tanks for midgets?

Can the MGB tank be fitted or is there anything else as I really need about 9-10 gallon tank.
Peter King

I can't imagine a B tank fitting, I'd have thought different size, shape and fixing points.

I'd like a true capacity 7-8 gallon tank myself, my tank holds under 6 gallons and SWMBO absolutely insists I carry a gallon can in the boot just because a few times in the past I've run out of petrol.
Nigel Atkins

Here's a pic of a BL works long range tank, as fittted to 6GRX. Basically 2 tanks made into one. More info here:
http://www.jacobsmidget.com/6grx.html


davidsmith

I wonder if a mini tank could be fitted in the boot as a twin to the under floor one. That would give around 14 gallons total.
GuyW

Thanks Dave, the problem I have is that I use the car for rallying and I need to put the spare and tools in the boot unless I put the spare on the bot lid which I don't really want to do.
Peter King

Maybe a minivan tank which I think fir under the mini vans floor??
Peter King

Maybe the earlier MGB tank can be modified to fit. It's a bit smaller than the later tank but still 9 or so gallons.

Rob
MG Moneypit

Mini Spares shows the Pick Up tank as only 6 gal..

I was looking at a Mini Pick Up on Saturday but that was through the window of a closed showroom.

Nigel Atkins

In that case Peter I'd go for a small custom made ally tank at the RH side, interposed between the filler and the normal tank entry. That way it would gravity feed and you wouldn't need any extra pumps, pipes, crosssover taps etc. Also ensure you're main tank is from a 1500 as they were a tad larger.
davidsmith

The 1972-on 1275 originally also had 7 gallon tanks - which is what I hoped I'd get with my 1973 Midget but the tank had been changed to the (less than) 6 gallon tank - so also check the tank from a 1500 hasn't been changed to the smaller capacity.
Nigel Atkins

If it helps my 78 1500 takes 39 litres to fill. That's a touch more than 7 gallons. (Or 8.4 US gallons, with due deference to our colonial brothers and sisters). I have no reason to believe that the tank is not original, but I might be wrong.

I found this out the hard way. Please don't ask....
Greybeard

Grey,
that's 8.5 gallon(!?).

To find out did you do what I done at the end of January ...
Nigel Atkins

If going for a custom made tank then a significantly oversized one could be made to replace the existing. Preferably of stainless steel and with some internal baffles added to reduce surge on cornering.

If you avoid using a silencer across the back behind the tank then this area could take a tank that extended rearwards by quite a lot. The tank could also extend forwards a bit without fouling the handbrake mechanisms. If this still wasn't enough then an extra inch or so on the height would make quite a difference to the capacity as well.

You would just need to alter the positions for bolting it to the boot floor.
GuyW

Nigel you HAD to ask lol!

I squoze in 39 litres from dry, but I suspect a little of that was in the filler hose.

Google suggests that 7 proper gallons is 8.4 degenerate American ones ;-p

I got caught out by the crappy fuel gauge and suffered the ignominy of being towed 2 miles to the Esso station by a my ex-neighbour's Cadillac Eldorado. Then towed out again as it declined to start without a tow. At least the Caddy knew the way, being such a frequent visitor!
Greybeard

Grey,
I meant 39 litres is 8.58 UK gallons (39 / 4.546 = 8.48).

Oh, you just run out of petrol, as I put I have to a carry a gallon can in the boot just because I've run out of petrol a few times before. I always fill up to the neck often lapping the back of the petrol cap, but not in warm weather, if I remember, still only get about 6 gal..
Nigel Atkins

With BSA and Triumph motorcycles, when you ran out of petrol you laid the bike over on its side and got a few more miles worth transferred from the lower portion of the tank the other side of the top frame tube.

Never tried it with the Sprite. Yet.
GuyW

we have to remember that Peter is using this car for rallying so a larger underslung tank is probably best avoided.
davidsmith

Ooh so it is Nigel. I misremembered. My memory was that it was just over 7 gallons, having converted it at the time from litres. So I suspect I squoze in 32 litres after all. I'm sure it was 7 gallons because I was interested in the imperial capacity as I'm still not completely comfortable with SI and wanted at the time to work out the MPG.

Yep - I ran out again. Despite the gauge showing almost a quarter of a tank.

Good catch, thanks.
Greybeard

I did think that David, which I why I mentioned adding baffles in the tank, and only extending the depth by 1". I think for most UK stage rallying one would be OK. Maybe add a stone deflector in front of the tank. For the same reason the raised C of G of a tank in the boot wouldn't be too helpful.

GuyW

Grey,
the 4.546 litres to one gallons is one of the very few numbers that I can remember but my wife can't. Same as you we use it to work out mpg.

When I was at junior school in the mid-60s I learnt about centimetres and metres - and decimetres which I've never seen since - a few years later I was learning about furlongs and chains and then metric was forgotten about for a number of years.
Nigel Atkins

Peter
I had a Mk2 Escort tank in my B
Easy fitup under the boot floor
Held just on 10 gallons from memory
One good thing about it was the filler neck was towards the front of the tank meaning it needed a longer filler neck making up, but it stopped the fuel splashing out the filler under acceleration and uphill when the tank was fullish-----worked well
By the way there were two different tanks in the Escorts
One with a rear filler and the other through the guard
Can't remember which one I had-
willy
William Revit

Thanks for all the info you sent me.

I think I'll look at a late 1500 tank and see what the difference in dimensions are. I would imagine that it's deeper that the smaller tanks.

I have a tank guard which protects the front, bottom and rear of the tank and as I have the exhaust going over the back axle I've fitted a heat shield between the tank and exhaust which work very well. Therefore if the 1500 dimensions is only the depth it will just mean adjust the tank guard. Has any one got a tank or know of the dimensions?
Peter King

Peter,
I think it might be seen more if you start a new thread called something like - 1500 fuel tank dimensions please.
Nigel Atkins

This thread was discussed between 05/03/2017 and 08/03/2017

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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