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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Midget early rack and Morris Minor rack

Is the early midget rack (RHD) just a Morris Minor (LHD) rack mounted upside down?

The reason I ask is I can get a LHD MM rack new for £114 but a RHD Midget rack new for £133.

Of course there is always the question of how good the "new" ones are but if they are the same I will of course buy the cheaper one.

Rob
MG Moneypit

would like to hear how you get on with a brand new rack, apparently they are made in South America somewhere...
davidsmith

Not sure about quality. Moss sell them for £149, Rimmer for £133 so more than likely same supplier.

Rob
MG Moneypit

This guy lives near me http://www.morrisminorspareparts.com/steering and when asked he said he hasn't had any problems with them.
David Billington

David, that's the £114 one I mentioned above.

So are MM LHD racks the same as Midget RHD racks?

Rob
MG Moneypit

"apparently they are made in South America somewhere"

Argentina, I believe.
Dave O'Neill 2

The answer appears to be yes, as Moss lists the same part number as LHD Midget and RHD Moggie
Dominic Clancy

We had this diacussion about 4 years ago and i want to say no, its not compatable

I want to say one of 2 reasons the mounting brakets wont line up or the orintation of the steering box is off

On the usa cars the steering column is not straight but it slants off towards the drivers (lhd) door

That said i think we determined it can be force fitted without to much effort may even need a swivial joint om the column to rack connection... i cant remwmber exactly

This would have been one of David (cha cha Dancing ) Liebs last discussions.

It was around the time i was considering a universial modern anti bump mustange 2 rack in place of the early midget rack

Prop
1 Paper

Prop
If that were the case, why does Moss UK list the LHD Midget and RHD Moggie racks under the same part numbers ? (and the RHD Midget and LHD Moggie are also the same part number).



Dominic Clancy

The 'Official' BMC Service Parts Lists show the same steering rack part numbers for Sprite/Midget LHD and Minor RHD as ACG 6009, and for Sprite/Midget RHD and Minor LHD as ACG 6010. The early Minor part numbers were different, but superseded by the later ones.

The Sprite/Midget part number changed later to BTA 1096 RHD and BTA 1097 LHD - was this for the collapsible steering column?

The rack housing part numbers stayed the same all the way through for Sprite/Midget LHD and Minor RHD as ACA 6019, and for Sprite/Midget RHD and Minor LHD as ACA 6020.

With the exception of maybe the later collapsible columns, it seems that the 'Sprite/Midget = upside down opposite hand Morris Minor' is true?

Richard






Richard Wale

Looking a bit more, the main change came in ~1971-2 when the Triumph-based rack was used in the Sprite/Midget, but never in the Minor.

So it looks like up to the 71/72 changeover, the opposite and upside down theory seems to work!

Richard
Richard Wale

According to my copy of the Driver's Handbook the change over was from G-AN5-114643.
Nigel Atkins

Good. I just ordered one from Andrew Eggleston. Cheapest I could find. £126 including postage.

Will let you all know how I get on.

Rob
MG Moneypit

You ordered the cheapest rack you could find

Ouch... thats a scary thought

Prop
1 Paper

Lacum/Staco, the Argentine manufacturer of the replacement steering racks shows different part numbers for LHD and RHD. See their site: http://www.staco.com.ar/lacumbritanica.asp (note that their application years are wrong as the "new" Midget racks came in 1972).

I have had a Staco rack on the 1971 Midget for about 5 years and it has been excellent. I have put about 50,000 miles on it and it is still very tight. The casting was a bit rough so shimming it to the aluminum rack supports was tedious.

I just put a Staco rack on the 1970 B and it is fine too.

The Staco design is different, not an internal replica of the original Morris design. But it is fine, especially for the price.
Glenn Mallory

I had a new, Triumph type, Argentinian (I think) steering and it was a different to the one I had fitted but I can't be sure the one I had fitted was correct.

Oh and the gaiters didn't last 6 months on mine before crazing but later replacements were no better.


Nigel Atkins

Got my MM LHD rack delivered (eventually due to courier problems)from http://www.morrisminorspareparts.com/steering and it looks really good.

This was £114 (including VAT but P&P was added)

The rack hadn't arrived after nearly 10 days so I rang Andrew on Saturday morning to enquire. He told me that at the time I ordered it he had none in so he had one delivered to me from MOSS? Yes MOSS!!!!

The courier company had failed to deliver, with the reason as "Recipient refused delivery". WTF, it was a Wednesday when they attempted delivery so no-one was in the house so how could I have refused delivery. Typical courier BS!!!

Anyway Andrew said he would have it sent again and it arrived on the following Friday. I found the attempted delivery slip in my post box after nipping out for 10 minutes to post a letter. Perfect timing - not.

So I arranged for delivery for the following Wednesday, a day I had off work, and it duly arrived. Well packed. It took a while to un pack it and it was covered in MOSS picking labels with Midget RHD Minor LHD rack written on it.

Thing is, MOSS list it at £152.20 including VAT.

You can do your own math.

Rob

MG Moneypit

He is probably a moss supplier so he probably

Has some say over the stock at moss
1 Paper

Moss are not one of my favourite suppliers for good reason but I will offer some defense for *some* of the price difference.

And bear in mind I have nothing against Andrew Eggleton, I've never heard of the chap/company before now.

Moss hold much a wider range of much more stock than the smaller suppliers and they have larger overheads, they were able to supply your preferred supplier in a very timely manner with the part he didn't have in stock.

Moss produce there own on-line and paper catalogues covering the wide range of parts they supply for different marques and models including small fixing parts available individually.

They obviously supply at a trade price to AE where AE probably (I don't know though) buys lots of parts off Moss.

Just looking at the steering parts photos - mind I could be totally wrong - they *look* like parts I've seen and bought elsewhere particularly the gaiters and TRE and if my experience is anything to go by some of those parts could be good but others might be poor (e.g. gaiters), this seems to be the case with all the suppliers I've used, I've not used AE so it might be the exception but personally I doubt it.

You're better off paying £6 from one supplier than £16 from another if the parts are exactly the same but if both parts are poor quality then neither are good value.

Compare the two suppliers steering parts availability and remember I often refer to one as Toss so I'm certainly not favouring them -

http://www.morrisminorspareparts.com/steering

http://www.moss-europe.co.uk/shop-by-model/morris/minor/steering-suspension



Nigel Atkins

Didn't know you could use a rack upside down.
How do you get to the plunger/shimmy thing?
Nick and Cherry Scoop

Nick, it's always been that way for Sprites and Midgets so cannot answer your question.

Nigel, I understand your point of view but companies grow to take advantage of buying power and other economies of scale so I would have expected prices closer to that of the little operators.

Also, a big company normally differentiates itself from smaller operators by offering a better service, with added value, to attract buyers to purchase from them even though the price may be a tad higher. But MOSS seem to have a strange service mentality and if it wasn't for the fact they have an outlet 5 miles from me and the guys who man the shop are true enthusiasts (and well aware of MOSS's short comings) and they usually have the part I want in stock, I wouldn't miss them.

Rob
MG Moneypit

Rob,
I've been on the end of TOSS and some of their ERS staff and management so you won't find me defending them, I think they take the attitude that they're so big that they need only worry about volume.
Nigel Atkins

OK, I'll try again. My Sprite has the pinion beneath the rack, plunger on top, easy to get at.

So, does the Minor have the rack beneath the pinion?
Nick and Cherry Scoop

The MM rack would have the pinion above the rack as the rack is fitted to the bulkhead behind the axle centre line rather than in front of it like in the Sprite.
David Billington

I drive for 20 years LHD with a RHD Minor rack (cheap and it fits perfect)


Flip Brühl

Thank you, David. That explains it. And, naturally, I never thought of that.
I wonder if there's more wear on the damper, with gravity against it.
Nick and Cherry Scoop

This thread was discussed between 01/04/2017 and 29/04/2017

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