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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Pros and Cons

Looks like I'll be getting a '62 midget next week. It's a project Midget and looks like it's pretty much all there. The engine is out and it's a 948. Should I keep that or drop a 1275 in? I'm thiking of keeping it stock, but.....
What are the pros and cons of the 948?
Jon Saylor

pros:
-original

cons:
-low on power

looking at you avatar you've already got a 1275
so just keep this stock
Onno Könemann

I'd pop the 948 up to 998 or 998 +40thou for a little more torque and keep it stock(!)

A
Anthony Cutler

This is a very personal decision. It depends on what you want from the car. The right thing is to do what gives you most pleasure. I think Onno has summed it up quite well. The only reason to keep the 948 is that it is the original engine. But I find that is a pretty good reason!

I drove my Mk 1 Midget a couple of thousand miles before I dismantled it for the rebuild it is going through now, and during that time I asked myself the same question. I decided on keeping the 948, and give it a complete rebuild.

With the 948, it is of course not a fast car by any stretch of the imagination. On the other hand it is probably faster than for instance an MG TD. I found it quite fast enough to be enjoyable. The 948 is very smooth and responsive, if not exactly powerful.

To make the most of what power there is I have now bored it +030 and had the cylinder head modified to Econotune specification by Peter Burgess. I have also had the distributor overhauled with new bushes and springs.

I love the Mk 1 because it is so simple and pure, from another time. I find the early cars have a character that is a bit different from the later Spridgets, and the 948 feels so right in this car.

So my decision was to keep my Midget as original as possible, complete with front drum brakes and mechanical tachometer. I think if it had been a later car, I would have been more inclined to “improve” it.
Tore

This is a very personal decision. It depends on what you want from the car. The right thing is to do what gives you most pleasure. I think Onno has summed it up quite well. The only reason to keep the 948 is that it is the original engine. But I find that is a pretty good reason!
I drove my Mk 1 Midget a couple of thousand miles before I dismantled it for the rebuild it is going through now, and during that time I asked myself the same question. I decided on keeping the 948, and give it a complete rebuild.
With the 948, it is of course not a fast car by any stretch of the imagination. On the other hand it is probably faster than for instance an MG TD. I found it quite fast enough to be enjoyable. The 948 is very smooth and responsive, if not exactly powerful.
To make the most of what power there is I have now bored it +030 and had the cylinder head modified to Econotune specification by Peter Burgess. I have also had the distributor overhauled with new bushes and springs.
I love the Mk 1 because it is so simple and pure, from another time. I find the early cars have a character that is a bit different from the later Spridgets, and the 948 feels so right in this car.
So my decision was to keep my Midget as original as possible, complete with front drum brakes and mechanical tachometer. I think if it had been a later car, I would have been more inclined to “improve” it.
Tore

It is a personal decision, but I would vote for keeping it original (or keeping all the original parts and keeing it unmolested, so it can easily be put back that way). As rare as the GAN1 and (especially) GAN2 cars are getting, it's nice to see them preserved.
I have kept mine original, with the exception of minor things, such as wheels and steering wheel, that can easily be changed back.
B Durham

Hmmm... What did I do to have my post repeated?
Tore

If this is going to be a factory orginal concoaurse restro, then Id take anthonys advice an bore it out to a 998 for the extra power, and keep it stock...after all you cant see the inside of the engine, but having the extra juice on the freeway maybe a nice advantage...and you wouldnt have to tell anyone its not a 948
Prop

Quote

**With the 948, it is of course not a fast car by any stretch of the imagination. On the other hand it is probably faster than for instance an MG TD.**

The respective 0-60mph times for the two cars, tested by Autocar were

Midget (948cc) 20.2 seconds
MG TD 23.9 seconds
Geoff Everitt

Or you could take the approach I have with my 3 bearing MGB: Fit the later engine but carefully preserve the 948 so that the future originality of the car is secured so long as the engine stays with it.
Paul Walbran

Paul, that's relatively simple to do with a B, but if you want to fit a 1275 into a Midget, you really need to change brakes as well.
Not irreversible, but a lot more involved.
Dave O'Neill 2

i'd change those brakes anny way if you want to drive it for anny distance in modern trafic.
Onno Könemann

Put in a 948 or 998 and ad a supercharger to it.
Original engine + original period modification = get the best out of both worlds!!
Arie de Best

The real answer is to have 2 cars. A car that you can play around with, adding all sorts of non-original modifications. And a nice original frogeye with its 948 engine for that "pure" 1950's motoring feel. That's what my plan is although I haven't quite got 2 complete cars yet!

Guy
Guy Weller

Good plan, Guy. I have a ´63 MGB that I use for longer runs, and of course now that the Midget is being rebuilt. That has no doubt influenced my decision to keep the Midget original.

Concerning the brakes, I was actually surprised how (relatively) efficient the drum brakes are. Never had any difficult situations during my 2000 miles before dismantling. Again, if you compare them to an MG TD, I would expect them to be quite decent. And I have friends with TDs that drive their cars several thousand miles every year, and have done so for decades without getting into trouble.

Whatever you do to your Midget or other classic MG, I think it is a good rule to drive defensively the way bikers do: "Drive as if you were invisible".

Tore
Tore

it is not the braking eficiency
it it the adjusting and fading

make a nice long holiday trip and you will have to adjust the along the way
and i would not like to go of a twisty mountain road with those drums

i gues it all depends on how you will use the car
and what you think is an invasive mod

i'd say the brakes are non invasive since you do not have to cut or grind annything
you can just keep the originals on the shelf.
Onno Könemann

Or let someone else with more space take care of the original spridgets. Make your car YOUR car.
Alex G Matla

Buy a 1098 late engine and rivet the 948 plate onto the side. Who would ever know!
rob multi-sheds thomas

I've got both, Jon.

The 948 Spridget is a gorgeous car to drive. The little engine can be balanced to rev quietly and sweetly to 6000 or so, and that's how you need to drive it - though 5000 is enough when you're in 4th and pushing on at 75 or so. Don't worry about the brakes too much. They bite very nicely, without too much leg required, and if you drive them as they should be driven - using the gears on those mountain passes - they will be fine (though if they do get too hot, it can be frightening, and you won't make that mistake again).

You will gather from this that an original Spridget gives you the true 1950/60 experience, as Guy suggests, with all its pros and cons. You won't have any torque to speak of, and you will have to keep the revs up, but it's a rare treat to drive.

My second Spridget was a 1962, and my excuse for fitting a 1330 and disc brakes was that the engine wasn't original. I also fitted a 3.7 diff - and there's absolutely no chance of doing that with a 948; you'll have to stick with the 4.22.

PS:- I've just fitted a Frontline suspension kit to my 948, so I'm not a purist for purism's sake. Thought I'd better make that clear.
Nick

This thread was discussed between 25/10/2009 and 26/10/2009

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