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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - REAR AXLE

Hi I have Arkley bodied midget and to get the wheels to look right I have fitted 1 inch spacers to the rear. now I have measured a morris 1000 rear axle and it is wider by 2.5" has anyone fitted this axle to a midget and if so what problems were there. are the morris 1000 half shafts strong enough, bearing in mind I do auto-tests.
Mike
M HEARN

I thought the Moggy axle was wider than that.

The only issue that I can see is whether the springs locate in the same place or whether you would need to grind the brackets off and weld them on in the correct location.

Halfshafts would definitely be a bit on the weak side, but Peter May can supply shafts of the correct length for the moggy.
Dave O'Neill 2

Minor halfshafts are about 2" longer than a Midget one and presumably made of the same material as the earlier (not later) Midget halfshafts. Which wasn't good, especially if autotesting. On the plus side, Minors generally haven't been used as vigorously so the halfshafts wouldn't be as tired.

However, for my money if you are autotesting more than very casually you can't go past a set of uprated halfshafts. It's more reliable and less frustrating (on-site halfshaft changes become a real chore after a while) - and cheaper in the long run especially if you have a significant amount of power.

Then all that's left to break down the back end is the diff. CW & P hang in OK, but wheelspin kills the differential pinions - they seize to the shaft then shatter. And one of the bits inevitably takes out an otherwise mint crownwheel and pinion. Been there, done that. Fixed it with a slippy diff and haven't looked back ... something else that's cheaper in the long run, not to mention the performance gains when autotesting.
Paul Walbran

Dave & Paul
Many thanks for your comments this is just the info I wanted to know. I think its more work than I wanted, also the reliability issue is not good, its just Im paranoid about using wheel spacers and the strain on those small wheel studs. safer option splash out on some new wheels.
Many thanks Mike
M HEARN

Mike,

I put larger studs in mine. I can't remember the details since it was 10 or 12 years ago, but I don't remember that is was much trouble.

I made my own spacers and I countersunk the holes so that the spacer is bolted onto the studs with thinned down nylock nuts. To me it seemed that this would allow less leverage for stress on the studs.

Charley
C R Huff

If you change the studs these guys have a good section..

http://www.speedshack.co.uk
K Harris

This thread was discussed between 27/06/2009 and 28/06/2009

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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