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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Spin On Conversion

Hi Everyone,

As some of you will know I have purchased a 58 Frogeye,

I would like to convert the car to a spin on oil filter,

Can anyone let me know what is exactly required, or do any of you have a spare kicking around I could have?

Rylan
R Williams

Kits are available off-the-shelf from Moss and many other suppliers.
Nick Nakorn

Started!
Graeme Williams

Becareful of the 2 bolts and test spin by hand that mount to the block, if they are to long can hit the crankshaft weights
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

Rylan

If you dont mind aftermarket i got one from MED including the goodridge hose was about £90 i think , made from billet

If not have you tried David Smith who postes here , I've had quite a few bits from him and he's got a load of spares

thanks
Andy
Andy Sebring

>>Started!<<

yes but a reasonable start if the car is to be full checked over and serviced at the start of ownership - servicing the car is a messy enough job without farting about with spin on conversion

personally I'd let it pass this time and get it ready later for the next service or oil and filter change as with driving the car other more pressing needs may be found
Nigel Atkins

sorry it should have read -
>>servicing the car is a messy enough job without farting about with the canister oil filter<<
Nigel Atkins

I would think the open engine bay of a frog, would make it almost a pleasure of a job. Personally, with it being so accessible anyway, I'd leave it as is.

I don't really like the spin ons, and they can be equally messy. With care, the originals are very easy to remove without spilling a drop of oil.






Lawrence Slater

If not too worried about originality you can move the canister to somewhere easier to deal with. Bigger filters can also be used so long as they have the same thread size (3/4 BSP rings a bell???)


r thomas

Lawrence

You might spill more than a drop with an MGC


Dave O'Neill 2

Lawrence: I can assure you that working in a Frog engine bay is a nightmare compared with the later cars.
THe standard bonnet makes coming in over the wheels virtually impossible. There is no access for ambient light and restricted headroom means you can't straighten up. And if you do (or forget on your way in or out) you brain yourself on the bonnet. THen there's the risk that one day it may come crashing down, or you will trip over the front bumper.
There really is no comparison with the later cars which are much more mechanic-friendly.
Graeme Williams

Graeme,

With the exception of lifting the battery in and out I have Always found under-bonnet access on my frog to be dead easy.

Simon
SA Wood

I agree, I prefer the frog access and apart from the head braining problem (many times!)access to routine service items is, in my view, much easier eg lubing front suspension. I personally prefer the spin on filter as it avoids problems with that small rubber seal on the canister type. The frog canister is also angled backwards which meant it always seemed to make a mess when removing.
Bob Beaumont

I'm a mere 1.73m tall - perhaps if I was 2m tall I'd find Frog access more of a headache (literally).

I have the original canister type and I remove the whole thing when replacing the filter. Remove distributor cap, slacken off steering column pinch bolt and push column back towards cockpit, remove banjo on block take the whole lot out. Easy. Takes 10 minutes and you can be sure that you've seated the rubber seal properly. Little dribble of oil when dismantling and it's easy to fill the canister with fresh oil before refitting.

Can't see much benefit in fitting a spin-on

Simon
SA Wood

The spin on takes barely 2 mins to remove and refit with no other dismantling required. Its the standard 1275 fitting. I guess its personal preference but I would not go back to the original set up.
Bob Beaumont

Simon has covered the point I was going to make when working on under the bonnet a lot depends on your size, height, length of arms and legs size and type of hand - large, thin fingers, fingers with muscles on - then there's your weight or belly

I've (now) grow to 5' 6.5" (1.69m) (I thought I was shorter) both just the right height to get aches from bending over the wings and under the bonnet and bang my head on the bonnet of my midget

I agree with Bob and don't see the point of loosening one part and dismantling two other parts when you only need to remove one part
Nigel Atkins

Coffee or tea again then lol.

Dave. Is that a standard setup on the MGC? Does it remain full of oil when the engine's stopped? Doesn't it drain out? If not, then that's a bloody daft design regarding the filter change then.

I thought the access to what is now Rylans's frog, was very easy. True, I did bang my head, but then I've done that on my Sprite too. It seems to lift up a long way to me.

Bob, I deliberatey didn't mention the angle of the filter housing because I wasn't sure if that was a standard fitment. I concede, you would indeed lose some oil. But I still like the old canisters. :)
Lawrence Slater

At 5'7 I'm not tall and not "tubby" but when it comes to underbonnet working (which I do regularly) on a frog and a Mk4, the latter wins every time. Under wheel arch is better on the Frog, but underbonnet is a literal pain. Nothing beats a nice protective cloth over the wings on the Mk 4 and leaning comfortably in from the side.

If the frog was raised about 12" off the ground in order to work under the bonnet it would be much more comfortable because you could straighten up.

Perhaps it's because I'm left handed!
Graeme Williams

Lawrence

Yes, that is standard fit on an MGC.

Some MGBs had an upstanding canister filter, only not as tall as the C.

Later Bs had an upstanding spin-on filter.
Dave O'Neill 2

>>Perhaps it's because I'm left handed!<<
I didn't know that made you shorter

until very recently I was 5' 5" (or 5' 4.5") but for some reason I'm now measured as 5' 6.5" - perhaps it's because I'm right handed

though I'm not sure the person that measured me had studied the Handbook on measuring
Nigel Atkins

This thread was discussed between 04/01/2015 and 08/01/2015

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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