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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Spridget brakes and seats

At long last I am beginning to "think" about the buil-up of my Heritage shell. Broadly speaking it is a '67 car but will incorporate upgraded and later parts to enhance the experience, rather than be modified into something altogether different.

Given the potential competition use I would like to have dual circuit brakes. Is utilising the dual circuit system from a 1500 straight forward?

Also, being ridiclously tall for a midget, obtaining the right distance from the wheel and, more importantly, lower than the roll bar can be an issue. Has anybody ever extended the floorpan downwards to increase headroom? Bucket seats tend to have an annoying 90 degree corner at the back so tilting the seat simply makes you go upwards.

Two years to zero hour!
Clive Berry

I suspect the problem with lowering the Midget floorpan will be the spring hanger mounting plate which extends into the rear of the seat area.

Presumably you'll be choosing lightweight seats and bolting them direct to the floor to get as low as possible, but otherwise a custom roll bar might be an easier solution.

AdrianR

Agree with Adrian, a taller roll bar would be easier.

Trying to lower the floor will be impractical I think. Depends how much lower you want? The sills extend less than half an inch or so below the floor so there isnt much scope at all.

The only way I can think of lowering the seat is to modify its mounting to the floor, or modifying the base of the seat itself.
Chris Madge

As long as you run with the hood up or a hardtop you should be ok from a scrutineers point of view - well as as long as you’re not so tall that your head puts a bulge in the hood!

My seat is bolted to the floor but it is tilted back to get the right angle for me. It has two 2” blocks under the front. I have considered lowering it a bit more by cutting the floor but decided against it. With my seat it would be just about possible but it’s a lot of work and not good to be cutting a new shell in the vicinity of suspension mounts.

I believe it’s fairly straightforward to fit the 1500 master cyl and re plumb for dual circuit. Something I should have done but not got round to it yet. Only had to use the handbrake once due to failed brakes and it worked quite well!
John Payne

I installed the 1500 dual circuit master cylinder setup in my Frogeye and other than re-plumbing it I had to make the opening that the pedals drop through wider to accept the wider pedal box. Not difficult just time consuming.
Martin

The pedal box shouldn’t be an issue with a ‘67 car.
Dave O'Neill 2

how tall are you? I'm 6 ft 4 and have a Sparco Sprint seat, tilted back as described. I just fit under a SD rear cage.
Rob Armstrong

When I built my midget the seat was a real issue--not so much the height but legroom,you can get shallow seats, but length was the issue--
You probably wouldn't want to do it to a new shell but I got over it by reshaping a curve into the rear crosspanel/ bulkhead to allow the seat to recline back into the body further, it's amazing how little you need on that top edge to make a big difference
I'm just on 6' and easily fitted under a fairly low bar with the helmet on--the seat was a vintage aluminium reclined shell on normal adjustable runners
Dodgey pic but the only seat pic I have



William Revit

I had a Sparco seat, although I can't remember which model.

Bolted directly to the floor, as far back as it would go and I had loads of room.

I did try other peoples' Spridgets with other seats - Momo and Cobra spring to mind - and they were really cramped.


Dave O'Neill 2

Thanks guys, much to mull over. Getting a skid lid two inches below the roll bar is not easy. I'm 6'2 but my legs are not the longest part!

I saw a fantastic Tillet seat at Autosport but it was not FIA approved, more of a track day seat. It didn't have the triangultion element with a hole for the lap strap which is also usually in the way of my right elbow. They did have an FIA version with this triangulated section so maybe that would have to be the route to take.

For the road rally events I have in mind I could use this set but it may not be accepted on MSA (MUK) hillclimb events.

I have a new SD full cage but I think they do two versions. The one I have which fits under a hood frame and one with a much higher main hoop which fits under a racing hardtop so must be a good two inched higher.

Cutting the floorpan would be a last straw effort. It could be from in front of the spring hanger part so only an inch or so from the toe board and would only be about an inch lower. Structually I would have no worries about it. It would be slotted on three sides, bent from the front edge and slope down to the rear. The lowest point would still be above the lowest part of the car, the exhaust.

Clive Berry

The SD cage I have just about fits under a hood and has loads of clearance with a works style hardtop. I’m not aware of a taller one by SD. Some of the other makes I’ve seen (Rollcentre etc) look like they might be a bit taller.

A friend has a Tillet in his race car and it is very low, he is over 6”. I can only just see over the dash so would need a booster cushion!

Your design for floor lowering is exactly how I thought of doing it. Basically three cuts to the floor, bend it down and fill in the sides with new metal.
John Payne

Useful MG Midget BBS thread on differences with fit and fitting between rollcages from different manufactuers: http://www.mg-cars.net/mg-midget-sprite-technical-bbs/roll-bar-fitting-problem-2013021018154420228.htm

2020 MSUK Blue Book: https://www.motorsportuk.org/news-publications/publications/yearbook/

Cheers
Mike
M Wood

Mike, the link was interesting. My new SD cage also fouls on the seatbelt mounting points. I also have an old Aleybars item which mounted onto the top of the inner wing but I suppose there could be deformation of this, less so where the SD cage fits.

I bought the SD one as it was new, has the latest approval sticker and was a bargain!

Clive Berry

My modsports has a lowered floor - the Swede who built it was very tall - so it is possible.An FIA-rated Tillet seat is also a good option, I have one in the Lenham now, should be valid for all MUK and FIA events.
David Smith

have you got any pics of the lowered floor David?
Rob Armstrong

Clive
Back in the last century when I used to be a member of the Surrey Area Midget & Sprite Club we had a member who was 6'07".
He lowered the drivers floor pan about 2". Of course there were few, if any, speed humps in those far off days.
Alan
Alan Anstead

Rob, this is the only half useful one I can find; it shows that the rear bulkhead has also been modified to allow the seat to be mounted further back, or at a more inclined angle, as Willy mentioned earlier.
If I'm over at my storage unit soon I'll take some under-the-floor pics too.


David Smith

This thread was discussed between 16/01/2020 and 22/01/2020

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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