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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - what does your car weight?

thinking aloud about how light I can realistically (and affordably) make my 1500. It's going to get a 95-100bhp engine rebuild, and a frontline 5 speed conversion. I want to put a Monza bonnet on it at Archers and am thinking a frogeye rear end, ally doors, and maybe some other weight removal will make it the most fun. screen, bumpers, interior, hood have all gone already.

I'm not about to start spending real money on alloy gearboxes, and magnesium bellhousing etc, alloy rad etc. just straightforward weight removal and glassfibre panels.

Has anyone else done similar weight loss?

What do the race cars (excl. roll bar and extinguiser) weight in at?
t halket

Mine weighs about 50kg at the moment...

Malcolm


M Le Chevalier

well...

a 1500 weighs about 145lbs more than a 1275, so removing all the stuff that is unique to it will save you that much (front and rear bumpers, cast iron water pump and transmission, etc.).

Not sure how much a frontline 5 speed weighs, compared with the Marina one in the 1500 (it is heavier than the Morris one in the 1275, but that doesn't mean anything in your case).

The body modifications you mentioned, are they all in fiberglass? That might save some weight, but note that "racing" fiberglass is much thinner than "roadgoing". I've seen cases where FG ended up weighing more than steel, if it was used in structural applications, but doors and fenders ought to save a great deal of weight, in FG.

Maybe you could drill large weight saving holes all down the inner rocker panels, and along the transmission tunnel?


Norm
Norm Kerr

You can trim a huge pile off of the front end by losing the inner wheelarches and the steel reinforcement bits. Ditch the heater, have a smaller battery(?), lose one horn, steel air filter canister, etc etc.
I guess it depends how silly you want to go. If a frog rear end goes on then you might ditch part of the boot floor? Spare wheel Vs AA recovery card? I didn't have a passenger seat, carpets, trim panels or... much of anything.

http://www.spritespot.com/gallery/toomanyspridgets/ea65_3

http://www.spritespot.com/gallery/toomanyspridgets/qa4

I'd guess it weighed in around 550kg?
rob thomas

My al steel full carpet and rollbar "66 midget with a full tank weighs 720kg
And with a 85ish bhp a-series it is a lot of fun
Onno Könemann

Type 9 weighs 14kgs more than 1500 gearbox
rachmacb

I put my 1964 1.8 k series Midget (with type 9 gearbox) on a weighbridge. The car has no bumpers but I had tools in the boot as well as the hood and frame. It has a roll bar fitted and knock on minilites (which are heavier than standards wheels). See attached picture of car. It weighed in at 700kgs dead.

PS It had number plates fitted too!!!!


Neil K

When fitting a type 9 to a 1500 engine, does one keep the (very heavy) cast iron bell housing? How about when fitted to a K series?

I guess there are books with this sort of stuff in.
Guy

FISC-spec race cars ran to a minimum of 750 kg including driver; I'm 80 kg fully kitted out so car was 670 but carried 30 kg ballast so around 640 mark. That is with steel doors, inner wings, back end. 600 is achievable without too much effort. One chap in the 1000cc class got his down to under 500kg, it was mostly holes and carbon fibre.
David Smith

A weigh bridge rounds up or down to within 2 Kg so if you're serious about knowing the exact weight get it weighed when you are next at the race track - ask the scrutineers very nicely.

I think aluminium doors are dangerous unless you have roll cage door bars fitted.
Daniel Thirteen-Twelve

2kg Daniel? My tools weigh more than that!! It is only a road car however.
Neil K

My B Class Midget is around 590kgs

I wouldn't run lightened doors without a cage and door bars - but then I wouldn't be too happy in a Midget with a fibreglass front end if it didn't have a full cage...
James B

An out and out competition car is easy, just get rid of everything you are allowed to lose or don't need and then lighten everything else thats left! Its a bit harder with a road car as it's always a compromise between weight, safety and comfort - or whatever order you prefer.

My car was 666kgs last time it was on some corner weights, got to lose some more if only to get away from that figure!

John Payne

Take a tip get the gearbox conversion from somewhere like MGOC
Nigel Atkins

A stock Midget (1500) with full tank etc but no passengers apparently weighs in at 1780 pounds.

I'd weigh structural integrity against weight loss though just in case of a serious accident. Use the competition rules though to make sure you're still race legal.
Clive Reddin

Guy

Most K conversions (and Aseries too) with T9 use ally 'housing.

A
Anthony Cutler

Ant,
Yes I know about the A. Just wasn't sure about the K and 1500. I do know that the CI bell housing is extremely heavy on its own and when Rach mentioned that a type 9 is 14Kg heavier than a 1500 box (which itself is very heavy compared to the rib-case) I wondered if that was because it included the original bellhousing.
I guess the K series uses what is referred to as the Caterham bellhousing?
Guy

There are a couple of options for the Kseries - all ally. Caterham is one. Others have used Titan. At least one person has modified the MGF housing; and one has used the 1275 Midget box with adapting plate for SPi K1.4 (total cost of conversion, incl engine, being £130).

A
Anthony Cutler

Using calibrated corner weight scales:

Midget 4 spd gearbox (late 1275) / integral b/housing & oil 21 Kg

Rebuilt Type 9 5 spd (V6 variant) No oil - 32 Kg

SBD Type 9 Aluminium bellhousing (For XE) 3.2 Kg

I know it's not the weight of a Titan / Caterham bellhousing but it must be within +/- 1 Kg of one.

My Type 9 has a shortenened remote position but would only equate to a few 100 grams difference to std.

Spencer
S Deakin

From the above postings, by Guy and by S Deakin, I come up with the following:
a type 9 is 35.2kg, with bell housing
"a 1500 marina 4 sp is 14kg less", but, that is only 21.2kg
I think that result is too close to the 20kg morris 4 sp (without 2pts of oil).
Maybe the quoted marina mass referred to was without its cast iron bell housing?

Since the morris is aluminum, and the marina is cast iron, there must be a bigger mass difference between them than just 1.2 kg!

I believe the "20kg" for the morris is about right (45lbs, converted to the new currency).

is this a thread hijack, since it probably doesn't help Mr. Halket answer his original question?

Norm
Norm Kerr

No hi-jacking. Happy with all the info - thanks everyone.

I'm trying to save weight without being too enthusiastic about it (ie - I'm cheap).

best wishes, Tim
t halket

Tim don't forget about one of the heaviest things in the car

I significantly reduced the power-to-weight of any car as soon as I sit in it :)

and the tip on g/box
Nigel Atkins

Great lot of calculations folks, but don't forget one of the most important ones, the weight of the driver!
I'm short and light at 9.5 stone, remember once beating the heavy guys on go-carts, a bit like horse racing and light jockeys, so you have all been warned, less burgers Ha! Ha!

cheers Jack.
Jack New Forest

Oops I meant 20Kg, older bridges might round up or down to within 10Kg.

Page 79?
Daniel Thirteen-Twelve

This thread was discussed between 03/04/2011 and 04/04/2011

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