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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - What is this hole for?

Can anyone please tell me what the square hole on the left side of the gear change aperture just above the handbrake button in the picture) is for, and what is used to blank it off before fitting the carpets?


Dominic Clancy

No idea, not seen that before. Duck tape before carpet will do the job.
Rob Armstrong

X2

Prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

I've got it on my Heritage shell too and have just taped it off
Nigel Atkins

Reverse light switch hole on 1500 models, either for access or to run the wires into...?

What vintage is your car? Struggling to tell, other than the earlier style door cards, but that could be a red herring.

Malcolm
M Le Chevalier

Malcolm x2
If it's not there you'll soon be cutting a hole to get to the switch without taking the g'box out of a 1500.

best of...
MGmike
PS. car looks spiffing ;)
M McAndrew

The Car was a 1967 and has a chassis plate for GAN4, but is a very early heritage shell that has been sitting for 16 years after the previous owner lost interest because every single hole is in slightly the wrong place or even missing and every single simple job is a regular PITA to complete as a result. It is a bizarre combination of 1500 and earlier body shell parts, I hope the later shells are better.

I will go for the two bolt method as I have some threaded rod in the workshop.

Thanks for all the help, I am sure I will be back for more.
Dominic Clancy

The Heritage shells are made "universal" so they have holes for everything from frog eye to 1500. Likewise the individual panels (well duh! the shells are just all the panels welded together for you)

But as you say, if it is a really early shell they may still have been perfecting things.

Malcolm
M Le Chevalier

I had a very early Heritage shell on my previous Spridget and it was one fits all - whilst it might be more effort to build up as a GAN4 it should at least be a bit easier to update some of the parts/components/systems

I can remember seeing a MGB Heritage shell at Bromsgrove MG in the '90s and it was 'braced' with a bit of wood wedged across the top of the shell, I was told Bromsgrove MG had done this as they arrived without any bracing

as you can see I went the other way round swapping mine from post to pre-facelift appearance


Nigel Atkins

Hi.

Malcolm is quite right, it's the access hole for the reverse light switch on a 1500. The tunnel pressings must be all the same on a heritage shell.
SR Smith 1

"...The Heritage shells are made "universal" so they have holes for everything from frog eye to 1500..."

Not quite Malcolm - for at least 13 years the Spridget bodyshells have been produced in 4 'varieties' -

Sprite HAN9/midget GAN4 (1967-69)
Sprite HAN10/Midget GAN5 SqWA (1969-71)
Midget GAN5 RWA (1971-74)
Midget GAN6 1500 (1974-79).

However, as Mr Smith notes, I think a lot of the individual panels that go to make up the shells are common - my GAN5 SqWA shell had that little cutaway as well.

By the way - has anyone seen Heritage shell prices recently??!
I'm looking at my invoice from MGBHive dated July '02 - I paid £2450.
I have a BMH price list from a factory visit in 2006 - £3100.
Today's price, according to the website - £7600!!!

http://www.bmh-ltd.com/midgetshell.htm




Steve Clark

cor you learn new stuff all the time :)
Rob Armstrong

"By the way - has anyone seen Heritage shell prices recently??!
I'm looking at my invoice from MGBHive dated July '02 - I paid £2450.
I have a BMH price list from a factory visit in 2006 - £3100.
Today's price, according to the website - £7600!!!"



And for that money they are not being chemicaly dipped anymore either...
A de Best

This thread was discussed between 03/02/2014 and 05/02/2014

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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