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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - What's needed from an Ital engine?

OK, I picked up the Ital motor and tore it down today. What is not needed? I know motor mount. How about oild pan and pick-up? Front plate, back plate?

All in all the internals look good. No major scoring on the bores. The cross hatch is still easily visible. Skirts looked good. Of course that stuff gets replaced for the turbo setup.

The one strange thing was #4 cylinder had an inch of oil in it. Dont see any signs of a blown head gasket or anything. The oild pan had pretty much been drained. Any suggestions?




J Wirtes

What do you mean? "tore it down??"

Does that mean you stripped it down? if so then fine.

You will need the midget front plate and also the back plate assuming you are using the Midget gear box or the ford type 9
You will need the sump and keeping the pick up pipes would be good.

You will need to use the Midget ENGINE mountings.

Don't understand how the engine number 4 cylinder has become filled with oil, :)
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

Yep. Stripped it down. Disassembled it.
Looking at a type 9 gearbox.
So I can get rid of the ital front and rear plates, clutch and flywheel (rusted anyway), oilpan and pickup and motor mounts. Swap those parts with the midget parts when I am ready.
So the next thing is get it cleaned up and look into having it bored and the pistons.
J Wirtes

The oilpan is the sump you just need to cut off that flat plate bit and re-use it. You'll need the oil pickup pipe. You'll probably need the distributor because it's an A+ block.
Daniel Thirteen-Twelve

J, don't chuck the sump and pickup - you need them.
Have you bought Vizard's book all about A series engines yet? You would do well to....
BTW pardon me asking but do you originate from the other side of the Atlantic?
David Smith

OK, oil pan and pickup kept. My brain wasn't working so wasnt sure whether I needed to Midget or Ital pan.

The book is on the shopping list.

Will either get a Metro turbo distributor or go with a megajolt setup.

Bob, you dont like me calling them Motor mounts? :D

David, yes, I originate from the US, but spent my teenage life here, then went back to the states and back again.

Now to find a set of low CR pistons and a machine shop.
J Wirtes

Ah that explains it
""I originate from the US""

Yes I am very much a traditionalist and I like to try and preserve the English language and Classic cars.

So I like to call a sump a sump
an Engine an Engine

And a motor mount (as you people refer to it) becomes an engine mounting. :) Hope you don't mind but they are British cars. :)

That said I do like my Turbo and also my programable ignition!!"!"
Bob Turbo Midget England

You are more then welcome to be a traditionalist. Even a twitsted one that likes technology.

The english language is bastardised over here as much, if not more than the US. When I came back, I couldn'd believe how poorly people speak, write and spell. But I digress. Back to our normal programming.

So keep the "sump". I guess I should get the A series book to figure out how the oil system works. But where is a good pick off location for the oild feed? I see the setup is different to the transverse mini/metro "engine" with the oild filter top/rear. Is the an adaptor to go between the filter and block with a pickoff. I have a metro turbo motor sitting ni the garage, so I can see exactly how the original setup was done.
J Wirtes

J - I had my recent work done at Scholar Engines.
http://www.scholarengines.co.uk/

I'm sure they aren't the cheapest but they have a good long history and proper old boys in coats with pencils and slide rules in their top pocket who took one look at my very cheap ebay big valve head with a cracked valve seat (gamble!) , scratched their chin and confirmed they could save it....which they did.

You need a Midget front & back plate. a Midget flywheel with some machining to fit the Ital crank. You can lose the mechanical fuel pump and fabricate a small cover plate for it. If you want to retain the timing chain tensioner you'll need to modify the midget front plate with an extra hole or 2 to take the slightly bigger timing chain cover.
Dean Smith ('73 RWA)

Planning on pulling the midget stuff off the original motor once I am ready to pull it.
Are the belt drives for the cam worth it or go with a double roller chain?
J Wirtes

Belt drive is less noisy and more acurate (belt does not stretch chain does)
If you want super acurate timing take a look at the MED website and look for the cam drive.... must be noisy though
Onno Könemann

I've had a belt drive on mine and am happy with it although the recommended belt change is around 25k miles IIRC. I can't hear it while driving but friends have said it sounds like a turbo due to the whine from the belt. IIRC a duplex chain should last the life of the engine.
David Billington

Sorry Dean
This is for Turbo spec,so no need to block off mechanical fuel pump,J. you will need this for your oil return from the bottom of the turbo,plenty of mini turbo ones out there that bolt straight on,make sure you use silicone hose for the return as the are a pig to change once the engine is back in.
Rob Newt

That's right Rob however I have now moved mine by adding a connection onto the sump the fitting to the fuel pump hole was just too much grief!!
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

Bob
Next time my engine is out thats what I was going to do,you live and learn.
BTW Bob on a previous thread I remember you said you run your car without the turbo connected but with the turbo hif44,my question is how did the turbo carb perform without the turbo connected ? as I have another midget project and a spare turbo carb,the only difference I can think of is the turbo is a sealed system.
Rob Newt

This thread was discussed between 20/07/2010 and 21/07/2010

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