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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - whine in 1st and reverse

Hi guys! is it normal to hear a slight gearbox whine in 1st and reverse gears? 1974 rwa 1275 midget! just test drove it and wasn't sure what to expect?
thanks.
s j knox

Yes, I believe so.
Gary & Gaps

yes normally but it depends on how loud and if there are any difficulties using these gears

great that you're test driving a car now when you test drive other late 1275s you'll have a slight feel and knowledge of them

if I remember correctly your budget is £2,000 and you'll have to take from that or add to it to fully and properly service, maintain and repair the car

the cheaper the sale price then possibly the more you'll need for the fully and properly so on

personally unless you are very, very, lucky at £2,000 I'd be looking at a Midget 1500 which is the later rubber bumper car fitted with the Triumph engine

I still suggest test driving a good condition car well out of your price range perhaps the people who are helping you would let you have a drive of their cars (no disrepect meant now, if their cars match the requirement I've just put)
N Atkins

my budget has been increased so more cars falling into my price range! not a loud whine and engine has good pressure, alsp bodywork look great but seats and carpets need replacing.
s j knox

Whine is normal as 1st and reverse are slightly different from the rest

Body is of 1st importance
Mechanical 2nd
And trim/carpets are 3rd

If points 1 and 2 are good than point 3 is a handy bargining tool
Onno Könemann

LOL - IF you buy that one - then welcome to the nasty non-synchro on 1st and reverse gears ...!!!!!!! If you want a nice quiet gearbox as standard, then, get a 1500 ;)

I would back Onno on the list of importance - bodywork is very important - mechanics are easily sorted - seats will probably be replaced anyway, and you can carpet it as you see fit.
rachmacb

Rach, not a question of synchro but straight cut gears
Alex G Matla

If you want a gearbox with W I D E ratios, get a 1500.

There's nothing nasty about a non-synchro first and even a 1500 doesn't have synchro on reverse!
Dave O'Neill 2

get a 1500.

LOL - isn't that what I have then?!?!?!?!!!!

No, you're right, it doesn't have it on reverse, which I did neglect to say, but, since it was a question about the 1275 and both, then - meh - I'm sure he'll get the message :)

I suppose we should have asked him what the whine sounds like really - rather than just all jumping in, and assuming that it's the normal one

SO - what sort of whine?
rachmacb

Rach,

I'm partial to that sound, like it alot. With the gearbox in our Midget I find shifting into second gear 'before' I try to engage first makes things mesh easier. Works better that way with our all-synchro B/GT as well, but that could just be me. Another questions for Mr. Knox might be how easily it shifts into first and reverse at rest, it should engage without issue?

Regards,

Larry C.
Larry C '69 Midget

whine is not loud, shifts into all gears easy. Defo going for a 1275; i had a 1500 spitfire about 6 years ago and just want to try a diff engine. Not because i didn't like the 1500 it was fun just something different.
thanks for your help.
s j knox

A good ribcase shifts with rifle bolt acuracy and is so bloody good to drive!
No 5 speed or 1500 with overdrive will get me away from my ribcase.

If you want a 1500 then do so
But you will have to accept the bumpers

If you want a chrome bumper car then buy one

Do not buy a RB car and convert to chrome.
If properly done it will cost more than the price difference and still look not quite right.
Onno Könemann

"If you want a gearbox with W I D E ratios, get a 1500."

That depends what ratios you have fitted since there are a number available and they differed dependent upon the car the 'box was originally fitted to.


"A good ribcase shifts with rifle bolt acuracy and is so bloody good to drive!"

Almost all the Class A racers now use the Single Rail Triumph 'box owing to the fact it is far stronger. They've also remarked how much better the shift is compared to the ribcase.

Of course, the Triumph 3-Rail 'box is even better (but that's another story :P).
Deborah Evans

"Do not buy a RB car and convert to chrome."

Probably best not to lecture other owners on what they can and cannot do with their cars.

"If properly done it will cost more than the price difference and still look not quite right."

That really rather depends Onno. I did a chrome conversion on a 1500 last year (and being me, aye it was properly done). it cost the square root of feck all (because we lready had most of the requisite parts) and looked perfectly fine.


Having said that I prefer no bumpers because they ALL look like afterthoughts to me!
Deborah Evans

Deb a full respray and new steel frontwings and chrome bumpers cost a lot.
Add to that the lowering with proper springs rather than blocks and it realy is expensive.
You once one way or an other have had to pay for those parts!

And though I like the torque of the 1500 non that i have driven have ever shifted as good as a good ribcase....
A case of personal preferance maybe.

I agree on the principle of not lecturing people.
Exept on the RB to chrome conversion!

Bumper less looks best !
Onno Könemann

Lol now there is a high-jacked thread!!!!!!

My main problem with the change is that the two styles are more than just the bumpers - so it's more a case of deciding what you want and going for that (which I think I say almost as much as Nigel and his booklet!) - however, if you are going to do a change then it has to be done properly otherwise it's just ruining the little cars that we are meant to love!! The chrome bumper conversion is my bugbear as it is really trying to be something that it's not and there are people who do it simply to mislead the average person on the street - which is never right!

I also find that there's rather alot of lack of imagination - sadly my car won't be ready for Midget50 so I can't show it off, but, in keeping the shape and style of the 1500, the weight has dropped to below that of an average 1275 - so it can be done - if approached logically and done well (and owned by someone who enjoys cutting!!!).

So SJ - in reply - yes there are noises - it's an old car with all the joys that that involves - choose carefully what is in your tolerance level and enjoyment - fit a radio for when it gets too annoying - and buy a ruddy good car - drive it like you stole it - and ENJOY it - no matter what anyone else thinks :)
rachmacb

I also repeatedly say:

'Look at and test drive as many good examples as you can including some well out of your buying budget to see how good the cars should be and that you may need to increase your budget'

Steve has already increased his budget I don't know how much by but and after test driving a few more example he may find he needs to increase it again as at that price area for 1275s I think he'll be looking at some "interesting cars"

I've not much idea of true selling prices now but a few years before I got my present Midget I looked at buying one and started out looking at £3,000 and the first two I looked at were not as described and should have been priced at about half of that

that put me off searching for others so I started looking at other classics I wanted, 1600E were too expensive for a good one so I bought a Rover P6 3500S (manual) - spent as much servicing and maintaining it as I did on purchase price and sold it after a year of using it as a daily but that just me - good to sell to and good to buy from (or an idiot)
N Atkins

If you actually like the whine then you can have it in all the gears as I'm selling a surplus Straight Cut box on ebay at the moment.... there you are the best unwarranted shameless plug of a thread creep there ever was.

Hides head beneath trench again and scarpers off!

:-)

A.
Andrew McGee

Well Andrew - you could always put it into the Autojumble for £10 a stall at Midget50 :)

Haha - not gonna be outdone for shameless plugs!

Runs and hides .......
rachmacb

This thread was discussed between 26/05/2011 and 27/05/2011

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