1974 MG Midget

Convertible

4 - Cyl.

Manual

GAN5UE152442G

Other

Gasoline

This is re-listing due to a buyer who hit the BUY IT NOW button by "mistake" .... sorry for the inconvenience. It is fair to say that a Bugeye Sprite ranks as one of the cutest vehicles ever made with lots of appeal and lots of smiles. It has been said that these cars were Donald Healey's persona favorite, I began driving them 35 years ago. With all the cute came limitations and problems including weak rear axles that break, lack of power (slow), a tent for a top that blows off in traffic, no side windows, uncomfortable primitive seats, no trunk, poor brakes and a non synchronized transmission. The car offered here was built to keep the cute and eliminate the problems. This is my version of what I think the Donald Healey would have approved of had the car been allowed to continue to evolve. I tried to make this car live up to it's beginnings and become a true high performance English sports car that does not disappoint. This SPRIDGET is an ALL STEEL 1974 MG Midget (chosen in part for the round rear wheel arches) with an original 1959 Austin Healey Bugeye bonnet. It is badged as an Austin Healey. A highly modified Austin A series engine with 130 horsepower and a Datsun 5 speed transmission (Rivergate conversion) will easily keep up with freeway traffic and produces plenty of power for passing even over high mountain passes. The suspension is also greatly improved and the car hugs the road like a magnet. It has a high quality mohair top and Scottish leather seats. The extensive modifications and upgrades are detailed below. The paint is exceptionally nice but not show quality. The car was built to drive so it sports a few imperfections from the road. Although not perfect, this is an outstanding car that I have owned and loved for 10 years. It has virtually every modification and high end upgrade that is available for these cars. Much, much more has been spent on the car than the reserve price. Don't miss out on a very special "driver's" car built for the road. 1974 MG Midget/Spridget Power Train Modifications Austin A Series Engine Calculated to be about 130 horsepower with a maximum RPM of 7600 I. Carburetor: Weber 32/36 DGEV (electric choke) mounted on a Pierce Manifold II. Cylinder Head: built by APT – Riverside, CAPorted combustion chamber ( flowbench tested)Exhaust valves – Stainless, Paul Ivey RimFlow 1.212 diameter Intake valves – Stainless, Paul Ivey RimFlow 1.440 daimeter Bronze valve guides Hardened valve seats Teflon valve seals Valve springs – Isky VPS-01 Roller rockers – HLR-2 (1.5 ratio) Pushrods – Chrome Moly PR-BB 5/16 tubular Head studs – ARP with 12 point nuts III. Engine Block: Bored to 1380 cc (originally 1275 cc) Pistons – balanced Power Max 73.5mm with 11cc dish Crankshaft – wedged, polished and balanced with Romac friction type crank damper Rod and Main bearings – standard Vandervell Main bearing studs - ARP with 12 point nuts Camshaft – APT SPVP3: Duration @ 0.020 In/Ex 268-272, cam lobe lift 0.312-0.319 Adjustable vernier cam gear set (VCS-01) Flywheel balanced and lightened to 15 lbs. Custom windage tray for oil pan Pertronix, Flame Thrower electronic distributor and 40,000 volt high performance coil New water pump and alloy pulley Electric cooling fan High torque, geared starter motor Valve cover – cast aluminum with silicone gasket IV. Exhaust System: Pace Setter mandrel bent header – 1.25 inch primary tubes with a 2 inch collector Monza high flow primary muffler with Austin Healey 3000 secondary muffler V. Transmission: Rebuilt Datsun five speed by Rivergate with Rivergate adapter VI. Suspension: Frontline Spridget front suspension kit with Koni tube shocks Front end lowered 1 inch with new springs Rear tube shock conversion from Sprite Parts Rebuilt A arms and polyurethane bushings (front and rear) ¾ inch front and ? inch rear performance sway bars VII. Brakes: New master cylinder and wheel cylinders with braided stainless steel hoses Cross drilled rotors Competition brake pads 1974 MG Midget/Spridget Body & Interior Modifications I. Body: 1959 Austin Healey Sprite “bugeye” front end (original steel with newly chrome plated original grill) Custom front hinge set up Removed and filled: side marker lights and back up lights Replaced MG logos with Austin Healey and Sprite logos All red tail lights (1961 style) Painted Candy Apple Red – polished single stage New window rubber New windshield II. Interior: Black, genuine wool carpet (Prestige Auto Trim, England) Improved, Suffolk seats in genuine Scottish leather (black) New door and side panels Dash cap Mahogany steering wheel III. Wheels: Classic, period correct Minator 13 inch alloy wheels Tires – Hancook 185/70 R13 IV. Convertible Top: Mohair “German Twill Weave” fabric (superior quality with rubber between layers of fabric) Zippered rear window On Apr-13-12 at 08:18:56 PDT, seller added the following information: Just a few extra notes about my asking price: NADA shows an average retail price for a '74 Midget at $8,325 (high retail at $19,100). Average retail for '59 Bugeye is $17,400 (high at $27,700). I know I will never recover all the money spent on this car so I figured about an average retail price of the two cars and set my reserve a little lower than that. However, this car is way above average in every respect and it cannot be replaced for even twice the amount I am asking. Here is a partial listing of the cost of PARTS ONLY that have been installed on this car ... I have done some of the work but I am smart enough to know when I am over my head so much of the work has been done by specialty shops. Engine: over $9,000 in PARTS alone Suspension, wheels & tires: over $4,000 in PARTS (including rebuilt A arms) Interior: over $4,000 in leather seats, wool carpet, mohair top and new panels Transmission: $1,500 for rebuild and Rivergate kit (these transmissions are becoming almost impossible to find) Bugeye bonnet: there are two bugeye bonnets on ebay right now ... one for $2900 the other for $2200. I actually purchased three bonnets before I finding one that was worth using. Good bonnets are almost gone and the fiberglass bonnets are generally junk or very expensive. As you can see, even without labor and without paint and without the cost of the nice original car, I have spent over $20,000 JUST IN PARTS. Don't think this car can be duplicated for any less, generally labor adds as much to the cost as the parts. This is an exceptional car that you can be very proud to own and drive ... If you like English sports cars this one will not disappoint. I have had my fun with it and now I want an airplane.