it is with joy and yet great sadness that i must note that i have found a buyer for my first car the 1967 mg midget. i bought this when i first started driving in 1974 so i have owned it for about 34 years. but i knew i didn't want to put in the energy it would take to replace all the panels and floors.

my father told me he hated selling his first car a 1932 chevy back in the 1940's and it bothered him as it drove down the driveway all those years ago.

the new owner of my mg is a welder by trade so he has told me he hopes to restore the car. this makes me feel a bit better. als that he had had a 72 quite awhile ago.

yea i got to drive the 1969 midget to britfest held in hillsboro at duke island park
ironicly i ended up parking next to the identical 1969 red mg midget with lugagage rack and although he owned it for over 30 years it was a national hershey AACA first place winner.

a car restored from an original car. really neat car to learn from.

interestingly enough he had the croam wire wheels i have thought about using but thought they might be a bit to showey for such a small car well i must say they look good but i am stil not sold enough to have to change my tires over.
anyway the car ran well the 20 miles each way to and from the event . of course i took local roads and not the highway since i am still learning about this car.
so far i have put about 180 miles on since i got the car just attending local events

today i finally received the pipe unino so that now i can connect the temp gage capalary tube

i learned about this pipe union from MO-MA

the number is 1 505 766 6661
they get referals from moss but don't work for them.

i just spoke with them today margaret the owner worked for smith gages many years ago and does all the rebuilds in her shop.

she calabrates them and if the line is broke she replaces it .
it is charged with eather she told me
also the oil line can be replaced as that is threaded on via a coupling

she said many mech. make the mistake of tighting the coupling on the pipe union on the block to tight which damages the solder on the capalary tube wich leakes the ether and then needs rebuilding. soooooo
mo-ma is the place to send the gage or a spair and swap it out.

the short end goes in the head . the capalary long end end has a 5/8-18 thread while the other end is a english witworth thread that goes in the block they look almost the same.
and as mentioned i used a very light touch in tightening the capalary nut.
now i have a working temp gage.

sat. i finished installing the new top from prestege in england.
they have an 800 number, cost less and... they will install a zipper window for midgets.

here are some tricks for installing.


before starting i needed to replace my top webbing on the bows as it was cracked and dry.
i found a place called belting industries in kenilworth nj 800 843 2358 (800 "the belt"
i have gotten yellow type material for my flat belt mettle turning lathefor the 67 midget but this time i need black sooo i bought bic-410 it's not cheep (i paid about 60.00 for enough for 2 cars) but it is cut on the byis and lamanated with a smooth side and a rough side (smooth side up to the top)they will ask what chemicalls it is exposed to or uv rays ect. they are only making sure they give you the right stuff.
they stock all sorts of convayor belting like anti stacic for the computer chip and board assembly lines ect.

now back to the top installation
start by installing the tenex fastners first around the back and installing the retainer with the screws and snaps across the back under the rear window. making sure you have inough material at the header bow first.

next cover the tow and back window and interior as you are going to spray the 3-m spray glue or like product accross the header bow and on the underside of the material where it lays on the bow. now you can press the material against the header bow but... you have about 15 mins to change your mind and lift off the material to reset it.
next lift the bow back away from the windshield and stick the material under neath the bow.

(of course you have allready drilled out the pop rivets and removed the retainer strip from the header bow and any old material noteing how everything fits.)

next i used some 3-m trim adheesive in a tube where i will reinstall the retainer strip on the header bow

use an all to locate the rivet holes and start in the enter working out to each side with you pop rivet gun. (i use a air operated one but a hade one will do just get them real tight and you will need longer than 1/8 go for the next longer size also make sure you are using the steel shank with steel rivet for strength)

finally before installing the rubber strip again i use some trim adheesive on top of the rivets to seal it together. (not that i plan to have this car out in the rain ever again LOL... but it does seal out the rafts as well esspecially if you are reusing the old rubber sealer)

i did find that both of my midget tops from prestege at the valance over each door comes up short on the passenger side for use of the snap at the windshield. otherwise their tops are great.

today my mechanic neighbor helped me bleed the clutch. we found that the previous owners son had installed the clutch line almost above the battery and heater core. but i didn't notice this until we finished bleeding the cyl.

i learned a trick today. if you can't bleed the air out then you can unbolt the cyl and plundger and work the plundger with your hand. the air will then gravity feed out.
now that you have a peddle you can proceed to continue bleeding the air via the secondary cyl.

in checking the car out i can see how meticulis the owner was on the restoration with stainless steel bolts throughout and proper use and instlation of a new wire harness along with a new emergancy brake cable ect.

i hope to install the new top from prestege tops in england this week.

the '69 midget arrived today via car trailer. nowi need to bleed the new clutch cyl. and install the top. it was owned and owner restored by the owners father who died sudddenly 3 years ago.