1970 MG Midget 1275

gah.

got back from work and as it's a nice day, thought I'd put the carbs back on - cleaned everything and bolted it all together, it starts and runs a little better than before, but then the alternator bearings died a screechy death.

will any lucas alternator fit ? can I get one from a mini/metro etc ?

I haven't taken the old one off yet to get a model / part number.

It feels like the car will never be finished ...

You will probably have a 15ACR (might be a 16,17, or 18 - higher output with each one) - with a big black plastic cover over the whole of the back end.

The ACR range looks like this:


It was fitted to Minis, metros and other cars until the 80s.

The Lucas A127 from a mini/metro/maestro/fiesta/escort will in all probability fit - it's a little larger in diameter, but will fit assuming that there's no interference from nearby engine bits.

The A127 was also fitted to most K-series engined rovers until at least the mid-90s, but they came with a multi-vee pulley. Unfortunately, AFAIK the ACR pulley and fan won't fit the A127 alternator - the latter's shaft is too big - so you'd need the pulley and fan if you were to buy a reconditioned alternator, since it wouldn't come with one.

It is a slightly more reliable alternator, and in most guises produces more power than the ACR - I've got a 65A A127 on my Imp. If you go up in power you'll need to beef up the alternator to starter solenoid cable to stop it melting.

The A127 looks like this from the rear:



Most alternators can be changed from a LH to a RH casing, and vice-versa. Undo the 3 long bolts that run through it, and rotate the rear cover to align with the other mount on the front. Make sure that the broad steel ring in the middle (the stator) turns with the back half of the casing. Replace the bolts and tighten evenly and securely - but not too tight.

just been to my lockup to have a rummage as I remembered I had an unused alternator stashed away, brought it home, and of course its the wrong 'side'
hopefully the weather will hold for the weekend so I can potter round the scrappy.

I haven't given up instead, this is taking up a bit of my time and all of my money:



have a new upstairs added to our house, which means the contents on most of it are in the garage, making doing anything a pain.

hi spiny just read about restoration today really enjoyed the story . I have struggled with a 1972 Midget since 1982 and still have it in the back yard . Found with the seats the trick is turn them upside down, balance the rails so the are upright and weld a bit of steel betwwen them so they cant fall over when you try and put them in . Best to get them the same position on both sides if you remember though as otherwise you have to drill a few holes. Having trouble with my leaf spring at the moment but got the old girl started yesterday after a few months with no action. Like your idea with the Kombi rear valance and love your welding must have a go at that as the clutch went yesterday and motor needs to come out... curses.

Isn't that spring going to be in the way of the airfilter?

Can you not fit a compression spring at the end of the throttle cable?

right, slight update

the garage is now mine again and free of boxes of plates and sets of chairs and stuff.

Fitted the HIF38 I got from ebay months ago and had another play, but the car is still running really badly. The plugs are always sooted up and fiddling with the carb didn't help. So I had a brainwave and checked the fuel regulator - I have a 'facet cube pump' and a malpassi regulator but I think that it's overfuelling, I turned the regulator down as low as it will go and the plugs sooted up -less- but it still ran badly, so i have thrown more money at it and bought a low pressure pump which should turn up this week.

It should be simple to make it work, but like the fool I am, I have fiddled with everything at the same time, so I now need to start again and be a bit more methodical

so plan is:

1: get fuelling right (even if this means drip feeding from a jerry ccan)
2: 'reset' carb screws and staticly set it up
3: static time the engine
4: see how it goes.

5-10000000000: change the points, check valve clearances and all the other things that could be making it run badly

tiny update: after some top help from the tech section on here and unexpectedly, my girlfriends dad, the engine is now a lot happier.
turns out for the last two years or so, I've been trying to get it running nicely with only three plugs working ...
looks like i must have knocked one when moving the engine about before fitting it, the tip was ever so slightly bent out of shape.
sooooooooo, I bled the brakes last week and they seem happier, I now need to finish putting a new skin on the drivers door, fit some seat belts and then wait for a quiet sunday morning to drive down the lane to make sure it doesn't fold in half at 20mph or crab into a ditch when i tap the brakes