Can Anyone Spare Me Some Good Luck?

[cRaig 273 1 Cars]

Thought Id update you guys..

 

My midget is in a pretty bad way..

 

 

Rear spring hanger..

 

 

transmission tunnel

 

 

 

supposedly a chassis rail..

 

 

Some utter bastard had "repaired" it by welding patched over the rusty metal (without cutting it out) and then sealing the repair with filler and underseal, no paint involved.

Very tedious. Serves me right I guess, should have known what i was doing when i bought it..

 

Lucky I bought a welder, eh..

Edited March 30, 2010 by cRaig

[MerlinGTI 3]

Good luck! Your gonna bloody need it!

[TurboSam 5]

I've been in a similar position with a Mini, take one bit at a time and it soon gets sorted!

[harryskid 193]

Hope you like cutting and welding, best of luck.

[DrSarty 90 1 Cars]

Post some pictures of the tin worm if you find it. It must be f*cking huge!

[Miles 331 1 Cars]

Thats pretty good for a MG, Seen many allot worse than that which come back to life

[peakrevs 0]

I'd endorse the take heart and look at one bit at a time advice. It must be very disappointing to discover the extent of the rust on a shell that you thought to be good but, with tunnel vision, you can do it and there will be a huge amount of satisfaction when you have done it. It is good to keep a photographic record of the rebuild to show you the progress you are making.

 

I have mentioned David Gardiner's metalshaping DVD before on this Forum but I cannot recommend it too highly. A trailer is shown on YouTube, link:

 

 

He shows how replacement panels can be made using just simple hand tools and how repairs can be done properly and lastingly. Buying his DVD will be the best money you will spend. It really is inspirational.

 

I have done a bit of metal shaping myself and if I can help you with advice, please send me a pm.

 

Best of luck

 

John

 

 

 

Thought Id update you guys..

 

My midget is in a pretty bad way..

 

 

Rear spring hanger..

 

 

transmission tunnel

 

 

 

supposedly a chassis rail..

 

 

Some utter bastard had "repaired" it by welding patched over the rusty metal (without cutting it out) and then sealing the repair with filler and underseal, no paint involved.

Very tedious. Serves me right I guess, should have known what i was doing when i bought it..

 

Lucky I bought a welder, eh..

[omega 82]

as you are going to do some major repairs i think one of your biggest proplems will be getting everything square so lots of mesureing is recommened

[peakrevs 0]

Yes that's right and it is important to weld a couple of struts from scuttle to rear bulkhead to avoid the whole shell from bending and to ensure the door shut line is maintained.

 

as you are going to do some major repairs i think one of your biggest proplems will be getting everything square so lots of mesureing is recommened

Edited March 31, 2010 by peakrevs

[cRaig 273 1 Cars]

Well, as Im not as emotionally attached to this shell as the 205 () and the fact the more we looked the more rust we found, we decided to reshell the car. We found this nearby, and picked it up for 300quid, its a much earlier 1275 shell so no more ugly rubber bumpers, Some rust to deal with, but nothing compared to the work needed on the 1500 shell.

Hopefully should get it back on the road before the summer

 

 

 

 

[flipperthebushkangaroo 2]

is the new shell pre 72? Free tax if so, i take it there is enough of the new shell to register that one?

[shalmaneser 26]

dem sum funny lookin dampers.

[cRaig 273 1 Cars]

is the new shell pre 72? Free tax if so, i take it there is enough of the new shell to register that one?

 

Unfortunately the new shell doesnt come with a chassis number, or V5, so it will be "staying" as the 1500 shell. Its a shame as I do recon it is a pre '73 shell, its much older than the ruined shell.

[cRaig 273 1 Cars]

Hey guys, I havent been around here much as Ive been spending most evenings after work working on the midget, progress is starting to be quite visible now, so thought I would take a few pics.

 

Also found a body number on the shell, so hopefully can trace the chassis number with a heritage certificate. In other news its also a Austin Healey Sprite, not a midget, so its alot earlier, definatley a pre '71 shell. Not in bad condition for it, its obviously had a fortune spent on it at some point, alot of new metal

 

Work has been progressing in earnest with prepping the bodyshell. Paint is bought, its being treated to Zinc182 in critical areas, seam sealered joins, stonechipped wheel arches, 2k primer, and then a lovely 2K Honda Red Metallic, about the closest metallic to MG's Tartan Red we could find

 

Bare metalling a car is a slow, tedious process, but hopefully ultimately worthwhile Hoping to get the engine bay primed and possibly painted this bank holiday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No rusty wheel arches here!

 

[flipperthebushkangaroo 2]

WOW, looks like this will be a beauty when you are done.

 

Good luck with it and keep the pdates comming, might get me off my ar$e to get the pug sorted out

 

Roddie

[cRaig 273 1 Cars]

Thanks, we are really trying our best to get it right, we really dont want it going rusty any time soon after our experiences with the last shell!

[Bogsye 22]

Certainly looks like good progress!!

 

Here's some photos of mine. I added round wheel arches so I could fit the 6 x 14 Minilites.

Lots of welding to get it sorted, but like you, I flipped it onto it's side to make life easier. My MOT guy thinks I must be good at welding upside down!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers,

Brian

[cRaig 273 1 Cars]

Smart looking Sprite Brian

 

Some progress, lots of backbreaking work

 

 

 

 

Bare metalling panels is very tedious

 

 

 

 

Not as backbreaking and tedious as doing the underneath tho lol

 

[Petrolsniffer 3]

Making some good progress.Can't wait to see the finished product!

[cRaig 273 1 Cars]

Threw some paint at the midget, looks alright I think

Hasnt been cut back yet, so most of the orange peel in the lacquer should polish out

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 6, 2010 by cRaig

[Leet205 48]

Looks great mate!

[harryskid 193]

Nice work!

[cRaig 273 1 Cars]

Starting to look a bit more like a car again, front suspension is on, just needs the springs putting in, then can have a go at seeing if the 1500 engine fits in a 1275 shell..

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shiney bumpers this time, no rubbish rubber bumpers

 

 

*slightly* chavvy red steering wheel

Edited June 19, 2010 by cRaig

[cRaig 273 1 Cars]

Just had some info through from the teh british motor heritage trust, who are producing a certificate to date the car for us.

 

It turns out it is actually a Austin Healey Sprite, rather than a midget (as we suspected really) manufactured in Oct 1968, so its quite a bit older than our last midget.

Now with a chassis number we can write to the dvla for a reassigned period registration plate and it will be tax free

 

Does anyone know how long this type of thing the dvla take to process? I hear they arent exactly very quick at dealing with things..

Edited June 23, 2010 by cRaig

[cRaig 273 1 Cars]

Also, has anyone tried to get a new V5 logbook/ registration out of the DVLA with only a chassis number and heritage certificate to prove its year and type? Im not quite sure what forms I actually need, consdering I dont have a current V5 or registration number etc

 

Thanks

 

Craig