Practically Classics Forum

Hmm, I've always fancied a Midget ..Off to check ebay , bet they fetch a packet now..

I suspect one will cost more than £3

You'll pay £3-4k for a really good one, less for a 1500 rubber bumper one. A useable one would be £1500 - ish.

Values seem to have been pretty stable for many years now - shame, as I own one!

Mine owes me over £9k in restoration costs, not including labour - so don't excpect to make money out of restoring one!

Unless you paid £3 for it, that is.....

TerryG wrote:I suspect one will cost more than £3

Just for once in my life I was in the right place at the right time....
It's the Zodiac that's costing me a fortune.

The trouble is, all the time I was 'fettling' the MG, I could put off working on the Zody.
now I have no excuse for not getting that one running...

1960Zody wrote:

Martin Evans wrote:Cooling can be a problem with the 1500 (Not surprising when you consider that the bumper covers most of the opening and the number plate much of the rest!!). Moving the number plate and fitting an oil cooler, is a great help to these cars. 165/70 tyres work well too. A very enjoyable and easy car.

Now you come to mention it, the temp gauge does quickly get up to the 'Hot' side and sticks there resolutely, despite the new thermostat.
It's something that I'm looking at.

If you look at the front valance, you'll see that it has two slots and that they don't expose the whole of the area behind. I opened out my valance, so that the opening exposes the whole area behind it (I have a stone guard for the oil cooler). An oil cooler can pre heat the air going to the water rad, so extra airflow is good (Sump cooling on the 1500 is poor, so an oil cooler is a very good idea). The self adhesive number plate on the bumper may sound a bodge but it's simple and it works. Beyond that, you can louvre the bonnet but perhaps that's more for a modified car. Getting rid of the sound deadening, off the underside of the bonnet, will aid cooling.

If you really want extra work, a Spitfire overdrive is a worthwhile mod and of the more major ones on my car, it's the one I value most. The standard 1500 is a tad under geared (From 1977 on, it was 3.7 : 1) and without the overdrive, I think my car would have to have the 3.55:1 CWP.....I reckon a standard 1500 would pull it well enough.

Message deleted.

zipgun wrote:Hmm, I've always fancied a Midget ..Off to check ebay , bet they fetch a packet now..

They have gone up in recent years and I think Mike Authers may be partly responsible - http://www.mgmidgets.com/. 1500s remain quite cheap, compared with the 1275, that everyone wants. Whilst the 1275 has advantages, over the 1500 (Which was perhaps under developed and UK cars suffered as a result of US regulations), the standard 1500 is faster. After the V8 was dropped, the Midget was the fastest MG then in production, simply because the rubber bumper MGB had gained weight and lost power, whereas the Midget had at least gained power besides weight. A standard 1500 performs better than the figures might suggest.

My father can remember when "Old Midgets" were about £350 - £375, when the Midgets concerned were TCs You can easily pay £30000 for a TC these days.