Listers,
Well, I finally got around to checking out that Midget. The guy told
me it
was his daughter's, a '78, and might be for sale, but the ignition system was
messed
up and wouldn't start. And he said the car wouldn't go into reverse, but he
had a
spare tranny. I went out to look at the car, alone, and noted some interesting
things.
First of all, I'm about 6 ft. 200lbs, and I needed to contort very
painfully
to get into the car. The car was bright yellow, with an original Inca yellow
paint
job under that. The hood must have been replaced because the paint scheme went
white, inca, then yellow, so i guess the car was wrecked. There was no serious
rust on the body, just little spots. The car wouldn't go into reverse because
the
brake/clutch master cylinder was shot - no pressure unless you pumped the
pedal. The
interior was pretty nice, with complete carpets, but ripped seats. Typical
cracked
dash, but the best thing about the dash was the speedo. It read about
32,000mi. I
popped the hood to see if this figure was true, and it _could_ be. the engine
had
clean oil, all original smog stuff, and was very, very clean. Good tires, and
top
was good too. There was no rot anywhere I could find. I checked the plugs,
wires,
and distributor cap, but there were no real signs of any faults that would keep
the
car from starting. All the electrics like lights and such worked, so the
battery is OK at best. There were signs that the car was a daily driver, so I
doubt
the guy whould give his daughter an unsafe car.
If I was closer to home, I'd have to take this little baby off their
hands
for him. However, I can't afford to tow her there, or go about playing with
her to
drive her there. I'm also leery of replacing the brake master and going, since
I
replaced it on my 'B, and rubber hoses just kept on splitting. I could imagine
doing
a brake overhaul on this Midget to get it running. Would a bad clutch master
cylinder keep the car from shifting into reverse?
OK, since I won't be buying it anytime soon, if anyone is in the market
for a
rubber bumper Midget that needs a little care to be a good car, let me know
privately. I'd hate to see the car sit there, or go to some dolt.
--
Michael S. Lishego
St. Andrews Presbyterian College
Elementary Education Major,
English Minor, Class of 1999
R.A. of Winston-Salem Hall
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