~ I have a few questions for my fellow midget owners. The title says that
~ the car is a '70. The VIN# is GAN5UA803096G. Is it really a '70?
Yes; the second A in the VIN indicates that.
~ I've heard people mention square and round arched midgets. What does
~ this mean? Is one rarer than the other? How do I tell what mine is?
Yours is a square-arched Midget. The "arch" in question is the fender
opening for the rear wheels. Take a look at the shape of yours and
compare it to the front wheel "arch." Midgets made from 1972 through
1974 model years -- that is, GAN5UC through GAN5UE -- had rounded rear
fender openings similar to the fronts, but with a tiny little lip or
flare around the top. I think they're cuter. :-)
~ Does anybody have any tips or advice? What price is appropriate for this
~ car?
Get every book you can find on the car, starting with the Robert Bentley
Complete Official 1275 M.G. Midget/Austin Healey Sprite 1967-1974. Then
the Haynes, then Lindsay Porter's book on do-it-yourself (DIY) restoration.
All worth the money. Then make sure you've got two each of both wrenches
and sockets in 1/2", 7/16", and 9/16" sizes, as those will take care of
about 90% of the fasteners on the car.
For faded paint, I'm still a big believer in the Meguiars line, having
just polished our 122S a couple of weekends ago. If the car is a dark
color in particular, their Deep Crystal is incomparable, and Meguiars'
carnauba wax is a good sealant to put over it.
Then send away for as many catalogs as you like. Moss Motors is probably
your best bet (TRF doesn't do Spridgets, as I recall) for restoration
parts; Victoria British is another large mail order house that advertises
in the back of most automotive magazines; local to you is an outfit called
FASPEC, run by Stan Huntley out of Portland. Stan's got some great vintage
racing Sprites and offers competition gear as well as stock restoration
bits. There's also an outfit in the Midwest called Winner's Circle that
concentrates on road-racing components.
Other than that, enjoy the car and good luck with it! You can't go
wrong giving the car a complete, though light, once-over from end to
end. Lube the chassis, change all the fluids, check all the pivots
and hinges and look way deep underneath it. The books will tell you
what to look out for, but you should get as familiar with this car
as possible now that you have it. Fortunately, Spridgets are about
the simplest possible sports car to own -- much of what you see will
look like a smaller, lighter version of what you might remember from
your MGB, which should be no surprise. Oh, and when you flush the
hydraulics, be sure you use Castrol LMA brake fluid and not DOT 3
stuff; the latter will eat the rubber seals in short order.
As for price... can't say without seeing it, but it sounds like you
got a bargain. Have fun with it!
--Scott
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