1971 MG Midget

Started on Feb. 10, 2003, 2:29 p.m.

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Eclectic Motorworks’ Carl Heideman set out to make a Miata-killer of our “rust-free” 1971 Midget.

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Latest Project Updates

Jul 13, 2009

Inside Our Midget Motor

The nuts and bolts of making a fast, reliable and streetable Midget motor.

May 19, 2009

Thoroughly Modern Midget

How drivable is our Midget? We piloted it on a 1200-mile journey from Carlisle to find out.

Feb 2, 2009

Worth the Wait

It’s been a long wait, but the results of our engine rebuild are worth it.

Jun 17, 2006

Runs and Drives

Today was the day to fire up the Midget and take it for a drive.

Jun 16, 2006

Almost There

We finish off the interior.

Jun 14, 2006

MG Almost Ready to Run

We continue the push to get our MG roadworthy.

Jun 5, 2006

Closer to Running

We finish up more details to get the Midget running.

Jun 4, 2006

Putting the Front On

Hanging the front body work

Jun 3, 2006

Thrashing Away

We are scrambling to get the car running for MG2006.

May 17, 2006

Getting the Interior Going

We put “in” the interior.

Mar 29, 2006

On the Ground!

It’s finally a roller.

Jan 15, 2006

Front Suspension Installed

Putting together the new front end.

Dec 17, 2005

Rack Repair

We fix the steering rack.

Dec 11, 2005

Painted, and Ready for Reassembly.

Now that the body is painted we can start reassembly.

Oct 4, 2005

Finally, Ready for Paint

The paint goes on.

Oct 4, 2005

The Midget is Finally Painted!

The Midget is finally painted and we’ll be showing more pictures of the painting process (and revealing the color) in the next issue of Classic Motorsports.

Feb 13, 2005

Putting on the Bondo.

Mud work is long and tedious.

Jan 22, 2005

A Little More Metal Work Before Mud

We tackle some final metal work before we start the bondo.

Dec 5, 2004

Almost Done With Rust Repair

We get to work on the rear cowl.

Oct 7, 2004

More Metal Work!

Metal work continues

Aug 11, 2004

Making the Panels Fit

Making the panels fit together right.

Jul 13, 2004

Trunk Repair

Repairing the Midget’s Trunk

Feb 12, 2004

Hammerform Work

We turn to the hammerform to make parts.

Feb 2, 2004

Rust and Rust.

Just when we thought we were done, we found more rust.

Dec 3, 2003

Major Rust Repair is Finished

The floors are replaced, now we can tackle the body panles in need of help on top.

Oct 30, 2003

Replacing the Trunk Floor

We replaced the trunk floor in our Midget.

Oct 9, 2003

Welding in the Floors

We put new floor panels in our Project Midget.

Oct 1, 2003

Working on the Bottom

After sandblasting, we start working on the underside of the tub.

Aug 7, 2003

More Stripping

Getting paint off is a tough job.

Jul 3, 2003

Figuring Things Out

Assessing what we have.

Jun 11, 2003

Working on Getting Things Right

This car is going to be a driver!

Apr 29, 2003

Getting the Midget to Michigan

Carl gets the car.

Apr 28, 2003

Enter Carl Heideman and Eclectic Motorworks.

Carl is the builder.

Mar 21, 2003

Baseline

Finding our baseline on the Midget.

Feb 12, 2003

Plans

Having a good plan in place makes any restoration easier.

Feb 10, 2003

Start the Modern Midget

The start of any project can be daunting, but we walk you through updating a classic.
1971 MG Midget

1971 MG Midget Specs

Body type:
Convertible
Country of origin:
England
Original price:
$2280
0-60 time:
15.3 seconds
Displacement:
1275cc
Stock horsepower:
65 bhp @ 6000 rpm
Torque:
72 lb.-ft @ 3000 rpm
Engine configuration:
Inline-4
Transmission:
4-speed manual
Drivetrain configuration:
Rear-wheel drive
Suspension:
independent, with lever shocks forming upper A-arm (front)
Leaf spring/live axle/lever shocks (rear)
Brakes:
disc/drum
Bolt pattern:
4 x 4
Wheel offset:
20mm
Body width:
53.0 in.
Curb weight:
1631 lbs.
Wheelbase:
80.0 in.

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