Did Fake Parts Cause My MG Midget's Breakdown?

In the second part of our MG Midget series, we try and find out what caused the breakdown, and also look at the restoration invoice to see where the £11,000 restoration money was spent, on a car I paid just £3000 for.

[@sunalp2]

As all classic car owners know (or should know), rust is like an iceberg, you only see the tip.

[@oscarsgarage447]

Very true!

[@markf4720]

It's kind of true, but I'd replace the word "rust" with "rot". It depends a lot on the age, condition, history of the car, whether it's been repaired before etc. I've gone over some cars where there are rust patches all over, most of which after wire brushing away underseal or paint are only surface rust with some pitting. Sometimes it looks bad and isn't that deep. Other times you can only see a small bubble or stain and it's an absolute disaster. I think the iceberg simile is a favourite of professional car restorers and indeed those of us who have personally gone through it, but it isn't always the case.

[@stephenboitoult8774]

Done a lot of commercial restorations myself and your car's story is more common than not. It's a fact of life that restoration work nearly always costs twice as much and takes twice as long as the first estimate! This is something I learned very early on and developed a tactic to deal with it. I simply did the best estimate I could do and then doubled it! Which usually produced a sharp intake of breath from the prospective customer. Quite often they'd go somewhere with a cheaper costing and see me a year later and apologise. Those that DID take my price, usually came in on time and more or less on budget or a little less. And became my friends for life and recommended me to others. But here's the thing, it's all in the mind! Those who go for the cheap quote pay roughly the same as those who go for my dearer one. But they go through the process of the price keeping on going up and the timescale expanding too. Which leads them to THINK they are being conned! When really it's just the nature of the beast. I do the same job for the same ultimate price and they love me! Or at least they did, i've retired now and only work on my own cars!

[@oscarsgarage447]

Good advice!

[@tonyireland2234]

I had all these problems and more with my MGB GT.I sorted them all by getting an MX5.

[@oscarsgarage447]

That's one solution... 😂

[@JohnSmith-ei2pz]

Wise choice!

[@ianmangham4570]

Greatest hairdresser car on this rock 🌎 by a country mile 👌 👍

[@leeandjancruise]

So did I, had one for a few years a Japanese import with all the toys as standard, auto as well, I know not everyone's choice but it suited me and the wife.

[@christhomas131]

Newton Commercial are a well-known trim manufacturer. You can also get seats like that from Moss and MGOC. Dodgy distributor parts have long been a blight on the classic car scene. Distributor Doctor started making rotor arms in red to distiguish them from tbe rubbish, but then the dodgy copiers started doing them in red too!

[@oscarsgarage447]

Thanks for the info.

[@peter3234]

Just shows how rust is the big enemy of older classic cars. Unless you can do it yourself, the labour costs are always going to be prohibitive. Thanks Oscar, really interesting breakdown of costs.

[@oscarsgarage447]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@procta2343]

The cost of the labour is the big thing, and then sometimes you end up having to do it your self, after the garage has done it. Me and my dad have been in that boat,

[@colinranson1617]

Great video. Credit for you for being honest and making people aware of repair costs and also answering questions

[@2Wheels4Wheels.]

£45/hour is very reasonable even in 2015. Great idea to discuss comments on the previous vid. Not a British car fan by any means but will keep an eye out for updates on this.

[@oscarsgarage447]

Thanks!

[@conrod7]

Had the same problem with an E-type Jag - crap rotor arm was shorting down the shaft when hot. Cold start fine. I like your clean Midget

[@oscarsgarage447]

Thanks!

[@user-ki4uc6rm9k]

Distributed doctor are great even Lucas parts aren’t genuine anymore they fail regularly

[@oscarsgarage447]

Lucas was brand on the old one...

[@michaelhart895]

Lucas became defunct in 1996 ,so unless your parts are new old stock they would be Lucas by name only . I have Midget one of the last 500 I only ever fit NOS parts as most modern pattern parts are total crap .

[@procta2343]

@@michaelhart895 Defender stuff is exactly the same,

[@ianmangham4570]

😂

[@levelcrossing150]

@@michaelhart895 Lucas was known as "The King of the Road" and were of excellent quality, that is a shame.

[@simonedwards5070]

Put a Borg Beck clutch plate in my TR6 only to find out it was Chinese and utter rubbish, that cost me over £700 to remove and fit a proper plate

[@patmckeane6588]

When i drove taxis we defo used lots of parts and when the chinese parts curse came example clutches failing after couple/weeks months,wheel bearings ,ha thats a laugh some never even made a week sad thing is the parts boys never said they were chinese till our mechanics said not to bring any cars in with chinese parts to fit

[@procta2343]

@@patmckeane6588 everything is just done on the cheap. Defender parts are nightmare for it, I was on the verge of tearing into bearmach about their quality, but they went under. I replaced one part for genuine item, and later on the other bit was replaced with a better quality part from another manufacture.

[@trilbyrollers]

@@procta2343 Haha wow - didn't know Bearmach had gone under. I found some of their bits were better than the Britpart equivalent - but both were a gamble as to quality/ fit.

[@procta2343]

@@trilbyrollers they went under about 2 years ago buddy, yeah their stuff was better than britpart.

[@levelcrossing150]

That is a shame, I used to fit Borg and Beck clutches back in the 70's because I knew they were 100% excellent quality.

[@alistairshaw3206]

My boss bought a brown midget from eBay years ago. I was sent down to Sheffield to drive it to Scotland. I enjoyed it, but it was small. I recently bought a 1971 MGB GT. I thought that it had a caring owner, but the front suspension and steering were completely worn out. I'm doing the repairs myself, but I'm more than a thousand pounds down. That's the problem with the MOT exemption! Owners who haven't got a clue are driving dangerous classics! I don't know how the previous owner didn't kill himself, it was all over the road!

[@oscarsgarage447]

WOW!

[@user-ok1kw4rr3h]

Gross ignorance. It’s very common now. No MOT tests was a bad move.

[@lascm5237]

Spot on, if you take a good look at the majority of classics they are polished down to the base coat and underneath look like an unloved canal boat and they reckon they’re’mint’ 😂

[@foleybrown]

I rebuilt my 1970 MGB GT and then got it MOT'd. It creates a base line to confirm you are doing things right. It also creates confidence in a buyer if you offer a new MOT. Yes. A 'restored' car without an MOT can be a disappointing furrow to plough.

[@rovercoupe7104]

I always get my 1960 Sprite an MoT. M

[@jameshayes1024]

I agree with you - it is only original once. Thank you for keeping another classic car alive and well.

[@robblack7560]

My own MG Midget. Chrome bumper conversion, MG 16v 1.8cc DOHC, 5-speed g/box, Jenvey fuel injection, Emerald ECU, Landrover rear-slip, Minilites, MGB seats, Koni shocks, 6-guage dashboard conversion. Rolling road put 149bhp at the rear wheels. Still looks 100% original.

[@oscarsgarage447]

That sounds like lots of fun!

[@robblack7560]

@@oscarsgarage447 The nice thing being it looked like a standard MG Midget.

[@oscarsgarage447]

Sleeper... nice!

[@nicolabennington203]

You got a bargain. That was really beyond economic repair. They could have bought another car and run it into the ground for less money.

[@oscarsgarage447]

Definitely!

[@thedeadstig123]

Distributor doctor is great, they do the best condensers that are better than the originals, the problem is now all the cheap service parts like the rotor arm are all made in china and are so poor quality I got a set of points where they had drilled the mounting hole in the wrong place so you couldn't gap them under 25 thou

[@hojo9115]

Its a really nice example I think you did really well picking this up for the price you paid

[@TC-qd1zw]

In 1968 I took a well known garage to Court and won as they used patten parts and charged for OEM parts. Good job they did not spray under the wings etc to prove they used make believe parts. Always tell them you want an itemised bill for the parts used.

[@besenzon1]

Great video. Glad that you fixed the problem 👍 Good to hear that your Chanel is growing, very well deserved 😎👍

[@oscarsgarage447]

Thanks 👍

[@mbak7801]

I once tried to help a neighbour with his MGB-GT. I started jacking up the car on the jacking point. There were a few creaks and crunching noises before the jack and the wooden block disappeared into the bodywork. Eventually I rescued my trolly jack before bowing out gracefully. Up to that point I was not keen on MGs, afterwards that disliked was really reinforced.

[@oscarsgarage447]

Oh 'eck...

[@foleybrown]

Never use the sill jacking point. Rear spring mount or front crossmember.

[@wayneblake1161]

Glad your keeping the rubber bumpers,plenty of chrome if that's what people want. It's of its time,I have a rubber bumper mgbgt built in 75,very early one. Love your midget

[@MajorT0m]

Yes totally agree, my mum had a late Midget with the big bumpers. I like the look just as much as the chrome bumpers 👍

[@asensibleyoungman2978]

*You're keeping.

[@gar6446]

Once my car died on me at 3am fifteen miles from home. Just before it rolled to a stop, it miraculously picked up, and i drove home and went to bed. Next day i went to see what the problem might have been, suspecting electrics. I took the dizzy cap off and the cap looked fine, no arcing burning or cracks. I touched the rotor arm intending to remove it and it literally fell into two parts ! I honestly dont know how the car kept running, it still seems impossible to me, and i wouldn't believe it if i hadn't seen it. Back in the day it was common to keep a set of points, rotor arm, condenser andspark plug and long ht lead in the car just in case, these bits were service items and were regularly changed. They were never super reliable, but at least you could usually get going again on the side of the road.

[@oscarsgarage447]

Your last para says all that is wrong with modern cars IMHO...

[@levelcrossing150]

Escalating costs are a common problem when restoring a classic car. You don't know what's there until you start stripping down the car down. Some ignition parts are a great let down these days. I have the original points ignition on my 45 year old Ford and I try to stick to buying original old stock, I find them very reliable as back in their day. I tried a set of aftermarket points years ago when car manufacturers points were beginning to get scarce. The heel was too soft and wore out in no time causing the points to close and engine fail. To be fair I have no idea what they are like now.

[@raywebster3652]

You can fix the front ride height with a kit for about £15 , or if you have a good selection of nuts and bolts to hand can be done for nil . You just drop the spring seat by the required amount .

[@paulchamberlain6284]

Interesting video Trev. It's good to show folks how the prices of resto jobs can escalate! I fitted my new D/Doc rotor to the Wolseley and it does feel sweeter now.

[@oscarsgarage447]

Glad it helped

[@InTheShedUK]

Fake (pattern) parts are also a big problem with motorcycle restoration. I almost always have to 'fettle' parts to fit. Better to get good used original parts if you can find them.

[@davidthompson3434]

Thanks for posting this update. Really interesting to hear the explanation of where £11K was spent on the car. Think you have got a really nice example of that car at a decent price. Just need the sheepskin seat covers now to finish it off :):)

[@oscarsgarage447]

Thanks for watching!

[@moriwaki1105]

Rust Never Sleeps said the guy who restored the bodywork on my 77 TR7V8.... It's a terrible job....God Bless all those that do it for a living.

[@oscarsgarage447]

'Rust never sleeps' 😂 saving that one for future use...

[@catherinewright8933]

Not many people have the skills or the inclination to restore a car. Luckily those people usually have deep pockets and will pay to have the work done. That is the modern way and the same people keep the classic car industry going. I know many more people who aren't interested in cars pay stupid prices for lease arrangements for a cars they will never own and many who will spend £30 - £40k outright on a new car that will be worth a fraction of that after a few years ! Classics represent great value even if you pay a little over the odds for them. I haven't mentioned the cheap or free road tax , cheap classic insurance etc etc but that's another story !

[@oscarsgarage447]

Good points well made

[@AnthonyTobyEllenor-pi4jq]

I had one but it had felt pads everywhere and these got wet and allowed rapid corrosion which was roughly fixed by me but I had no garage and lost the will to keep tinkering with it so part exchanged it for a mini with a blowing head gasket and problems with the suspension. I never saw a car corrode so rapidly as that Midget !!

[@eric-wb7gj]

Thanks for video & info. Hoope you get to enjoy a long time of using it without costs!

[@oscarsgarage447]

You and me both!

[@michaelbarlow3686]

Really enjoyed your video yes restorations can run away with your money and time but hopefully well worth the additional cost. Looks as though they didn't skimp which is the worst enemy. All the best.

[@oscarsgarage447]

Thanks!

[@blairoutproject]

Labourer worth their hire and all that…unless they are ripping you off. Sounds like the company had neither the skills or the correct tools if it was taking them those sort of hours on a vehicle of that size

[@nploates]

Interestingly, the original quotation (5:58) included “To paint Black and Maroon sills”. Not just black!

[@oscarsgarage447]

Good point well made. Tbf they could have offered to do it like it is to save a few £££

[@nploates]

@@oscarsgarage447 It will look much better as you are planning.

[@themancalledx1342]

Thanks for the $ conversion.

[@oscarsgarage447]

You're welcome!

[@penfold5095]

Double the price and take three times the amount of time is my experience on any work I've had done on cars or houses. i.e. estimate £100 and one day = £200 and three days.

[@oscarsgarage447]

Goes for a lot of things!

[@leeandjancruise]

I bought a fully restored MG Midget in white with a stunning red interior about six years or seven years ago for £4.3k, it was so pretty to look at and ultra reliable but I didn't really enjoy driving it. No power steering or servo assisted brakes and setting off in first gear the engine would shake even though the mounts were good. I also suffered a lot of bullying from bigger cars i.e. 4X4s, suvs, wagons and the like so after a couple of years I sold it to a dealer in Bristol for £4k who then put it up for sale at £6k, was I sorry to see it go, No.

[@mbak7801]

Why on earth would you want power steering? Same for a break servo. It sounds like you do not want a classic car and in that case do not have one.

[@leeandjancruise]

@@mbak7801 As I wrote I tried it but discovered it wasn't for me, simple as that.

[@foleybrown]

If it was an A series motor a decent tuning job would give you 90/100 bhp which will defeat the 'bullies'. I built a 1380 Mini with 120 bhp which was, frankly, a bit too much, but wearing a 1000 badge on the boot lid gave me lots of opportunities to embarrass 'bullies'. i.postimg.cc/7P71mZKY/Mini-Boot.jpg

[@leeandjancruise]

@@foleybrown In my post the word 'bullying' was to do with my midget being so small and a 4X4 or wagon being so big on narrow roads lined with parked vehicles where I live I was the one usually being forced to give way, happened too often.

[@Unknown24182]

I have a 1982 Golf GTI, Needs a complete restoration or a new shell, Not worth doing as the Engines on 164k miles 😮‍💨

[@procta2343]

yeah it does become a point, where you say, this has to be a breaker sadly.

[@liveroom4235]

Moral of the story, buy a good one from the start else you'll spend more on repairs.

[@keithgreen9009]

It's an example how car body protection has improved, but bolt on parts still suffer rust worm damage

[@MiniDaly87]

That's some labour bills. I may start upping my prices. Its amazing with classic cars though you will always pour money into them. It is but it will be a cracking classic once you have sorted little bits out

[@jamesgraham6122]

People toying with the idea of bringing a classic back to life need to understand this... You don't know what you don't know. With a markedly deteriorated vehicle, even an in-depth inspection prior to purchase will rarely give a realistic indication of what's required. Areas that on the surface look in acceptable condition can be hiding a nightmare of work that was poorly carried out. Once a problem has been identified it has to be dealt with. If you're employing a professional to carry out the work, you need to have an 'open-check' approach to renovation. Unless you're dealing with something along the lines of a Bugatti Royal, you can pretty much forget any idea of profiting from the exercise :>)

[@catherinewright8933]

Fair points but there is plenty of money to be made restoring classics, but not by the owner, the money is made by the professional restorer ! One reason why the industry is generally doing well.

[@jamesgraham6122]

@@catherinewright8933 Yes, of course ! The warning was levelled at people thinking they can buy a repairable but modest low-end car, turn it into a showpiece and sell it on recovering most of their outlay..or even make a profit. Highly unlikely if professionals become involved.

[@TheLincolnshireFlyer]

Loving this series 😊

[@oscarsgarage447]

Thanks, glad you are enjoying it

[@johngibson3837]

Nice work Oscar

[@oscarsgarage447]

Thanks!

[@grayfool]

You seem to have a pretty good example there. Nice to see you are keeping it as is.

[@nickpridding3435]

I have a classic mini being restored by a couple of fellas.. we’re currently up to £ 9’ooo plus the job they are doing is really good quality. Like you my engine has not been touched and as yet I have no idea when it will be finished.

[@JohnSmith-ei2pz]

They were shyte when new! Buy a bus pass!

[@user-uh5ll9hv5e]

Nick, having previously been burned on a restoration, I'd say cut your losses.

[@PeterCrosland]

Did a 300 mile drive in one, I rate it as the worst thing I have ever driven. Even getting into the wretched thing is a challenge. Suspension is primitive/none. On long journeys you need earplugs and they don't perform much better than a Moggy 1000, which back in the day often got it's 1275 engine and disc brakes. In it's defence they did usually start and run and it was only marginally worse than a Triumph Spitfire or an MGB. If you need to do 300 miles pick anything else - a Wartburg 1000 or a 2cv have no distributor...

[@oscarsgarage447]

Will take that advice on board!

[@ccooper8785]

Buying any parts for a car or bike is very dodgy nowadays. It is depressing how often the packaging is perfect but the parts are made of "chinesium". This will kill the entire parts market eventually.

[@Ireallydontknow8581]

Fairly common Midget rust spots. I did on mine inner/outer cills, floors, rear bulkhead & spring mounts boot floor edge, basically the bottom 4 inches of the car. Rebuilt engine, gearbox professionally rebuilt, interior retrimed. I did all the work myself and spent approx £2k on parts and 100s of hours. Certainly not viable if paying for labour.

[@oscarsgarage447]

Agreed

[@andrewhickton3189]

Delighted to hear your not going down the rabbit hole of modification. Although I would still suggest the 5 speed conversion. Any idea how much a new body shell was at the time of repair? All the best.

[@oscarsgarage447]

5 speed is a possible... Someone else has said shells are £12k, so guess 9 years ago £8 to 9k?

[@emmajacobs5575]

They were £7,600 in 2014 and £8,374.24 in 2016, but you then have to take into account prep and paint on top of that (and there’s usually a *lot* of prep required with most BMH shells) plus removing all the bits off the old shell and replacing onto the new. And then the new replacement brakes, suspension, running gear, trim etc (I spent about £5000 in parts when I restored my first Midget about 30 years ago and that didn’t include any major body panels!)

[@MakeDoAndMend1]

I owned a MG Midget. 1275cc had 4inch rampipes on the carbs. Oil cooler with oil thermostat. Long Centre Branch exhaust. Aerofoil main fan that blades turned. Extra capacity fuel tank etc etc. It was owned previously by the dealer. Special. Could outrun the MGB V8. Cracking car but sadly living in Scotland it got vandalised and rusted away Reg was ATB 393J sold for £100. Forgot to mention Flat top pistons with 11.7 to 1 compression ratio. Wouldn't run on unleaded. Sad it had to go but wouldn't want one now due to 20mph speed limit and speed bumps in our town. 😂 Happy motoring. George

[@oscarsgarage447]

Great story, sounds a fun car!

[@MakeDoAndMend1]

​@@oscarsgarage447just found out it's still on the road.

[@Hallo-Hallo]

I did not know that a ‘replica’ Lucas part could be worse than the original… 🤣🤣🤣

[@oscarsgarage447]

😂

[@Hallo-Hallo]

@@oscarsgarage447 PS: Greetings from Norway! 🇳🇴

[@oscarsgarage447]

Welcome!

[@donwright3427]

Biggest enemy is the salt we put on our winter roads. Always expect rust on classics

[@oscarsgarage447]

Good point.

[@rovercoupe7104]

I had a 1500. I loved it. M

[@graemew7001]

Newton Commercial are a well known maker of high quality Classic car interiors, the Mini boys love them for getting original spec stuff. Just an opinion, but I feel the previous owner was right royally taken to the cleaners on the labour costs for that job because from what I remember of my time in the restoration game, that job should really speaking have only taken half that amount of time to do. On a side note, good luck matching the Damask Red on the lower wings because that colour is notorious for being a right pig to match, especially when the original paint has been on there a while.

[@oscarsgarage447]

I am hoping it was resprayed so might not have faded to much. As I say... hoping!

[@grahamclark4518]

I can relate to the cost of restoration, I thought my wee fella wasn`t "toooooooooooo bad" erm yeah. Now staring down the barrel of £18.000, It was so close to scrap but I ignored that advice My list is longer I couple of tress got used

[@oscarsgarage447]

£18,000 😲

[@grahamclark4518]

@@oscarsgarage447 my reasoning was I'll only do it once. Its more like a pet than a car plus I'm nearly 50 I'll be dead soon

[@procta2343]

Great video there, yep those cheap copies are a nightmare, you really do end up paying twice, Land rover defenders have the same problems with parts. Genuine parts cost a good few pounds, ( IE crank senor well into the £100s, cheap pattern copy £20, this is for the TD5) yeah the cheap sensor started the car, but as soon as you blipped the throttle, engine cuts out. and engine management light goes on. I don't know how these cheap companies get away with it tbh, quality goes out of the window. all about quantity. Bearmach quality control nearly got an ear full off me about their crap. Laugh is they went bust, not long after, ( i wonder why) My dad has gone through the same process in restoration of his defender, and the bill, went from 10k to well into 20k. Also the company who is rebuilding it, has had the motor since December last year. They were quick to pull it to pieces, then put it back together at a snails pace. I suspect that when the company who did the MG, they found more problems, when they did the repairs. Sometimes you have to ask your self, is it worth it, because for what the quotation was priced at, they could have bought a better example. I had this discussion with my dad, With his defender. He could get a TD5 or an early Puma, for what he is paying for the 200 TDI. He said he would be starting again, on jobs he did in the past. But then again everything he has done, on this one, has been undone.

[@madheadmadDAZ]

In your first video I seem to remember something about the car being owned by an old couple? Perhaps the garage knew they could try it on a bit. Old person with some savings etc.

[@oscarsgarage447]

The auctioneer did say they were in advancing years, but this restoration was 9 years ago.

[@madheadmadDAZ]

@@oscarsgarage447 Yeah, probably old couple got that car for retirement. Garage taking them for total mugs. In life its normally the worst case scenario is probably the truth. Wicked car for you though nonetheless.

[@bobfrankish8883]

Historically, Lucas had a bad name in the trade. I am 72 now, and up until 6 months ago I worked for Euro Car Parts, I can confirm as others say that Lucas for many years has just been a name behind Chinese and Eastern European made aftermarket parts whose quality varies an awful lot. It's just luck of the draw I'm afraid. It's tempting to feel sorry for the people that spent the £11k, I have restored 2 cars now and I know they have been overcharged, but it all comes down to circumstances. I can't afford to lose any money at all, but my wife's sister and her husband spend £11K easily in a year on eating out and drinking, mainly so then can send pictures to so-called friends of everywhere they go for some insane reason. I think you did OK with the car and paid what it is actually worth. People have to consider how badly made these BL cars were. My first car was a 1964 Morris Oxford, bought in 1971 for £50 from a guy I worked with. Bear in mind it was only 7 years old. It had already had extensive chassis welding done for MOT's, and I had to have loads more done over the 3 years I ran it, some pretty serious, it was literally rotting to bits on a daily basis.

[@oscarsgarage447]

Great stories! I do worry about the people spending money to impress others...

[@bobfrankish8883]

@@oscarsgarage447 Exactly. These people are irritating. Anyhow, it still looks like a good car to me.

[@awalk5177]

I had the same issue with my MGA roadster. It would drive 7 miles and then stop and would not start without a rest. After replacing coil, distributor cap, points and HT leads it was still the same. Then I heard about this rivet in the rotor arm and YES, Distributor doctor and a cheap new rotor arm fixed the issue. Now I also have a rubber bumper Midget, fully restored like new with a new body and panels, all I need is time to drive it and sunshine. Yes, 11K costs for a good restoration by specialists is very realistic.

[@stevenbroadbent516]

Put electronic ignition on it ,Electronic ignition transforms them ,

[@janicewatts5888]

I had a problem with my coil once. Luckily my partner is a midget. 😊

[@oscarsgarage447]

😂 don't give up the day job....

[@leslierogers1276]

Most of us spend more than the cars worth to keep it up to legal standards, i for one have, cat cost me 6.5k, but after a year had spent 3k sorting it out then it needed a engine rebuild at 7k, another 1.5k on paint, I’m still not finished but it’s getting there, but I do have a car that gets noticed and sometimes admired it’s a convertible tr7, would I do it again, yes I would but a little differently, but I can’t wife would kill me if she found out how much it cost me

[@oscarsgarage447]

Hope she doesn't read the comments on this video... 😂

[@user-ok1kw4rr3h]

Here’s my prediction of other faults you may have on this car; Worn or seized king pins Worn bottom trunnions (front suspension) Worn track rod ends Defective front dampers (no resistance whatsoever over whole of movement) Rear damper links worn Possible steering rack wear. Most of the above could be attributable to neglect. As I’ve commented before, all fairly easily and cheaply fixed. When you have sorted all this out, (and whatever else is wrong) you’ll have quite a decent and reliable car.

[@oscarsgarage447]

Thanks for that cheerful prediction, will see how many of those come along...

[@battlebbot]

A mate of mine restores classic cars, and suggests the cost of restoring an E Type properly would be £200K......................

[@oscarsgarage447]

Crikey 🤯

[@battlebbot]

@@oscarsgarage447 Mental, but thats the business he is in. Most of those on the market are bodge jobs apparently. Your Midget looks a bargain, but might be worth having a careful look around underneath?

[@scotty6346]

The Triumph 1.5 engine had a rep for knocking it's big ends and mains out as well as the vanishing crank thrust washers! Not a strong engine.

[@lewis72]

As with the Triumph 6 and SD1 2300/2600.

[@scotty6346]

@@lewis72 True mate but the 2nd car i owned was a MK2 Triumph Vitesse, I absolutely ragged the shit out of it over 4 years and the engine took the abuse! No crank end float or bearing knock when i sold it on!

[@lewis72]

@@scotty6346 I've had a Triumph 2500 PI and a Rover 2600 SD1. Both needed new crankshafts. The former are its thrust bearings. When you pressed the cluth, it just moved the crankshaft.

[@black5f]

You can't weld on a new panel to biscuit! You need to cut back to proper metal, especially these days and there will be a lot to cut back on these. I sold my baby today. Hard decision, I'd said I never sell her. We came to a price that was OK based on your auction vids so thanks. But, if there's a certain car you want to own, your going to need to really love it and own it. Love has a cost which will be mostly more then she's worth. I originally thought the bill was a lot, but if you can't do it yourself you know, you have to pay someone who can, and they need to feed their children and not worry about the cost of a hot shower, and £40 is a mate rate? We don't know why she was sold? Could have been well loved and then maybe mobility or even mortality is a factor.

[@user-ok1kw4rr3h]

I realise you had a problem driving this car home from collecting it but I’d suggest the problem with the distributor should have been your first thing to check on an unknown car this age. Repro Rotors have long been a problem. DD supply red ones. Your next priority I suggest should be to go over the brakes , both hydraulics and shoes discs etc. they are a primary safety item, and may have been neglected for decades and or worked on by someone who knows nothing.

[@oscarsgarage447]

Funny you should mention that...

[@THOMMGB]

Unless you’re rich, MG’s need to be owned by a mechanic. I own two MGB’s that I’ve owned for decades. I do all of my own work. I would have been eaten alive if I had to pay someone every time something went wrong. Best of luck with your MG.

[@oscarsgarage447]

Thanks!

[@nimtraiphummadan2802]

Lucas Parts...he used to be called the Prince of Darkness

[@oscarsgarage447]

Think they still are...

[@allanhughes7859]

What lunatic would agree to those figures and even if they are as they should be the car is not worth that is it ???

[@oscarsgarage447]

As it said in the video... the original quote was £5500...

[@adebrade172]

Newton commercial seats are expensive, good seats them

[@oscarsgarage447]

Great to hear!

[@fredbailey2076]

£12600 buys you a btand new body shell any compitant home mechanic can reasembe a midgit just needs painting

[@JohnSmith-ei2pz]

Just buy a new car tight wad!

[@markjosephbudgieridgard]

Wow spending 11k on a rubber midget is utterly insane but great news for you as you’ve got a bit of a bargain there … the Triumph sourced 1500 engine is a bit of a achilles heal in these rubber midgets so beware main bearing rumble / ffailiure common … I know from bitter experiance so treat the engine gently on cold starts let the unit warm up and get a good oil pressure before driving …. And most important regular oil changes with a top lubricant … but you probably know this already …. ANY OUT THERE OWN MY FIRST MG MIDGET PURCHESED FROM THE KENNING MOTOR GROUP IN 1980 ? VERMILLION RED RUBBER MIDGET - RET 98 R ? Is she running or scrapped ? Main bearing fail on this motor 🙈

[@emmajacobs5575]

RET98R not taxed since 1991; it could be tucked away in a nice dry barn somewhere, but more likely scrapped.

[@stephenjcuk7562]

I also think the rubber bumpers look period correct and therefore right.The black sills actually seem to help in this regard too.

[@oscarsgarage447]

Agreed. Still needs trim and lettering I think

[@emmajacobs5575]

@@oscarsgarage447if you do put the letters and trim strip on, consider sticking them on rather than drilling dozens of new holes for moisture to get in and start rusting again.

[@countteddy]

11k ?..our midget cost just £3000 , true i did all the welding ,but even so...

[@awalk5177]

Time and skill by others is expensive. You can spend 2K on a good respray. My Midget was also about 11K for the restore with a different body. Market values at the moment are very low.

[@heriotpayne]

The parts are not fake they are aftermarket parts most parts fitted in the Uk are aftermarket parts some a what are called oem spec other parts are sold on price not quality the choice is yours

[@billcookson81]

More than the cars worth

[@DSperation]

Quite impressive to fake a Lucas part and make it worse than the original!

[@oscarsgarage447]

Good point!

[@michaelmcdaid5838]

Glad it was a fairly cheap fix.

[@oscarsgarage447]

Thanks

[@GeoffBuysCars]

Lucas exist now only as a brand. It’s all Chinese crap.

[@oscarsgarage447]

As I am finding out... 😔

[@twiggacott]

They do full restoration then it fails an MOT!

[@oscarsgarage447]

Yup...

[@jon-ie4li]

It broke down because its a BL product, they brake down with the original parts just the same.

[@robaustin245]

Don't buy a car if you can't fix it yourself.

[@paulsutton9171]

The cars only worth about 3,000 quid 😅

[@F40Sean]

Thats around what he paid for it, someone else dropped £11k on the restoration. You will never turn a profit restoring classic cars unless you do all the work yourself.

[@awalk5177]

Market values are model dependent . I can remember when an E Type was One Thousand pounds (1973) , but is that "Worth" or the popularity ? I saw an Aston Martin DB2 for sale for 120 pounds in the 1970s, can you imagine that car now ? I also bought an MGA Roadster for 90 pounds when nobody wanted them in 1980s. MG Midgets wont stay so cheap as more get scrapped.

[@jcdawg8363]

I appreciate classic cars as much as anyone but sometimes it is time to consign a car to the junkyard. This appears to have been one of those times. This car should have been parted out. You absolutely stole this car. Get the engine sorted properly and you should have a nice little car to enjoy for quite a while.

[@garychilds1130]

Sounds like you have been ripped off take it to court

[@oscarsgarage447]

If you watch the videos, it was the previous owners...

[@garychilds1130]

@@oscarsgarage447 in Thailand we have a saying with the Chinese parts if you buy cheap you buy twice

[@oscarsgarage447]

We have that phrase here as well... and its very true

[@alancrisp1582]

As much as I love modern classic British cars .It was simply never going to be economical to spend this kind of money 💵 on this vehicle. You should have scraped it for parts, and brought something else ! ..

[@silkdestroyer]

If all restorations were carried out PURELY on economics, I'm afraid that most cars would end up getting scrapped. Unless you can do the work yourself, only high end cars, which most of us couldn't afford anyway, would be 'economically viable' to restore.

[@ivanfernyhough3851]

Silly attitude to take.there wouldn't be any cars left if everyone did that.

[@F40Sean]

Have you even watched any of his videos before ? He bought the car at auction for about £2500k. The previous owner spent £11k on the restoration. It was fully restored when Oscar bought it at auction, all he has had to do is replace the ignition as detailed in this video.

[@alancrisp1582]

@@F40Sean 😨 Come on, more than enough reason to scrap this car 🚙. And more on as soon as possible 🙆 ! ⚠..

[@billcookson81]

Rip off i will do it for half that

[@bobrogers7004]

The motor trade from manufacturer to scrapyard is, and always has been, crooked. These cars are best left to those with the necessary knowledge and skills to keep them running. Parts are cheap enough , mig welders are dead easy to use and Midgets are simple and reliable but very expensive and problematic for idiots.