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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Front springs / ride height

Hi , now my old race car is on the road I’ve found it’s a bit too low on the front . I removed my spacers but still too low with the sill about 4” high at the front . It also rubs on the arches when braking / turning . The springs were from Peter May about 30 years ago and are 8” free length seem to remember 360lb . Don’t want to go standard height rate as the rear is on lowered springs and I hope to sprint the car in the future . Is there anything like a spacer to fit above the spring available, I can only find spring assisters online ?



Mike Fairclough

My Austin A40 Farina had a spacer under each spring at the front, about 1/4" IIRC in aluminium, which would lift the front about 1/2". The car seemed standard in all respects when I got it so I presume they came that way from the factory. If I needed something like that now I would either turn it out of bar or cut it from plate. A quick search for 'mg midget spring spacers' found these https://www.scparts.co.uk/sc_en/spacer-plate-1-126862.html .
David Billington

Will the spring pan fit on top of the wishbone?
Rob
MG Moneypit

Thanks for the link David looking at them might be difficult to work out how many I need then become expensive trial and error . Rob I don’t think the pan can go on the top as the pressing wouldn’t mate correctly. Found a thread in the archive similar , recommended Kim at magic Midget . I might give him a call .
Mike Fairclough

8" x 360 lbs is standard IIRC? Maybe they've simply gone soggy after 30+ years?
David Smith

I'd head off to your local kitchen wares shop and buy a cheapy 1/4" thick nylon cutting board and cut yourself a ring for each side out of the board with the jigsaw
I'd put them on the bottom in the pan, getting them in the right spot and locating the spring with them at the top is a pain and you can't really see if they're in place---bottom's better
David's link gives you the sizes and yes it will lift it about 1/2" which should do the trick, just looking at your pic. of the car it doesn't need to go up much
willy
William Revit

For race use I wouldn't know but as factory standard all road cars were 271 lbs with 4 (not 3 as Haynes would have it) various free lengths, an episode with Moss has helped me retain this information.

9.4", 9.59", 9.85" and 10.2".

Willy,
England is just about a second world country now in some ways, many of our roads are very rough from years of 'cost saving' layers of top dressing, so we have rough surfaces and holes with layers of surfaces missing some with many layers missing and very deep, plus we still have 'traffic calming' humps in roads (sleeping policemen). The front of my sill is about 7" and I still occasionally bottom out and scrape the exhaust.

I think you must have images and impression of England more from the 50s rather than 2020, nice for you, keep with them but they might not always apply now.

Nigel Atkins

Certainly Britain’s roads are in a poor state in places and you have to have your wits about you avoiding the worst of the potholes . Might try looking at some 8.5” springs to give that bit better clearance.
Mike Fairclough

Mike,
if you've talked to Kim Dear and are getting his 8.5" you'll be fine, if not do bear in mind there's more to it than just 8.5" free length.
Nigel Atkins

I hadn't read it as a ride height/road clearance issue, i thought it was about tyre/body clearance caused mostly by the oversized wheels/tyres
A 1/2" longer spring at the same spring rate will lift it a fair bit, but then I suppose you could refit your spacers if it ended up too high
I like the simple idea of the nylon spring plates
It's common to have them XJ6 jags had them stacked in there to trim the height
willy
William Revit

I've got Kim Dear's (Magic Midget) -
"9.5" freelength 360lb rate. Retains standard ride height to overcome sleeping policemen, rough surface autotests/auto-solo's etc, whilst reducing body roll/ brake dive. £27.50 each" - http://www.magicmidget.co.uk/suspension.htm

I thoroughly recommend them, especially for (UK) road use.
Nigel Atkins

This thread was discussed between 14/11/2020 and 16/11/2020

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG Midget and Sprite Technical BBS is active now.