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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Hard top difficulty

I am not a hard top user but need to put it on to gain space during my workshop clear and sort out after my prolonged rest. It goes over the folded hood ok and sits on the tub rubber fine. It does not drop onto the windscreen frame at the tops of the door A pillars (tops of the screen frame). Any simple jiggles to do?

Never had it on before. It’s white inside and originally finished in brown gel coat. Has glass windows behind the seats and plastic window across the back. It’s ‘Works Style’ I think.

It’s not desperate as the doors shut ok and chances of water ingress above windshield is slight. Would be good to know if there is a knack though.

Thanks in advance, Dave
Dave Squire

Dave, I have what I believe is a factory hard top, though it's got Triplex windows all round.

It can also be a b****r to fit as my car is distinctly asymmetrical. The driver's side fits fine, but the passenger side is always difficult.

The bolt holes for the rear fitting behind the seat on the passenger side just won't line up. It usually takes a lot of heaving and pushing, and having an assistant certainly helps.

My latest brain wave involved a long ratchet strap. This is looped around the back of the hard top and then across the front beneath the headlamps. A couple of cranks on the ratchet handle brings it all in line and holds it there while the bolt is dropped in.

Unorthodox, and I'm sure there are folk who won't approve, but it works for me! I wonder if something of the sort will work for you.

Colin
C Mee

Your right Colin,

When I fixed up 5 years ago it was the off side that had to have sills, floor and parts of the footwell welded. I know that I got it right. I used an Izzard book for principles I think. (It’s somewhere in the lost corners of the workshop I am sorting out now). The near side was solid so being one to press on I left it. On close inspection it’s definitely different to the off side. (80s quick fix welding).
Should have expected a car that has had 3 corners bent and totally resprayed at least twice to be a bit out.
Once workshop sorted the overhaul begins. Finding lots of part I lost since being injured. Will have to sort it so hardtop fits as priority. Ha ha.

Anyone know how to put propper emotions in? I see it’s now possible.

Ta, Dave
Dave Squire

I had the same problem with a factory hardtop that was difficult to fit on a 74 midget. In the end I drilled another hole in the rear drivers side attachment bracket as it was impossible to force it into the correct position (though I never tried the ratchet strap technique!!!)
Rob
MG Moneypit

Could it be that when the hardtop is not fitted to the car it needs to be braced in a way to retain its shape.

My friend bought a Honda S2000 many years ago and it came with the totally unnecessary hardtop (the Honda has a powered soft top) and with it came a massive heavy frame to store the hardtop when not fitted to the car (in 15 years the hardtop has never been fitted).

They moved house twice and at one had the garage joists altered so that the hardtop and frame could be stored out of the way, so like many people they spent extra time, effort, space and money on transporting and storing an item they never use. Dave if you don't use it (and why would you) sell it.

People rent storage space and convert lofts to store stuff they never use - bloody Motorsports magazines, I know someone who moved 5 times and the magazines never came out of the boxes and went from one attic to the next until they were offered for free giveaway and nobody wanted them. Just imagine the weight of those boxes on the roofs.
Nigel Atkins

Personally I find the hard top useful. I don't bother with the folding soft top, alternating between the hard top and a full tonneau. the hardtop is secured with a couple of bonnet type retaining springs so can be removed and fitted almost as quickly as folding the soft top.
To my mind the folded soft top is butt ugly and just adds unnecessary weight.
Obviously, if you go out with just the full tonneau and it rains then you get wet....
S G Macfarlane

Difference is you can raise and lower the later soft top as many times as you want/need on a journey or drive whereas once you've fitted the hardtop you're stuck with until you get back home.

Each to their own, I've never seen the point of having a hardtop with the later soft top cars (and I can't stand the flapping full tonneaus).
Nigel Atkins

I switch tops from time to time. I really like the look of the white hard top on the deep red Sprite (and photographers at hill climbs quite like it too). It tends to go on at the end of the season until around May, then the soft top takes over.

I've never weighed them but they seem to be a fairly similar weight. I'm convinced the Sprite's very slightly quicker with the soft top up, so I tend to leave it down and pose for morning practice runs, then put it up and clock all of 2 mph faster through the speed trap in the afternoon's timed runs.

Simple things please simple minds! :)

As for Motor Sport magazines - I collected every single from March 1969 (and moved three times with them) since they must surely become valuable over time. I tried touting my collection to some of the stalls at car events with no luck, and then Motor Sport scanned their complete archive and put them on line, completely devaluing my collection!

Last year I marked 50 years of readership by filling a builder's dumpy bag with 50 years' worth of Motor Sports and took them to a local waste paper company and got the princely sum of £0! And I don't think SWMBO's ever noticed the extra space in the shed!

When Motor Sport had their archive scanned, the company doing a really botched the job. I responded to a tweet and subsequently spent many happy hours getting paid to proof read and correct Motor Sports from 1945 to 1950 and beyond - it was fascinating seeing motor sport come to life after the war and to see names such as (Nigel's Favourite) young S. Moss begin to make his name. One particular delight was being given the 1955 issue with Jenks' Mille Miglia account to proof read - there were quite a lot of typos in it due to the poor quality scanning!

How's that for a spot of thread drift?
C Mee

Colin, I used to hill climb and Sprint my Midget with the top down, until I did a sprint at Castle Coombe. It put about 10mph onto my top speed making the corners bloody exciting!
I hasten to add, this was before all the chicanes.
Clive Berry

This thread was discussed between 04/04/2020 and 25/04/2020

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