MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG Midget and Sprite Technical - oh boy what have i gotten myself into

Oh it'll be no big deal, i'll jsut replace the window seals...
um, yeah this might be fun. I have successfully removed the interior trim, glass, quarterlight, and old seals. I was just going to do the outside seal and do the inside later. But i am NOT doing this more than once. so my question is about the order of operations re: reassembly.

it seems to me I have to do it this way:
1. outer seal, 2. glass, 3. inner seal, 4. quarterlight. sound right?

um when i removed the glass the glass and the winder mechanism separated, is there a trick to getting them back together? the metal bit is still on the bottom of the glass, so it looks like the two channels slot together somehow? (i'm sorry i don't have the words to describe this properly)
Chris Edwards

I take back my thread about driving vs. building... lol. this is a bad job, I feel for you, and you are correct...its a once only job.

hang in there
prop
Prop

interesting job this: first side takes two days....second side 30 mins once you've worked it out!
If I remember the winder mechanism and i/4 light and window all go into the door but with nothing connected. You have to move the 1/4 light channel and window glass simultaneously to get the rollers from the winder into the glass channels. This causes the 1/4 to adopt a startling forwards leaning angle to the door! The channel on the glass has a gap half way along to facilitate this process. Once the glass is connected to the winder you can then start to align the fixing holes and screw things down. Don't forget the rear glazing channel. Isn't the top screw for this hidden behind the lock plate? Can't recall. Fitted the sealing strips after the glass was dropped into the door. The channel at the bottom makes it quite wide for the slot in the top of the door. HTH
dave c

Chris, buy the Haynes midget&sprite workshopmanual and its in there step by step with photograps.
Page 235 and 236.

It contains english and american specifications(wiring diagrams and more) of the spridgets too so its very usefull book.

good luck!
Arie de Best

Of course, there is no need to remove the quarter light or the glass or the winder mechanism if all you are doing is replacing the inner and outer seals. You just work from the top. The trick is a thin flat blade screwdriver or hacksaw blade heated up and bent into a "J" shape, plus a bit of double sided tape. This will hold each clip as you locate it from the top and pull it into position to secure the seal.
You almost certainly do need to remove the trim panel in order to retrieve the clips that you will drop inside the door.

Guy
Guy Weller

And buy/make a tool to put/pull on the clamps on the inner and outer seals.
It makes it a 5 min. job with this simple piece of metall.
If you try without it will cost you your soull because of all the swearing... :)

I think i got it from Moss.


Arie de Best

Ha, ha. Unlucky that you have this task.

One word of note: Loctite the little nuts which holds the handle to the door, otherwise you might be suffering what I have suffered for 2 years which is the handle falling off every few 100 miles.
Rich Amos (1330cc Blaze Red '72)

"Chris, buy the Haynes midget&sprite workshopmanual and its in there step by step with photograps.
Page 235 and 236."

how do you think i got it all apart?

classic haynes ending: "Refitting is the reverse of removal" not exactly step by step...
Chris Edwards

I feel sorry for you, but at least I can offer some hands-on experience!

You can only do the seals with the glass already installed, since once the seals are in place, the channel at the bottom edge of the glass won't fit down through the slot.

All of the above applies; for my tool, I fashioned one from a 1/2" wide brass strip. I bent a hook in the tip that very neatly held the clips, but it took some fiddling.

If you got the right clips, you'll notice that some are flatter; those go on the inboard side, and retain the fuzzy strip. That one's closer to the glass, and if you use the wide clips, you risk having the glass scrape against them.

With the window fully lowered, you'll need to insert the tool/clip in the gap behind the window, and then carefully slide it forwards until you get to the recesses in the seals. Make sure you've got both the strip and the door edge in the clip, and pull up carefully while pressing down on the seal so it doesn't pull up as well. Be sure to press the outer strips down firmly enough so they press against the glass when you're done.

Believe me, it's a lot easier to describe than it is to do! You WILL drop clips into the bottom of the door. Repeatedly.

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

can you use those magnets on a stick to retrive the clips that fall into the door...or are those clips made of farrious metals (non-magnetic)

prop
Prop

i hope they're attracted to magnets, 'cause thats what i'm planning. the magnet on a stick is one of my favorite unexpectedly useful tools for midgeteering!

I couldn't figure out how to get hte outer seal off with the window in place, and i'm replacing the seal under the 1/4 light anyway so i'm glad i took them both out. i can also check the doors for internal rust (if water has been getting past the seals and poolign in the doors) although they look fine on a quick inspection. yep, it will be good to have it all buttoned up.

now i'm just waiting on the inner seals to arrive which i had not bought in advance.

thanks for you help guys
Chris Edwards

Sorry Chris, i thought you didnt have the Haynes manual. :)

Yes, indeed it is "refitting is the reverse of removal".
While removal usualy dont cause any problems refitting can.
I remember my first door took "quite a while" and the second door was a piece of cake and then... you run out of doors on a midget just when youve masterd yourself on the door proces. :)

When will they bring out a Dutch version of the Haynes manual, would life make a lot easier for most of us.
Arie de Best

one side done. one side half done. i got both windows installed, (what i thought would be the worst part) then started on seals. gotboth inner and outer seals installed on the passenger side then went to re-install the 1/4 light... PROBLEM. the 1/4 light has to go in after the window and the outer seal and before the inner seal, oh and you have to have the window in the door but not really screwed together to get the 1/4 light in properly... or at least that's how I did it. sigh. now i just have to repeat the process on the driver's side, finish re-covering the door caps and button it all back up. fun fun fun
Chris Edwards

This thread was discussed between 06/03/2008 and 13/03/2008

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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