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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Spridget engine swap with an automatic

I have a guy who wants to do an engine swap for his wife but he needs to make it automatic I suggested a new wife but he said he has too much invested in this one I believe he has the skills to do it he just wants to know if it has been done and what do they use//

Thanks,
Bob Fisher

you a wide choice of engines, anything rear wheel drive but would require quite a bit of modification depending on which engine you want to put in there.

I knew someone who had an automatic out of a datsun 210 in a midget, was an easy swap and did not require to much modifications

Stefan
Stefan




why not teach the wife to drive a stick....its not that hard, weekend should do it, much easier then doing a complete drive tran modification. Plus once she learns, she may never go back to an automatic.

prop
Prop

Automatic 1275 Marina/Ital engine with BorgWarner type 35/65 (?) box. Take it straight out of the old Morris (if you can find one) and it ought to fit without tooooooo much trouble. Quite a few Moggy Minors have them.
Was there ever an automatic Herald/Sp*^fire?
rob multi-sheds thomas

I told him to teach his wife to drive stick he said that wasn't an option, we didn't get any 1275 Marina's
here in the states they were all 1800's someone has had to have done this....but I don't know why
Bob Fisher

Bob, no one that I know of has fitted an automatic to a Midget yet. The trans tunnel is quite narrow and if you open it up you cut into the foot wells a lot. Probably the best option might be the Mazda rotary with an automatic box. There the engine is short enough to place forward and get the majority of the auto box out of the tunnel. Most of the other engines are so long that the trans would probably start to foul the footwells and tunnel.
Bill Young

what about an old (early 80's) toyota trecel, whent they rear wheel drive, I know they came in an auto

how about an old (70's) datsun fair lady...there based on the old A40 engine

Bob hit the nail on the head...those automatics are really wide, plus you have to watch the hiegth of the engine, not to mention finding the correct size of engine and transmission....cause you will burn out the torque converter in under 50 miles if its to small, AND if its to big the engine and tranny will out power the cars suspension and braking system, this wont be an easy conversion, Id do the engine, tranny, and rearend all togather....not to mention finding a good donner car where all the stuff is in good shape.....


Midgets arent for everyone, maybe a good mazda mx5/miatia is the direction she should consider, much less expensive, safer to drive, easier maintance and it will run forever. Id tell the wife to learn the clutch, or not drive a midget....is she handicap???? Wy does she want a midget to begin with???

this is going to be a really hard conversion Id do the entire drive tran ...(engine, tranny, and rearend)

prop
Prop

here is a datsun 210 in philly, might be an automatic.

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/car/590165636.html
Stefan

I saw this automatic Frogeye on youtube but I don't know what or who the owner is
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwX0nd9dDCk
G Lazarus

You can hang the 1.3 Marina/Ital autobox on the back of any A series if you use the the Marina/Ital backplate and possibly bellhousing (don't know if it's integral to the auto box). You might need the autobox Marina/Ital crank depending on how the torque converter sits on the crank.

You could use the 1500 Triumph engine with autobox but this gives you all the problems of fitting a 1500 in an A series shell.

It's possible the Marina/Ital autobox is the same as the Triumph - the manual boxes are.

Either option requires a lot of bodywork cutting.
Daniel Thirteen-Twelve

This thread was discussed between 31/03/2008 and 01/04/2008

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