Ricko595@aol.com wrote:
> What should I be looking
> for? He wants $1600. Rick Suhr
I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to cc this to the entire list,
as I'm sure that I'll forget something. The question was what to look
for/watch out for, in buying a '78 Midget.
I paid $500 for my '78. It was running and driving, ripped seats,
bad a-arm (cracked), bad paint, new brakes, five wire wheels.
I paid $300 for my '72 (a two for one deal). It ran but has a noisy
trans, steel wheels, bad top, stripped interior, near perfect body, soft
brakes, bad tires.
I think I got a deal, but I am putting about a grand into the '78, mainly
totally rebuilding the front suspension/steering.
Basicly $1600 sounds a bit much, as I think Midget prices are at rock
bottom, I've seen very very good Midgets go for around $1000.
What to look for;
Interior- Check that all the guages work, an origional radio is real
nice, seats and trim can be tatty as there are lots of kits to fix.
Top of dash can be cracked, you can buy a cover that looks factory.
If the whole dash is cracked =$$$$$$ to fix.
Body- Bring a magnet!! Check the usual bondo areas, plus especially
the a-pillers (under the window frame to the rocker panel, where
the door hinges are attached to the rear of). Look under the rubber
bumpers, the big front one can hide body damage well. Look under the
carpets for rust holes in the footwells, also under the car from the
bottom up. Especially check for rust/damage around the rear spring
attaching points and the front a-arm mounting points. The front
frame should be nice and flat and square, an indication of DPO neglect
is that the bottom of the frame will be concave from ham handed jacking.
The sheet metal under the battery can rust out, look down between the
battery and the heater box.
Wire wheels are nice, make sure there's a spare too. You'll need a
special wrench for wire wheels too, plus plan on hassles on getting
them balanced. Steel wheels are easy to find, so no spare is ok.
Look for 'whiting' of the windshield, basicly the plastic in the
safety glass is turning white, especially around the edges. This can
quickly spread to the point where you need a new windshield. Over one
inch of white from the edge can get a ticket from the police here in
Florida (defective equipment/obstructed vision). The only fix is
replacement.
Drive train- The engine in the later Midgets have the 1500cc engine
from the Triumph Spitfire. All the usual engine checks apply, test
drive, etc. There seems to be nothing out of the ordinary that you
should look out for. When the engine is idling turn on every electrical
thing; lights, wipers, etc. Put a good load on the system, get out and
walk around the car too, checking all the lights, etc.
Suspension- The front suspension is the big problem with Midgets.
Any problems can lead to big $$$$, as the suspension is essentially
unrebuildable, you have to replace rather than fix.
Prices- a-arm $130, King pin kit $90 per side, wheel bearings $35 per
side, wire wheel hubs $130 each (new), Steering rack $300 (new), etc.
It would be good to get a catalog from MOSS to see which parts are
cheap to replace and which are expensive.
As with any used car purchase it will be a gamble, nobody has x-ray
vision or can predict the future. You will always find somethings (bad
and good) after you bought the car. Be prepared to walk away.
Negotiate all the problems, especially all the bad things unique to
British cars like Lucas electrics, parts availibility, leaky tops,
costly front end parts, etc. British cars like the '78 Midget tend to
sell slow, wait him out if he wants too much, check back in a month,
leave your number. Don't be afraid of offering half, if he gets offended,
leave, and check back in another month.
Email me for anything, I can run out to the garage to 'compare' my
'78 too, if you need a reference.
-Aron Travis-
"always in a automotive frenzy"
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