Congrats to ya Adrian,I know the feeling you have right now,I bought a pair
of '73 Midgets about 200 miles from my house for $600, we got one running
using the other as a donor.ATTENTION all gurus,did the 73 come with a "heavy
block" I have a friend looking for a 1275 to rebuild and mentioned something
about the thickness of the oilpan rail being a determining factor, the one
that came out of the donor is taking up space in my shed and I want to be
sure of what I'm selling before shipping it?!Does anyone know what the
thickness of the rail should be on these "better"blocks ?TIA Brad Fornal
J. Adrian Barnes wrote:
> I like that subject line much better than one of my previous ones ($3K
> Midgets and Me).
>
> Well, thanks to Robert Weeks, I am now the proud owner of a 1975 Mustard
> Yellow Midget. I think the technical term for "Mustard Yellow" is
> actually Harvest Gold (the same color as my first Midget). So here's
> the story, in case anybody's interested.
>
> Yesterday I talked my dad into hooking up a U-Haul tow dolly to his
> Blazer and we zipped from Knoxville down to Atlanta (200 miles or so) to
> pick up this car. (Observation: If you ever are going to pick up a
> car, try to rent the tow dolly when you get to your destination rather
> than drag it behind you empty. The vibrations are intense.) Anyway,
> the guy's directions were good so we went straight there. Met the
> folks, who were very nice, and then started to prepare the car for the
> journey. I brought 4 spare wheels, and used three of them. We also had
> to free up the rear passenger brake before it would roll. Turns out the
> car had been sitting for 7 years. I was slightly concerned about
> whether the car would fit on the U-Haul tow dolly since I had heard so
> much about U-Haul saying it wouldn't fit. However, the car fit
> perfectly, better than on any other tow dolly I've ever used, and it
> even had some room to spare. Hooked it up and we were on our way.
>
> Now, the guy didn't really want to get rid of it I think but his wife
> did. She had a huge smile when we got there, and it kept growing
> exponentially while we were there. I've never seen such a smile as the
> one I saw in our rear view mirror as we pulled away.
>
> Anyway, we stopped at Shoney's and then noticed one my my tires was
> going flat. One can of fix-a-flat later and we were on the interstate.
> Those tow dollies sure work nicer with a car on them. The trip home was
> totally uneventful. Upon arrival we found that the top, which had dry
> rotted, was now scattered along the interstate between herer and there.
> Not much was left at all. This morning I put my hard top on it because
> they were calling for rain. Anybody have a spare used top? By the way,
> it took 2.5 hours down and only 2.75 hours back.
>
> Here are the particulars: Mustard Yellow, Weber downdraught, and
> header. From a quick overview, it's missing all the carpet, has a good
> spare, has the jack and lug wrench, has the anniversary badge in the
> dash, has all lights and guages, and the windshield is severely busted.
> I mean like sledge hammer busted. Good thing I have a spare, which I
> thought was in bad shape til I saw this one. Minimal rust (for a free
> car) and no rocker overlays. Medium sized dent in driver side fender.
> Large...no...HUGE assortment of critters in the cockpit, including
> multiple spider nests (deja vu?). All components in engine compartment
> looked good. Overall, this car is in much better shape than the parts
> car I bought for $500. I think I'm going to try to get this one
> running. Conveniently, the key couldn't be found and then the steering
> wheel locked.
>
> Remind me not to complain again about not being able to find cheap/free
> Midgets. By the way, this thing's for sale. The first $3000 takes it.
> heh heh
>
> (that was a joke. it ain't for sale)
>
> adrian,
> '75 Mustard Yellow delight
> '75 purple project
>
> --
> ----------------------------------------------
> J. Adrian Barnes, MCP
> Business Information Group
> http://www.workgroup.net
>
> http://www.midgetweb.com
>
> ----------------------------------------------
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