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Please visit Scott's Cars for more updates on my MG Midget accompanied by updates on my newly purchased classic Mini.

Supercharged Midget?

Well. Not quite. Though for $3500 it could be.

After my Dad drove the Midget up to Allentown for me, he basically said my car ran like poop. Which I kind of knew but maybe didn't want to admit. He suggested taking it to his current Benz mechanic (he's actually a VW mechanic) to perform a tuneup. I (somewhat reluctantly, at first) agreed. The guy was willing to do it as long as I got the parts beforehand. So I ordered a new condenser, new points, and new spark plugs. I left the Midget at my parents' house for the week until its appointment. During which time I drove my Dad's Town & Country (which sucked) and my Dad's Mercedes-Benz (which was much better).

My dad was nice enough to take the car in and to pick it up when it was done, with the help of my Mom and Steven. He said, " it runs better, but it is what it is." I think that was an understatement. As soon as I arrived, I took it for a spin and I was amazed. It felt like a supercharger had been installed: it actually felt like a sports car again. I guess that ain't saying much for how it ran before.

So in summary, I'm glad I got the tuneup. The parts totaled about $30 and he charged me $75 for labor. It was money well spent. Though in the future, and once I get my Mini, I'd like to try such a thing myself.

Changes of the Season

It's now been several months using the Midget as my daily driver. It hasn't let me down yet. And even though it's "unreliable, unpractical and slow" compared to modern standards, I feel very spoiled that I get to drive it all the time. Unfortunately, it's been running even more sluggish lately. I think it might have to do with the timing. I don't think we ever fully adjusted that after the carburetor fiasco of early summer. I'm planning on setting up an appointment to get it tuned up, and if my new house duties don't monopolize my time, I really want to remove all the smog equipment this winter. It's supposed to be a relatively easy process, and I'm still convinced this has been a source of some of it's performance trouble. I should also replace the bushings on the right side of the suspension. If you remember, my Dad and I completed the left side over the summer in order for it to "pass inspection."

Nonetheless, I think I've come to the realization that I don't NEED speed. I miss the MINI greatly and it was a fantastic car, but I'd take the Midget over it any day (except perhaps in a snow storm:) And it beats paying over a grand for a new set of tires.

I'm expecting to get my new Mini mid-to-late November. And although it's a smaller engine than the Midget, I'm looking forward to the high-revving, go-cart handling fun.

New Home

Well. The MG has a new home! It just needs some company. I could probably fit two more :)

During my transition from new MINI to classic Mini, I've been driving the Midget exclusively. And I love it! The car has been really reliable with no major issues. I guess the last few years of fixing it up is paying off. I just hate to be putting so many miles on it. I'll be happy once I get another car to share driving duties.

But for now, we've been having decent weather and I'm enjoying the Mighty Midget!

More Midget

Okay. So I haven't posted in awhile. A lot of things have been going on in my life, and unfortunately, the Midget hasn't been a huge part of these things. I'm in the process of selling my Mini Cooper S in hopes of purchasing a classic Mini. So this means I'll be driving the Midget a lot until I get all this sorted out. I try not to get anxious about putting a lot of miles on the car because I just love driving it so much.

In two weeks I'll be living much closer to my place of employment, so I'll have a much shorter (4 miles round trip!) commute.  I'm looking forward to using the Midget more often.

Recently, the car has been running pretty good. The only incident occurred last week when I drove Greg down to North Penn VW to drop off his GTI. On our way home, I heard the exhaust start to putter, and the car slowly lost power. As it came to a stop, I pulled over to the side of 309 at a very inconvenient location. This happened once before, over a year ago, and I remember the problem ended up being a loose wire coming from the fuel pump. I tried to see if the carbs were getting fuel by checking the in-line fuel filter for gas, but it was pretty dark. After eating our tacos and making some phone calls, I was about to call AAA to tow the thing. I figured before doing so, I'd try and get under the car and feel around for these wires. Luckily, I was able to reach the troubled spot, and I completed the connection with one hand. It wasn't real secure, but it was enough to get home.

We made the drive home without any problems, except when the wire came loose within yards of my driveway. We gracefully coasted in.

Since then, I've secured the connection with electrical tape and I don't expect it to impede any more of my trips. Luckily I have an understanding friend and a willingness to tolerate these little quirks. Surprisingly, this has been one of the ONLY electrical faults I've had with this car. And Lucas gets a pretty bad rap. The only other thing was a faulty reverse light switch.

That's it for now.

70,000 Miles

The Midget turned over it's 70,000th mile today. I was on my way up to work when it happened. I was so worried I'd miss it, I pulled over and took a shot with my phone.

What's the odometer read this evening? About 70,050. I got pretty lost today. But that's another story.

So as of September 2005, I've only managed to clock 5,000 miles. I'll try to do better for the next three years.

Having a Gas...Line

As mentioned earlier, I've been wanting to replace my fuel hose connecting the two carburetors (or as the English say, "carburettors") with a steel braided fuel hose. Easier said than done.

After Victoria British Ltd. sent me the wrong length hose. After looking around locally, I found a Street Rod shop in Coopersburg who had some hose. After three different visits, I was finally able to talk to the "parts guy." He had 4 feet of the 1/4" hose that I needed, so I bought it.

Since I only needed about 15 inches, I had to cut it to the appropriate length. After my Dad and I struggled with it a bit (everything we used frayed the braids), we took it over to my Uncle who had a small circular motor saw. From there things went pretty smooth.

Here's a picture of the new hose in place.