Following the journey returning to Motorsport for your host, Jerry, and charting the works required to the previously competed MG Midget and some other vehicles run by Jerry.
We'll be looking to get back into autotests and autosolo events with plenty of garage time too working on the cars. Hopefully I can also spend some time on track days and would like to give sprints and hillclimbs a go too.
Some time ago I got a dashboard warning message to say that I had a rear bumper left brake light failure on my 2017 Mini Cooper Clubman. Well, thakfully it wasn't a blown bulb (£39.99!) so I simply cleaned the terminals, gave things a jiggle and we were soon back in business. However, last week I got the same message. Once again it wasn't the bulb, but I noticed that one of the terminal plates inside the light assembly had partially burnt through. I simply refuse to spend £100 on a replacement tail light assembly, so I cleaned up the electrode, repaired the defect using a blob of solder and smeared some Copper Ease grease onto both electrodes (I didn't have any dielectric grease) before reassembly. It seems that the lights on various Mini models must be prone to moisture ingress, so Mini/BMW could do well to apply some dielectric grease to all terminals during initial assembly. Thanks for your clear video clip, Jerry.
The front fog lights/ side lights are notoriously bad for getting moisture in them. Rear clusters less so but clearly something upsets the status quo. Glad you found this a useful video!
Thank you! I am going to look for my first ever british sports car on next sunday. A 1968 MG Midget. Hopefully the car is as good as the seller says, maybe I drive home on sunday with a new hobby. This video was nice information on the regular maintenance. Subbed.
Hi thanks for watching. Midget was going great last time she drove but I need to get back into the garage and get back into some competition. Unfortunately life took over a bit and my PC had a disastrous crash and I lost a lot of data. Hope to get some more updates soon.
They should be the base Midget ones; as that was what I ordered 😊. They are 95% identical to the original Lucas units with the colour and the minor casting difference, that needed modification, being the only differences.
Timeless video I have a bugye with the same setup. My brake system is with the mgb calipers and spitfire rotors. It's not a simple bolt on, but after working out some issues, I'm happy
I’d like better brakes but would need to check the rules for the historic class I enter competition in. Not bad with the servo assist but would be good to have more longevity before getting too hot.
Hi well after watching the tutorial for the switch removal I decided to have a go soldering iron and switch in hand The result is a FAIL couldn’t get the old switch out the circuit board No matter how much heat I applied seems so tight So it’s now back on the car still not working Any advice hints ? Thanks
Hi sorry missed your comment. I seem to recall there may have been some tabs soldered in. Unfortunately I’ve not got the car anymore so can’t verify. Thanks for watching
Thanks, Jerry. That threw some light on my not entirely tight fan belt. Before watching, I ignored the adjusting screw as a possibility on the grounds that no manufacturer could possibly put it somewhere so hard to get to.
Hey, Jerry - Just watched this today, and I do have a question - the pads really go in "dry" like that? I would have assumed that you needed grease on the edges where they ride in the caliper. Just curious!
Use the aluminium Brillo pads, that stops you scraping the rust particles as abrasive paste all over your chrome. Soak the whole thing in WD40 for a week before you start as it softens the rust.
Ah sorry missed your question. Unfortunately due to unexpected circumstances I no longer have the Cooper S but we do have a same Gen Mini One so keeping an eye on the issue with that car.
Just doing this now. This kind of build is something that needs to be addressed under EU right to repair law. That plastic weld should be replaced by 2 self tappers.
Now Jerry obviously better than my 64 Midget as you're smiling even before you get behind the wheel 😂. Excellent hopefully head gasket now all sorted and onwards and upwards for your next event. All the very best Johnny 👍
Does the Frontline suspension require greasing every so often? I am working on a 1970 mgb gt mk3 and am thinking about the conversion for ease of maintenance.
Hi Duncan, the version I purchased of the front suspension kit has aircraft style bearings (forget the fancy name for the type) which do not require a regular grease application. In fact the instructions make it very clear to apply NOTHING to these bearings. The version of the arm I was replacing had no grease nipple which was odd so must have been pre the addition of grease nipples. Frontline said that they were making the change to the (fit and forget) aircraft bearings as people didn't grease the joint and the arms would wear out. I assume they have also moved to these bearings on their other kits. Good luck with your MGB.
Trying to replace my front bearing with tapered roller bearings, but when I put in the new races, the front one all the way seated could be spun in place by hand. Any suggestions on how to fix this without buying a new hub?
Oh that's not an easy one. Are the new bearings too small (relative to spec) / same as old ones? If they differ from the old ones you could have a badly machined bearing. If it is the same size as the old all I can think of is that the bearing has been loose previously. Whilst you can rotate it by hand, does it feel loose in the hub (i.e. up and down / side to side)? How easy is it to move? It might be snug enough to torque up and not be an issue, but as I'm not a mechanic by trade, and I haven't seen it for myself, I'm not really going to be offer you your best solution. Sorry; I suggest you ask a local garage for their thoughts perhaps? Good luck.
@@JerryMotorsport I got them from Moss Motors that are supposed to work for 1972 MG Midgets w/Wire wheels - kit part# 125-822. Not sure the size - but I have tried both of them in the kit and they both can be moved by hand - spin and up and down and feel about the same looseness. I will have to search and see what size they are supposed to be. Thanks for the help and I will let you know what I do and the suggestions I get.
Hi Lee, thanks. Yes I'm hoping to get more videos out but my desktop computer had a melt-down (Blue screen of death) and I'm using a laptop to re-do what I had. Thanks for your support and patience.
Thanks Jerry, sorry to hear about the computer, hope it gets sorted. Look forward to the new vids. Perhaps you could do a history segment on how you come to own your 70's Midget and why it ended (apparently) laid-up in the garage for a time. I have issues starting mine whenever it's stood for anything longer than a week, fuel pump struggles to get fuel from tank to carbs, perhaps you could do an episode related to fuel pump, etc? Mine's a 1978 model so differs from yours but would still be good to see. Also handbrake cable replacement/adjustment, etc, etc. Thanks.
Lee, I'm hoping to be doing an update video shortly on what has been going on since the last video. I was thinking about some history on 'Midge' as part of a 'trailer' for the channel. However I'm incredibly busy with my day job (not a mechanic) at the moment; again something I was planning to put into a trailer.
Hi, I would have to check my invoices; I had parts coming from various suppliers. Oddly the driver’s side had the correct flat spot and I didn’t have to get the grinder out.
Thanks Mark, that's not a bad idea. Area did get a good dose of wax and I think I had copper grease in there too. Old ones were replaced so I never tried to take the old ones out. Thanks for watching!
Thanks so much for this! We had the same problem, actually got an MOT failure which wasn't expected (no other garage has failed it on that before) I used a heat gun like you suggested. I dabble in electronics so actually had a suitable microswitch knocking around. I used solvent weld (like for PVC plumbing) as I don't have a glue gun. which did an okay job in re-attaching the lid. It was a little uneven where I had pried it off so also added some silicone sealant around the perimeter after welding. Let's see how long it lasts - the rubber 'button' actually has a split in it so it's not super weatherproof from the bottom up.
In this episode I removed the anti-roll bar to clean up and repaint the anti-roll bar and upgrade the mounting bushes to polly. I also found out that the old bushes were the original size but the bar is actually a thicker one (from an MGB I think; 5/8"?? from memory). Coupled with the upgraded suspension arms this really helps with the handling. The roll bar went back on as part of fitting the new suspension to the driver's side.
Hi Jerry. I know this was not about your suspension but I am thinking of purchasing the same suspension kit as you, wounding if you think this is a worthwhile upgrade over replacing the original dampers?
Hi, thanks for watching and commenting. To be honest I've not driven a car with the standard dampers; our car came with what must have been the original frontine upgraded front arms. What I can say is that after completing the installation and competing with the car recently, it has great turn-in and almost no understeer. This setup is certainly stiffer than the single arm of the original damper and the modern AVO adjustable dampers give an excellent ride. Worth the investment IMHO.
Thanks, Jerry. I can't tell you how much I appreciate these videos. I've referred to many of them for my Midget, and keep referring back to them over time for additional maintenance. But the key is that I watch them as they come out because they're educational and entertaining, and they're well filmed. So thanks again!
That’s fantastic to hear. So glad the videos are proving useful. I’m hoping to be stripping down the rear suspension over the winter and perhaps some work on the fuel system. Do let me know if there is something you would like to see me do; it’s always good to have content ideas!
@@JerryMotorsport lubrication points, rear suspension is a good one, I just did the leaf spring bushes and put fresh oil in my rear dampeners. But need to completely disassemble the rear at some point. New gasket on the differential. Bearings. Transmission oil.
The Frontline suspension kit is good. I'd like to get their big brake upgrade and potentially do the rear disc conversion too. Down side it might put me in a different class for my competitions. Thanks for watching!
I have a bugeye sprite with the same setup for the shocks and suspension Spitfire rotors, mgb calipers for the brakes The rear has ssbc vented rotors The tie rod ends hit the rotors at full lock. Fixed that by adding split collars to the rack under the boots. I have a sbc 383ci in the car and a th350 I'll try a more aggressive brake pad
Good luck with sourcing the sound you are looking for Mike. Out of interest are these new horns of mine that European sound? I thought they sounded rather more modern than I was expecting.
Hi Mike, thanks for watching and an excellent question. I wondered many times when doing this fanbelt work if there was a tensioner system available; I'm not aware of one. Perhaps I should look at fashioning one; although I'd have to be careful not to put excessive load on the pullies and create other problems. In fairness, it has been much better since sorting it out and just one of those things that us classic car owners need to keep a check on. All the best..
Hi Jerry, great video, my problem is the weather shield has corroded away and need to replace that, do you know if it's possible or do I need to replace the whole thing? I can see weather shield replacements for sale online but I can't see a join with the original one I have currently fitted....any help would be great. Thanks.
Thanks for watching and commenting. I think the rubber weather shield comes as part of that rear light unit and not something readily replaced. You might be able to remove what is there and fix in a sheet of rubber (old inner tube perhaps?). I saw a few videos removing this rubber to get to the damaged switch behind. This is why I did my repair the way I did mine as I wasn’t confident to get a good replacement rubber put back. Good luck with yours if you go that route.
@@JerryMotorsport thanks for the reply Jerry, I've bought one on ebay, I think I'll need to cut the old rubber out and push the new into place, a weekend job I think!
Not enough prep work on removing the rust before treatment. Also deox c gel should be covered with cling film and left for 24hrs min. This process should be carried out more than once if rust is still present, to eradicate effectively. Apologies if I sound negative or nitt picky but wouldn't want to see the rust reappear any time soon 👍
@@JerryMotorsport hope I didn't sound to moany Jerry as I do enjoy watching your videos but I'm becoming bit of an expert with rust treatment as I work on old Fords 😆
@@JerryMotorsport think the reason why you're struggling with the gel is that it's not supposed to dry out..the clingfilm helps let it "simmer" on the rust. after 24 hrs pull the clingfilm off and the gel "should" be washable. I'm looking at Bilt for my Z3...so it should be interesting!
Hi, yes I flushed the heater core as well as the main cooling system. The isolation valve is curently stuck in the open position so when I added the flushing chemical it would have gone around the heater matrix too. At 7:51 you can see I've disconnected the hose from the heater isolation valve to fush through fresh water to make sure I got as much cleared as possible from the heater. Ideally I would have used the other hose (upper from the core) and flushed in the opposite direction to normal flow; this was just easier to remove the hose from the valve.
my brake light went out on my 2012 clubmen. replaced it w/o issue about a month ago and all worked fine until a few days ago. it went out again. so i pulled the lamp assembly out again thinking it was juts a bad bulb and now it's all melted solid and cant even take the new bulb out. seems really odd that happened in just a few weeks. could a bad bulb or connection do that is such a sort time? any suggestions?
Problem seems to be light corrosion causing an increase in electrical resistance and hence heat. Clean it all up and keep the corrosion at bay (hence the dielectric grease). Alternatively fitting LED bulbs may help due to lower current draw but not sure if that would affect the car’s ability to detect blown lights. Good luck
Hi Jerry - thanks for the video. Im doing a similar job on a 65 Sprite (mk2 Midget) The new calipers from a well regarded re-seller are rubbing quite heavily on the original wire wheels. Fitted to the exact same set-up as the previous ones. What should I do, shall I grind 1-2mm of the face of the caliper? Any advice would be amazing. Thanks
Hi Alfred, thanks for watching the video 😄. Are there any obvious differences in the castings old vs new? The differences in mine were quite subtle and I (as you saw) just ground back to match the old. I was happy grinding this away as I could see it was well away from the piston bore and in a thicker section of the casting. As to if yours could be ground back it sort of depends where the clash is occurring. Might be worth asking the supplier; they may have come across the problem before. Sorry I can’t give you a definitive answer. Best of luck getting your car back on the road.
Great video. I recently upgraded my front suspension with a kit that adds an extra arm at the top for more stability and better handling. One of the best upgrades i've made so far.
Thanks for watching Mark and I’m glad you liked the video 😄. I’ve seen your upgrade on a few of the racing Midgets. The Frontline arms have always been on our car and have the advantage of improving the camber over the standard arms. Unfortunately they were old and worn out. Love seeing the Midget on your channel BTW
