Sprites And Midgets

An all-new book on these two iconic sports cars

A practical manual written with the home restorer in mind. Well illustrated & with clear instructions this manual guides the amateur through dismantling, repair & rebuilding. Special chapters on steering gear, suspension, brakes, electrics & trim by Grahame Bristow. Includes many diagrams. 216 pages. Whenever I see a rebuild guide I am impressed by how easy everything looks - every job seems to be so straightforward. Not surprisingly, since they have been written by seasoned professionals who have all the tools, own large workshops and have worked on the same cars for years. What they all have in common is that seasoned professionals are not the same as many of us. It's time that these guys started to think about real people. No, we don't own workshops, probably not even a double door garage - rarely even a single door garage. Many of us work on our cars outside on the road or a driveway, where a level surface is a dream. We are often tackling restoration problems for the first time. For example, a few years back, over the course of seven or eight months, I watched the slow building of a Peugeot 205 rally car. It was certainly an interesting and time consuming project; which included painting the bare shell inside and out. In fact I noticed that almost every day a bit more work had been done - as did many others amongst thousands of motorists who use the A316 Chertsey Road (one of the great London arteries) every single working day. The owner stripped and built the car on the rough grass verge outside his flat much to the admiration and enlightenment of many a humble commuter. Just like the rest of us, here was an enthusiast getting on with the job, without a workshop or garage, he just worked on the roadside. No power tools, no Blackhawk jig, nothing more than simple tools, four axle stands and his wits. Not only is working space at a premium, but so are specialist tools - even a trolley jack is a luxury for many. Also, surprisingly, many of us cannot weld or wish to learn that black art. Even if we could, where would we do it - on the grass verge outside our house, in a cramped garage, or in the yard? I didn't buy my MG with the intention of rebuilding it, I just wanted to drive it. The painful truth dawned later, and boy did I learn the hard way. I couldn't lay claim to being a great mechanic or being very knowledgeable about Midgets or Sprites. As you'll see, I made some fundamental errors building my own Midget, but I got there in the end, without much help and without being too adept in the spanner department. I simply intended to get it right, and if I got things wrong, well I just started again. Hopefully this guide, in conjunction with a little of your own research, will lead to a successful rebuild of your own. I've tried to cover as much as I can within these pages, but my knowledge is pretty shaky in some areas, especially with regard to the 1500 engine. If your car proves to be at variance with what has been written here, its not necessarily wrong, just that you will need to do some detective work of your own. Have fun. And when you've finished building the car, drive it - that's what they made it for...

From the 1958 'Frogeye' Austin-Healey Sprite to the last rubber-bumpered MG Midget of 1979, all 14 distinct versions of these much loved cars are studied, with a special section on Innocenti models.

This book helps you identify all the things you need to be aware of to avoid trouble systematically describing all the main components of the Midget/Sprite and detailing what can go wrong with each. Being able to identify simple warning signs can keep you ahead of a big repair bill – and possibly save you from being stranded at the road side.

This book is the perfect companion for the first-time or even more experienced buyer. All the information is here to help make a clear and balanced decision, to counter the vendor’s claims, and even negotiate a better price. The author has bought and sold many MG Midgets & A-H Sprites over the years, and his knowledge and enthusiasm will prove a vital resource for potential buyers.

Quickly dubbed the 'Bugeye' by eager American buyers on account of its unusual headlights, the Sprite filled a gaping hole in the market for an affordable sports car. With the aid of archive photos and specially commissioned color material, this book tells the complete story of these popular sports cars.