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Re: Wobland Spottage
Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2020 10:27 pm
by CLINT
palacebear wrote: ↑Sat Jan 25, 2020 10:44 pm
Someone's daily 500SL in Tesco's car20200120_162716.jpg
Pretty sure that belongs to a guitarist. Glyn or Glen something. He only uses the Merc when he's in the UK which isn't that often.
And no not Glen Tipton although he does live round here too
Re: Wobland Spottage
Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2020 12:59 pm
by cros
Two today, a Munga peeking out of a shed at a garden centre.
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Odd colour, I once had a drab green one; great off road but a bit tedious on with its 3cylinder two stroke smoking away. The permanent 4wd scrubbed tyres badly too.
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- Jem-1-768x512.jpg (111.81 KiB) Viewed 4325 times
A local MG garage has restarted building these Spridgets- production was 'interrupted' in the 60's when the introduction of the BGT took the shine off the tiny cars which had no opening tailgate. Looks nice quality job, the shape is said to add 20 mph to top speed. Not sold as a kit apparently.
Re: Wobland Spottage
Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2020 1:14 pm
by Hooli
I like the Spriget GT thing, if they added 20mph by doing that what mechanical changes did they do? my 1,500 would redline top gear anyway, so couldn't go faster.
Re: Wobland Spottage
Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2020 4:34 pm
by cros
Hooli wrote: ↑Fri Jan 31, 2020 1:14 pm
I like the Spriget GT thing, if they added 20mph by doing that what mechanical changes did they do? my 1,500 would redline top gear anyway, so couldn't go faster.
Factory diff is 3.7:1, (I think 1500 Riley, late Midgets) if you redlined that you were going very nicely. There was an even lower ratio aftermarket one but rare.
The fastbacks were around in the '60's so we're talking 1275. I know there were some works Midgets cars that used a 5 speed version of the MGB gearbox; must have been too weak for the bigger car as I don't think it was ever used in anger a 'B', but that would get the gearing high enough to test the extra 20mph boast.
The modern cars will have Toyota or type 9 boxes, sticking with the little A35 one would be silly after going to all that trouble.
Re: Wobland Spottage
Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2020 4:47 pm
by Hooli
Redland in a 1500 was 102mph. I only ever did it once as it really wasn't happy at those revs.
Re: Wobland Spottage
Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2020 9:01 pm
by mercrocker
Midget looks lovely and about as far removed from the rusty wrecks lugging Bermuda tops about that I recall in my yout'
I take it they are Lenham-inspired?
Re: Wobland Spottage
Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2020 11:26 pm
by DodgeRover
cros wrote: ↑Fri Jan 31, 2020 4:34 pm
Hooli wrote: ↑Fri Jan 31, 2020 1:14 pm
I like the Spriget GT thing, if they added 20mph by doing that what mechanical changes did they do? my 1,500 would redline top gear anyway, so couldn't go faster.
Factory diff is 3.7:1, (I think 1500 Riley, late Midgets) if you redlined that you were going very nicely. There was an even lower ratio aftermarket one but rare.
The fastbacks were around in the '60's so we're talking 1275. I know there were some works Midgets cars that used a 5 speed version of the MGB gearbox; must have been too weak for the bigger car as I don't think it was ever used in anger a 'B', but that would get the gearing high enough to test the extra 20mph boast.
The modern cars will have Toyota or type 9 boxes, sticking with the little A35 one would be silly after going to all that trouble.
I'm guessing a Mazda RX8 box might be the one, 6 speeds so lots of opportunity to be in the wrong gear
Re: Wobland Spottage
Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2020 10:53 am
by cros
mercrocker wrote: ↑Fri Jan 31, 2020 9:01 pm
Midget looks lovely and about as far removed from the rusty wrecks lugging Bermuda tops about that I recall in my yout'
I take it they are Lenham-inspired?
I don't know. These bodies were originally the work of a Dick Jacobs, but my interest starts to wane when you see the price of most low volume stuff.
However, it looks like that one-off Metro pedestrian safety car* has bucked the trends for such vehicles to fetch big bucks if its performance on eBay is anything to go by.
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Perhaps no one knows what to do with it- these days it'd be frowned on if you deliberately ran someone over now and again to keep it in working order.
* Bonnet is longer and made from marshmallows
Re: Wobland Spottage
Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2020 11:06 am
by mercrocker
Presumably it had a bigger, fatter wad of foam in the front corners to rot the inner wings out better as well.
Re: Wobland Spottage
Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2020 2:20 pm
by Scruffy Bodger
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In Plymouth today. Travelled down in my mates scruffy old Golf which is still providing excellent transport and look what rolls up. It was a full grey leather interior auto, few rust bubbles but in surprisingly good nick otherwise.