Scooter frogs 76 midget 1500

I did a thing.

It drove onto the dolly so it runs and the clutch and 1st "work" 

After cleaning it and examining boxes of parts.  What's third?

LS?

The LBC is always a cute one.

Gonna get it running and daily, or full on fix 'er up?

Gas station selfie I think?

vwcorvette (Forum Supporter) said:

Gas station selfie I think?

That was supposed to be #1. Them's the rules. 

Been off the board for a while.  Gas station selfie?

Plan is to drive it.

I think i need to organize

Clean

Get it running well

Then wires lights wipers brakes

Is there a best way?

   Change to electronic ignition. ?What's the best way?necessary?

Lots and lots of loose wires.  I'll probably rewire it or at least de jank it

It's a rubber bumper the bumpers are off and he a v y.  So some kind of bumper conversion,  maybe a tubular bumper.  Maybe one made from a bed frame in the short term

Some lite rust is evident but it is remarkably solid 

Well, change all the fluids. Health of bushings? Health of lever shocks?

I haven't played with a 1500, but for the 1275, I decided to stick with points. I don't get the fear some have of them. 

My solution to not worrying about wiring was to just get a new harness. https://www.britishwiring.com/Midget-s/20.htm

I was very happy with their product for my Bugeye. Worth every penny. Use dielectric grease when installing to prevent oxidation of connections.

Hopefully you know not to buy direct from Moss, resellers give a better deal. I use https://www.lbcarco.com/ for a good percentage off. Use the moss site for the part numbers, plug them into the lbcarco website. 

Another parts source. https://bpnorthwest.com/ I got a nifty "alternator in a generator housing" from them for mine. 

Best place for lever shock rebuilds. https://www.applehydraulicsonline.com/ call them, you can get heavy duty calving, or for more $$ you can get adjustable!

scooterfrog said:

Been off the board for a while.  Gas station selfie?

 

About half of the recent build threads are A) started before the vehicle is bought, or B) kicked off with a picture of the vehicle on the trailer at a gas station. 

I'd stick with points and keep an extra set in the glovebox. Aftermarket electronic ignitions can let the smoke out at random, and you won't usually find a replacement at the local parts store. Points can be fixed with a screwdriver and business card.

The rubber bumpers should be sent to the landfill.

Those cars always seemed like so much fun in such a little package. I wish I'd had one. Since it's a former rubber bumper model and is basically worth nothing, do whatever you want to make it your own. It's more fun not being boxed in by guilt to 'keep it original'.

Oh, and a Weber conversion.

There is a rather ugly bugeye on FBM, located in  Jersey Shore PA.  No title but a bugeye front end on this would rock.

In reply to scooterfrog :

I would not be afraid to rewire a car like that. If you have a spare 4x8 panel, you can lay out the whole thing there, and the replace the system all at once. Or get one of the simple systems that are already made with a modern fuse box. That car is dead simple- keep it that way. 
 

For the rust, there are products out there to stabilize it. And see if you can clean up the paint enough that you can find a paint store to make up a few rattle cans to do touch ups. Over time, it's a great platform to learn simple body work with welding- if you want to go that direction. 
 

That can easily be a forever car. In every car event and a great driver.  

In reply to Apexcarver :

fluids,  i expected  oil and coolant. as soo as i got it running.  brake fluid  when i did the brakes.  so i guess htat leaves clutch and diff trans and blinkers.

points.  i figured to start there and if  io need a new distributor then look at electronic

i was thinking about anew harness,  i was thinking a universal/ hotrod  because budget  lots of relays and more circuits to islolate  trouble shooting g

thanks for the parts links  i was already told by the seller to use the moss catalog and shop elsewhere

lever shocks.  i know they exist.  i assumed i would change them.  looks like that will need to wait for research

In reply to Mr_Asa :

it was b)  i filled up before ei got to they guys house  so i would not have to stop,  and to pee.  never negotiate when you need to pee.

that was pulled over 10 minutes from the sellers house  when i triple cecked the straps

In reply to ddavidv :

points.  i guess i wont rush  on that.

rubber bumpers.  OH MY GOD  those are heavy.

rubber bumper car  1500,  cheapest,  least "valuable",  

i wanted one ro some other LBC  since i asked my wife to marry me  in 1990.  she said yes,  but no sky diving and no motorcycles

weber? im not afraid of electrics,  i woud look in speeduinio  or mega squirt

In reply to ddavidv :

What is the hate about pertronix and such to replace points?  I ask this at every MG meet when people laugh about adjusting points.  My 914 had one and it never caused a problem.  The 912 had allison and while it was a pain to install it also worked great.  But for some reason the british car guys would rather carry a spare distributor than an extra pertronix in the glove box.  Asking you because the MG guys get real worked up when I ask in person.  And if I did this on a MG forum I would get banished.  You on the other hand seem saner than that.

In reply to porschenut :

It is because the quality of Pertronix units tanked over a decade ago. I have had more dead Pertronix units in my hands than I have had points that needed filing or adjustment. in the last dozen years I have seen no less than 50 dead pertronix. When we run support/chase on vintage road ralleys we carry at least 6 spares. At least one dies on every tour.

But, when it comes to distributors, it isn't all about points versus electronic.  This era of British cars sometimes used a terrible emissions distributor with vacuum retard instead of advance which should be tossed in the bin immediately. Next, the advance curve is never "optimal" The fact that almost every 4 cylinder british car used a similar Lucas distributor and they are completely interchangeable means that 50-60 years later these cars rarely have their original units. Not many folks have the equipment to recurve distributors anymore.

I don't even mess around with them anymore. I go straight to a 123 distributor. The switchable variety contain almost every curve you will likely need on a stock to mildly modified engine. On crazier stuff that will be tuned on the dyno anyway, I go straight to the bluetooth programmable units. 

In reply to Trent :

Oooo... those are fancy.

Might need one for Dad's 914-6.  Looks like they sell them through dealers only?  What's the price range for them?

Trent's advice, as usual, is spot on. Most 1500 Midgets had a terrible advance curve, some including vacuum retard as Trent mentioned. At Eclectic, we usually put in a rebuilt points distributor with a curve that gives about 15 degrees BTC at idle and 35-37 all-in at 3500 (the 1275s like 32 all-in), vacuum disconnected.

Trent's point about Pertronix is our experience as well.  15-20 years ago, they were great. Not anymore. They'll all out fail, they'll misfire, especially around 3000RPM, or other weird things. There also have been quality problems with points and condensors over the years. With points, look carefully at the physical contact and alignment of the points plate and the cam to points arm. It's common for them to not be parallel to each other and fast wear or breakage follows. 

The other big thing to look at with a 1500 engine is the thrust bearings for the crank. Have someone push the clutch in while the engine is running and watch the crank pulley. If it moves forward, the bearings are worn and will soon wreck the crank and the back of the block.

Regarding wiring, we've seen a lot of cars at Eclectic with aftermarket harnesses that are no better than stock, just more complicated. A stock harness works fine if all the connections are clean and no "improvements" have been made. Unless the harness in really beat up in your car, methodically going through it, replacing bad connectors, and returning it to stock, is usually cost effective and productive. We figure 10-15 hours to replace a harness at Eclectic and can repair most of them in less than 5.

Fuel injection: Borla makes a  1-3/4" throttle body that replaces SU/Stromberg carbs (yours is 1.5", though). People adapt other throttle bodies. We've done some Megasquirts on British cars at Eclectic and it's a lot of time compared to good results with a properly rebuilt stock carb and good distributor.

A 32/26 Weber is a good alternative if you want something more conventional. I highly recommend using a heated manifold for better driveability, especially at idle and off-idle. Internet "cold air" experts will disagree, but they're talking about maybe 1-2 HP in theory.

It's too bad to hear about Pertronix- I put one in my Alfa because doing points work is kind of a pain where it's located. It was before the turn of the century and is still working perfectly. Alas, they may have realized to maintain an income with a fixed market, they need to break. 

Mr_Asa said:

In reply to Trent :

Oooo... those are fancy.

Might need one for Dad's 914-6.  Looks like they sell them through dealers only?  What's the price range for them?

They ain't cheap. $600 and up.

but this is control you just can't get with any other distributor. Because they have a built in MAP sensor they work very nicely with forced induction as well. 

In reply to Trent :

Honestly, for what I saw and the capabilities that feels more than respectable.  As you said, recurving distributors is a lost art.

Thanks.

Had a Pertronix in my old F100 when I bought it. Still in there after 10 years when I sold it. No complaints.

Just put a 302 in my Falcon that came with a Pertronix on it. Lost the smoke in it the first day. Stuck a set of NAPA points in it and it starts and runs just fine. IMO they try to solve a problem of laziness moreso than one of performance. I've owned numerous cars that had points and never had a problem. I would argue that OEM electronic ignition does not warrant the criticism I level at Pertronix, et al in the aftermarket. 

My 850 Mini did require the points to occasionally be adjusted. It would start to stumble at regular high rpms on the highway. Took more time to remove the grille for access than to adjust. Could have just been a cheap set. Didn't care; didn't bother me to give them a tickle once a year to make them right. 

But if the curve on the 1500 distributor is emissions garbage, then yes, I'd swap it for something else. 

I've been meaning to get a recurve as I'm just running what was on it when I got it. 

Here's the company I've been looking at. https://www.advanceddistributors.com/ on recommendation from the make/model specific forums.  They also have a good write-up in their FAQ about points vs electronic with a few interesting other facets.

Sad about the pertronix.  My experience does go back to the 90s, paired them with bosch blue coils and a jacobs system with excellent results.  Points I hated.  Too much distributor cam lube and they had a problem.  Every  month I had to adjust the dwell and timing to keep the car(s) running well.  I hear stories now about condensors being junk.  Such a simple electronic device that improves performance and reliability but I guess no market for making a good one.

My first car at 16 was an MG Midget. I recall that if you sneezed the car changed lanes; the steering was that quick compared to the Ford Station Wagon I learned to drive in.

The A-series engine is a joy to rev. I did not experience the same with the Triumph or B series engines from British Leyland. Ended up jamming a Fiat 1600 DOHC with a 5 speed in mine when the need for more speed came around.