Toyota Powered: 1964 MG Midget
The first generation (Mark I) MG Midget was a pint sized little runabout from Morris Garage that shared mechanical parts with the Sprite from Austin-Healey from 1961-1964. The Midget shared basically every part of its bill-of-materials (except the badge) with the Sprite, but today’s example has a bigport 2T-C 4-cylinder 1.6-liter engine borrowed from an early 70s Toyota Celica or Corona. Find this 1964 MG Midget offered for $1900 in Olympia, WA via craigslist. Tip from JB1025.
From the seller:
1964 mg midget
condition: fair
cylinders: 4 cylinders
drive: rwd
fuel: gas
odometer: 1
paint color: brown
size: compact
title status: clean
transmission: manual
type: convertible
1964 MG midget mk1 roadster. Toyota 2tc engine all hooked up that turns over, needs exhaust manifold and radiator. T50 5speed transmission and a weber carb. With a little work this could be a driver. This car is titled and comes with a titled parts car. Would make a great resto project too! Possible trade for dry sauna.
See a better way to drive a British classic with Japanese power? tips@dailyturismo.com
I can’t figure out how you would make this work without moving the engine a few inches to the passenger side so that the exhaust has somewhere to go other than into the peddle box.
The alternator and water pump could be relocated, or another flex joint put in the steering column, but that exhaust is a real head scratcher.
Maybe something like a Chevy ram’s horn manifold , maybe upside down?
Too bad, it sure looks nice.
“Toyota 2tc engine all hooked up that turns over, needs exhaust manifold, (that I could not for the life of me figure out how to fit and is why I stopped and am now selling it), and radiator.”
-Fixed.
Ahh google has answers to all questions
http://www.2040-cars.com/MG/Midget/1972-mg-midget-toyota-2tc-hemi-powered–307950/
Photo #19 , now that’s a header!
Hemi powered Midget sounds INSANE till you read the fine print.
I think ‘sounds insane’ sounds about right: “The car currently is running on a straight header. You will need ear protection when driving the car if you don’t want to go deff.”
Did you see that the steering column is threaded through the manifold?
That steering column through the manifold why I posted that link.
Reminds me of a friend that once welded some 1 x 2 inch stubs to a header manifold, hose clamped some flexible 2 inch conduit to the stubs, tied the conduit to the frame with some wire and called it done.
It got as far on the list of things that exhaust manifolds need to do as the “prevent brake fluid from catching fire†item and that was about it.
For those of you who don’t know, a gas passing through a corrugated tube will whistle depending on its speed.
The thing sounded like a bomb going off in a calliope.
The Magic of DT when i first saw this add there was no underhood photo of the motor and then overnight DT found one or maybe owner updated the listing……..Great …..lol !
I would so love to buy this, but even at $1900 it would be too costly for me. The spousal divorce payments would come in and tip the value balance to ‘best not’.
It would be so tempting to get this running with maybe a cobra or Lotus 7 type external exhaust and a bugeye front on it.
Best finish up some of the current projects first…