A LARGER M.G. MIDGET
A LARGER M.G. MIDGET
THE SERIES T MODEL, PRODUCED ONLY IN TWO-SEATER FORM AND COSTING £222, HAS A BIGGER ENGINE, A ROOMY BODY AND AMPLE LUGGAGE ACCOMMODATION.
Owners of those fast and economical little cars, the J and P type Midgets will possibly heave a sigh of regret at the passing of the little ” 850,” but the latest small car produced by the M.G. Car Company promises to carry out the same work in an even more satisfying manner. A new and larger power unit has been produced, a four-cylinder with a capacity of 1,292 c.c. and rated at 10 h.p., while the dimensions of the chassis have been increased sufficiently to allow really wide front seats to be fitted, with a spacious luggage compartment behind.
The larger engine should be of great advantage . to the trials enthusiast in providing extra power “low down,” while at the other end of the scale, the long-distance tourist will appreciate the high top-gear of 4.87 to 1.
A New Push-rod Engine
The engine follows the lead of the 2-litre six-cylinder M.G. recently put on the market, and has vertical overhead valves operated by push-rod, clearance being adjusted by the usual tappet screw and lock-nut. 14 mm. sparking plugs are used, and the coil ignition has automatic
advance and retard. The two semidown-draught carburetters are fitted with a neatly installed air-cleaner, and are supplied from the rear tank by an S.U. electric petrol pump. Oil fumes from the aluminium rocker-cover are piped to the air-cleaner from where they are drawn in to lubricate the inlet-valve stems. The cylinder-block and the top half of the crank-case are cast as one, and the crank-shaft is supported in three main
bearings. The bore and stroke of the cylinders are respectively 63.5 and 102 mm. Alloy pistons are used, with Hsection steel connecting rods. The compression ratio is 6.5 to 1. The camshaft is driven by a duplex roller chain. The lubricating oil is carried in a ribbed aluminium sump which holds 14gallons, and the gauge-covered oil intake is pivoted and floats above the level of any impurities which may collect there. A Tecalemit pressure filter is fitted
alongside the crank-case. A large and accessible oil-filler is carried on the valve cover. The radiator is of the handsome type fitted to the P.B. Midgets and the Magnettes, with chromium-plated top and shoulders and a slatted stone-guard. A three-point rubber belt driven from an extension of the cam-shaft operates a combined fan and water impeller and also the dynamo, which is mounted on the
near-side of the engine. A thermostat in the top water joint keeps the engine at its most efficient temperature.
The gear-box is mounted in unit with the engine, and an interesting innovation is a single-plate clutch running in oil and having cork insets. The gear-box employs straight pinions on all gears, the three higher ratios in close relation and bottom an emergency ratio intended for trials work. The overall ratios are 4.875, 6.92, 10.7 and 18.1 to 1. A remote control brings the stiff short gear-lever under the driver’s left hand. A balanced propellershaft with two Hardy-Spicer joints transmits the power to the semi-floating rear axle.
Understung Frame and Hydraulic Brakes.
The lay-out of the chassis frame, swept over the front axle and underslung at the rear remains-the same as on previous M.G. Midgets, the channels being strengthened around the rear engine mountings by a box section reinforcement of the side-members. The engine is now mounted on rubber at four points. The cross members as hitherto are of tubular section, and the two units of the twelve-volt battery are accommodated on either side of the propeller-shaft.
The chassis dimensions are :—wheelbase 7 ft. 10 in., track 3 ft. 9 in., which are respectively 7 in. and 3 in. larger than those of previous Midgets. Cable-operated brakes have been abandoned in favour of those of the Lockheed hydraulic pattern. The •drums are Somewhat smaller than the old pattern, the extra braking area being secured by having wider drums. The shoes are
lined with Ferodo M.R. fabric. The brakelever, which is centrally mounted and fitted with a racing ratchet, operates the rear brakes through cables.
Flat half-elliptic springs are used at front and back with swivel pins at the front end and trunnions at the rear, and controlled by Luvax shock-absorbers. Cam-steering is fitted, other items of interest being a Burgess straight-through silencer and Rudge wheels. The petrol tank holds 15 gallons, a feature which will be appreciated by trials drivers, and of this supply three gallons are kept in reserve. A control on the dash-board operates a two-way tap and brings the reserve into use. The throttle
and mixture controls have also been moved to the dashboard, and are grouped with the starter button and the switches on the neat instrument panel. The 5-in. rev.-counter is right under the driver’s eye and is balanced by a speedometer of similar dimensions on the passenger’s side of the facia hoard.
All-weather Protection
By taking full advantage of the slight increase in track offered by the new model, really commodious front seats, now separate, are available. A further advantage is that the driver’s elbow does not overhang the side of the body and the sidecurtains can be kept in position without in any way cramping him when rapid movements are required. Four sidecurtains instead of the usual two overcome this boxed-in feeling one often experiences in a small car with the hood in position.
The well behind the seats is large enough to accommodate four suit-cases, and the hood ‘swings down inside with the sticks below the level of the sides of the body. The cover fits over the back of the body and is secured with three neat straps.
As in appearance as well as in performance the series ” T ” M.G. Midget yields nothing to its predecessors, and the sweeping wings and the long bonnet remind one of the slightly larger Magnette. Produced in two-seater form at 1:222, the latest model from the Abingdon factory should be an instant success.