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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Ashley hardtop

I've just bought one, which looks like it hasn't been on a car for a long time. Question, what are the rubbers like, A: that go along the top of the windscreen, and B: under the sides of the hardtop where is rests on the body work?

Any photo's plus comments gratefully received.
R T Jakeman

BUMP

Anyone??

There’s some discussion the archives which suggests that they never made an Ashley hardtop to fit the MK3 midget onwards (i.e. windup windows and a step in the rear deck)

The hardtop I have suits my windscreen but doesn't fit around the rear deck - see photo. Where it’s overlapping the flange that my hood clips to, there is a tab with a hole (see second picture) which looks to suit the flat rear deck Mk2 midget.

Can anyone confirm that there was never an ash lay hardtop made to suit my Midget? If so then I’ll start modifying, otherwise I'll sell this one and keep looking.

Thanks.



R T Jakeman

Second photo:


R T Jakeman

Hi RT,

I don't have rubber seals for my unrestored Ashley (frogeye) hardtop as yet so can't help on the rubbers. I'd be interested to hear the answer too.
But as for fitting later Midgets, they don't get any later than a Rubber bumbered one.
See here
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1977-MG-MIDGET-1500-ORANGE_W0QQitemZ110262357712QQcategoryZ29757QQcmdZViewItem
G Lazarus

Less that two hours left Gary! It'll be a good buy at two grand.
Mike

Not sure there's truth in that myth - my old Ashley used to fit my MK3 midget.
Rich Amos (1330cc Blaze Red '72)


Here's one I'm going to look at this Sat with a view to buying. Looks like it fits on a RWA OK to me? I hope so, because that's what I want to fit it on!!
I nearly bought one a few months ago that I guy was going to do up to go on his 1500 but never got around to it. The 1500 had gone, but he said it fitted fine.

Apologies for the following blatant thread hijack on a related topic - I will need to replace the front catches which have pulled out - how easy or otherwise is that??

And finally, out of curiosity, does anyone know how many Ashley tops are out there??


MarkH1

I wonder if there are two versions of the 'wind-up window' Ashley. Mine kind-of fits, but not as well as others I've seen.
Andrew Noakes (1275 Midget)

"ash lay" - thanks for that MS word.

Hmm that’s interesting then, I wonder of people have been modifying them. G Lazarus - what does yours look like around the rear deck area? Does it have a mount at the B post, next to your shoulder like the works hardtops?

Mark - my front catches have pulled out too. I was going to cut out a hole in the fibreglass and sink in a plate with two nuts welded on, then fibreglass over.

Andrew - what do you mean by kind of fits?

Richard.
R T Jakeman

The early ones (for the frogeye) don't have catches. They have a fixing bracket on each side which bolts onto the windscreen supports.
I have seen two versions of the rear mountings for sidescreen cars. version one locks into the teardrops on the rear deck which would normally hold the soft top rear metal bar and the second version located by carriage bolts into the soft top frame mountings on the inside of the B posts

This is the only image a have access to at the moment but you'll notice that there is no boot to open.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30855945@N00/2421288827/
G Lazarus

Richard - mine doesn't quite fit as well as I'd like where it crosses the stepped part of the rear body. As here:

http://andrewnoakes.com/images/stories/Midget/gac442k.jpg

Other Ashleys I've seen on Mk3s seem to fit better.
Andrew Noakes (1275 Midget)

Conclusion - there were definitely some made for the mk3 - late on as well as Ashley automobiles stopped trading in 1972.

Andrew yours definitely looks like one for an earlier model. Compare the fit to this photo. On this one you can see a bulge in the hardtop underneath the rear window, to follow the line of the Mk3 shell. I've found quite a few photos showing this now, including that orange rubber bumper that G Lazarus posted a link to earlier.

Thanks everyone. I’d better keep looking.



R T Jakeman

Just found this in the archives. I am building a new car on a 1970 shell. The Ashley top I have is obviously for the earlier model but wondering on how well I could modify it and how it would fit by cutting the rear lugs off. Andrew - did you do this? Dont need a perfect fit as will for a race car, not concours. Thanks.
John Collinson

off at a tangent - your early one is rare and probably worth more than the commoner correct later one. Sell, and buy the right one?
David Smith

I'm surprised I missed this thread the first time round...particularly as R T included a pic of my car!

And, yes, there definitely was a Mk3 version.
Dave O'Neill2

you probably forgot Dave - as most of it is from 2008!
David Smith

Looks like e-bay is my friend then!
John Collinson

Jon, I had the earlier top too for my 70 midget, I could not find a later hardtop so I bonded on balsa wood profiled it and then built up multiple layers of fibreglass resin, strands and tissue, to be honest it turned out well.




J Shaw

Hi John

We didn't have a happy experience on a FISC race car we built fitted with an original shape Ashley hardtop (and a Sebring front) - I am convinced the shape leads to rear end lift and instability at race speeds - The (ahem) 'Goodwood Historic' megabucks version done by Motobuild/Rae Davis has a non original spoiler shape on the boot and I'm sure this solves the issue.

I talked Mark Dols into fitting a clear perspex lip spolier on his White and Blue Ashley topped car - he promptly went out and won a race and then FISC banned the modification...

James
James Bilsland

<he promptly went out and won a race and then FISC banned the modification...>
fairly predictable Pieter reaction ;-)
David Smith

I don't suppose R T jakeman still has this ? I've got a Mk2 midget am after a hard top. Maybe we could work something out ?
W Armston-Sheret

W A-S I think it's John Collinson you want to get hold of, he has the Mk2 Ashley and needs a later one...
David Smith

Thanks Dave, I've been looking to purchase a hard top. sadly I don't have a later one too offer in return.
W Armston-Sheret

W armston-Sheret - i'm on john@surveyingdevonandcornwall.co.uk. Ping me a mail.

John
John Collinson

This thread was discussed between 19/06/2008 and 27/11/2011

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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