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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Body Jig.

I will shortly be embarking on a monumental rebuild of my VERY rottern Mk1 midget. I think I'll build a Body Jig first. Has anyone else done this? If so, drawings, photos, dimensions etc would be appreciated.

Many thanks in anticipation,

Mark.
M T Boldry

Mark,
I think that Lizzie Bartlet's Dad made a body alignment jig for her Sprite.
Guy Weller

Mark,

You may already have this link, but just in case:
http://www.spridget-tech.com/service_manual/Section-R.pdf

Jim
Jim Redmond RWA Midget

Mark, Peter Plouf of Canada did the most complete restoration of a Frogeye body I've ever seen. He just created bracing to span the door areas and then worked carefully checking his dimensions as he went. Take a look at what he did on http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2203663
You may not need a complete jig, could save you a lot of time.
Bill Young

Try Frank Claricie in the garden state,

He can certianly give you some insight, he is currently building a 59 bugeye sprite(???), from 2 differant cars...And I dont mean 1 as a parts car,

I mean he Cut the 2 cars in half (horizantily) and re-welded the 2 good sections back togather

I havent seen it, BUT Wow ambitious or susicidal, I guess will find out, without a doulbt he is the man to do it if only a few can, vary talented...unfortantly I through out his email. But David Lieb is good friends with him (Poor frank...LOL) so he can provide the contact info to frank.

The car is going to be called ladybug..."like the insect" supposed to be done by may, I wish him luck

In fact Frank is the same guy that headed up the "Holy Sprite" charity build

Prop
Prop***The End in 2012

Thanks Guys.

I would love to be in touch with Frank Claricie if someone can arange that.

I have followed Peter Plouf's restoration and its inspirational....!

I need to speak to Lizzie, so I'll ask her about the Jig at the same time.

I will post pictures here soon...

Mark.
M T Boldry

Mark,
Talk to Daniel about Mr Claricie,

Guy
Guy Weller

Frank has restored so many Sprites, he probably just "eyeballs" it. ;)
Trevor Jessie

I remember when I first "met" Frank (as in web-met) about 10 years ago, he was on his 36th Spridget restoration. What takes most people 3 or 4 years he seems to get done in as many months - or even weeks! Mind you, I don't think he bothers with the sort of rust-bucket basket-case cars that are common in the UK
Guy Weller

Hey mark,

I sent david an emial to help out with Franks info, I think he is most likely buried in a snow drift so maybe a while.

prop
Prop***The End in 2012

Thanks Prop....

Guy, I need to get this project moving asap, so I hope that Mr Claricie is contactable....

Yes, that IS the trailer bed you can see, NOT the Midget's floor!

Mark.


M T Boldry

scruffy trailer Mark, don't you think you could have polished it up a bit if you were making it the subject of a photymegraph like this one?

And look, the midge has its own rusty key, bless it

OK fun over

Something very evocative when they are sitting all forlorn like this isn't there, waiting the love that is on the way.

Smashing car Mark, I loves it.
Bill sdgpm

Jez mark,

Thats not a car, thats a tetnous test zone...LOL


Did you get my email???

good luck, Im certianly looking forward to watching this build.

Prop
Prop***The End in 2012

Thanks Prop, I got your mail and have mailed Frank.

I will tell you more about the car once I have some facts verified.

Mark.
M T Boldry

Mark,
My suspicion is that Frank Claricie wouldn't use a body jig. I have seen quite a few photos of his restorations in progress over the past few years and I don't recall ever seeing a body jig of any sort. Most of the cars seem to be less "far gone" than UK restorations, and certainly not as much of a challenge as this latest project of yours. (or my current one either!)

I looked again at the video of Lizzie Bartlet's car, and the jig that her dad made looks simple enough to copy if you can get hold of the dimensions from him. It picks up on the front damper mounts and has two substantial square section beams that run under the car. The useful addition at the rear (if his doesn't already have it) would be a cross-beam with vertical plates drilled to locate the rear radius arm boxes and spring plates. With those positions fixed, and using the doors to locate the A-post / cill / B-post angles it should be possible to accurately fix everything else.

Guy
Guy Weller

Perhaps Lizzie is getting renovation withdrawal symptoms and would fancy another ten months of eating, drinking and sleeping Spridgets. I doubt it though.
G Lazarus

Thanks for the kind words. The bugeye has been a labour of love and a monument to financial irresponsibility. As my first restoration, I would not recoment that others follow down this road!

I do not know that a chassis jig is really needed for these cars. What is needed is a flat surface to take measurements from, and the data from the chassis dimension pages listed above. The series of cross-measuremets will keep you swuare, and if the floor is flat, then you have a Z axis to measure from.

I was lucky in that I stubled upon a flat sheet of 1" steel plate that had been ground flat. A table made of 3/4 or 1" plywood will serve as well, except for having to put out the odd fire!

I have started another project to keep this one company. http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2472007

Pete
p p

Since you guys are talking about me, I'll say that I am working on my 63rd Spridget.
Not that I restored all 63 of them but at least 1 a year for the past 12 years or so.
63 have been bought/sold/parted or cut up.
I have done seriously rusty cars like an early 58 for my son, Car # 761, and the current Lady Bug project for my daughter is 2 Bugeyes made into one. Cut in the middle of the wheel openings.
One was too far rusty, the other was smashed beyond repair so the 2 now make one.
I just heard that my daughter wants to enter a local show April 23.
The car has it's first coat of primer as of tonight and I did not touch the bonnet yet.
De-seamed in the back so I have to de-seam the bonnet.
I do not use a jig, I flip the car up on it's side and work on the side up in the air.
I can take measurements from the lower side before that gets cut out.
Flip it the other way and repeat the work.
Paint the floor before it goes down on all 4 and it's finished under there.
If it's too far gone, I weld angle iron across the door openings before cutting out sills and floors.
If you keep the front wheels on, they make a great stabilizer when the car is sitting on it's sill.
And only the sill hits the floor.
Well I'm not sure about cars with exterior door handles. Do tie a rope from the car to something just to be safe because 1 person can push it over.


Frank Clarici

Good grief charle brown!!!

I thought I was adventurous when it came to auto projects, but you guys are well beyound the pale, where do you guys find the zest to go to this level, building engines, and thinking up new hairy ride suspension systems is one thing, but hacking up chunks of rust dust from multiple cars into one big lunk of "weld metal" and make it look like a car that just came out of the new dealer show room in a time warp of 30 plus years ago, is a whole new pig-n-chicken breed.

truly remakable, I guess Ill need to set my vision a little higher

Prop
Prop***The End in 2012

There you are Mark, Frank's (great work Frank) and Pete's method is just about the same as the one I outlined last weekend.

Time is dashing by, and just as you have been supportive for the brothers when we/they needed guidance, we are here to help so get it on mate.

Keep your Stanley tape measure handy and a few strips of angle iron for when the removing looks "ultra-drastic" and you will soon be done.

A good quality marker pen helps too when you need to mark up and measure, crayon runs off when the steel gets hot and pencil marks vanish under dust. And You Know How I Know...

Bill(dance-dont-jig)M


[up on her side Lara sat on a bed of old tyres, the gaps in which easily accomodated the door handles and any other protuberances. Then she was braced by lengths of decent timber][[ and few bits of rubbish timber too]]


Bill sdgpm

There again, Mark, if you do want a body jig, Brian Wheeler's is the only one I have heard of outside of the Heritage factory at Witney. Though perenially busy, Brian is always interested in something out of the ordinary ...

Tom
Tom Coulthard

This thread was discussed between 27/02/2009 and 07/03/2009

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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