MASCOTISSUE 433 APRIL 2020

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ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: BRAKE CALLIPER REBUILD • BOOT FLOOR REAR QUARTERS • SEALING DOOR SILLS

DETAIL IS EVERYTHING - BY DR JE DAVIES

PAUL MORRIS’S WONDERFULLY RESTORED MIDGET

MASCOT FAMILY AFFAIR - BY ZOE HAWKINS

T H E M A G A Z I N E O F T H E M I D G E T & S P R I T E C L U B

HIGHLY COMMENDED

THENATIONALCAR CLUB

2019 IN ASSOCIATION WITH

AWARDS

438491_PCRS04_Web_Banner_NCCA_210mmx210mm_2019_(print).indd 2 05/02/2019 14:02

RACE RETRO – BY NEIL THOMAS

www.midgetandspriteclub.co.uk

If RH is already insuring your specialist vehicle, they will quote 10% less than the renewal premium for your everyday private car*. RH is best known for its specialist vehicle insurance, but they also provide highly competitive cover to owners of modern cars, along with the pleasing bonus of old-fashioned personal service.

But that’s not all.

RH’s fees for swapping vehicles, policy changes or mid-term adjustments are easy to understand: they’re £0.

Legal cover is a bargain too – if you’re already paying legal expenses cover (£10.50) for one car with RH, you can add as many vehicles as you like to your multi-vehicle policy, with no additional legal expenses cover payable. The cover will apply to all vehicles, with no limit on the total number of vehicles, or the mix of moderns to classics. In addition, every vehicle you add to the policy will earn its own multi-vehicle discount.

There’s even more good news, as UK and European breakdown recovery is standard with the RH package – for classic and modern vehicles.

*You’ll need to meet RH’s standard underwriting criteria and be claim-free in the last 12 months. Your current premium will need to match or exceed RH’s minimum premium (£240), which is periodically subject to change. As long as the cover is ‘like for like’ – that is, directly comparable**, it’s all good! Even if your renewal date is the best part of a year away, RH would be delighted to chat to you now about tailoring some top-notch, cost-effective cover.*****RH reserves the right to request sight of your renewal notice for validation purposes. ***A change in your circumstances could impact any quotes previously provided.

Got a classic policy? RH guarantees to beat your everyday car’s renewal too!by Emma Airey, Head of RH Specialist vehicle insurance

20142 08/19

Call any of the friendly team members on

0333 043 3911 or email classicuw@ers.com

1380 ENGINE WITH SC COMPONENTS HEAD

WELCOMETO THE APRIL EDITION OF MASCOT

MIDGET &SPRITE CLUB

NEIL THOMASeditor@midgetandspriteclub.co.uk

The statements and opinions expressed in each and every issue of Mascot are not necessarily the considered views of the Midget and Sprite Club. The views expressed by the editorial contributors, letter writers and advertisers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Club. The Midget and Sprite Club accepts no responsibility for the results of following contributor’s advice, nor does it necessarily endorse the services or products offered by advertisers.

THE DEADLINE FOR ARTICLES AND REPORTS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE MAY EDITION OF MASCOT IS...

FRIDAY 10TH OF APRIL

ISSUE 433

Hello everyone, I write these notes this month whilst we are all experiencing unprecedented times. The dreaded Coronavirus is with us. The MASC committee have already contacted all Area Reps to direct that all MASC club related activities be suspended until such time as MASC considers it is safe to recommence. This includes monthly meetings, road runs, attendance at shows and any other event where MASC is being represented. The club is following the Government’s advice on this matter. In ‘Dear MASCOT’ also you will see a letter from the FHBVC advocating this approach. However they are also saying it is alright to participate in Drive it Day on an individual basis. I think this is irresponsible and lacking leadership from a well respected body. I have written to them to ask them to revise this advice.

It is MASC’s request that members SHOULD NOT make any non essential journeys in their cars at this time. Doing so potentially puts additional strain on the emergency services and health system should an incident occur whilst out and about on a needless trip. This situation will pass whereupon we will continue to enjoy our cars and friendships with other enthusiasts. We just need to be patient.

Expect many of the forthcoming events in this issue to be cancelled/suspended.

From the editor’s perspective I am worried that the current health challenge will mean less articles for MASCOT as members won’t be out and about using their cars. However, this provides a great opportunity to put pen to paper and write those articles you have been meaning to write but not got around to. Please, please send me material and photos so that I can keep MASCOT going through this period. Thank you.

I’d also like to raise an issue regarding adverts for cars for sale in Market Place. If you are selling a car and advertising it in MASCOT, please ensure that any photos you submit are up to date ones. Sending in old photos can be regarded as misleading.

On a lighter note I have a funeral for a friend to announce!

Alan Anstead reports: “Together we had travelled afar at home and abroad. Always at my side on runs, trips, tours in case of my need for it. Often the butt of abuse and frequently referred to as a joke, considered an outcast and old fashioned in this fast paced modern age.

But now, after nearly twenty years of service, (first with my wife Lisa who then passed title to me), on the evening of Wednesday last, after attempts to resuscitate failed, its life slowly faded away - my mobile phone was dead. “

Please accept pour deepest condolences Alan.

I wish you all a healthy month and look forward to presenting May’s issue with all your stories. Neil

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15-19th April Healey Museum. Vreeland, Netherlands. (Kent Rep)

26th April 10am-4pm, Yorkshire Drive It Day run will start in Tadcaster (exact location TBA) and will take a scenic route to a location near Howden where other car clubs will also gather so we can mix and meet other enthusiasts and view their cars. The venue is Classic Car themed and serves Breakfast, Lunch and High Tea. Contact Mark on T: 07471 606060 or Anita on T: 07484 682516 E: spridget.girl@gmail.com

26th April Central Drive it Day. Meet 10am to depart 10.30am Tamworth for a leisurely drive to conclude at Weston Park around lunchtime.

26th April Drive it Day - will be heading to the International Bomber Command Centre near Lincoln. The route to be finalised shortly.

9-10th May Classic and Vintage Vehicle Steam event at Papplewick Pumping Station, Nottinghamshire. Free entry for pre-1985 vehicles. Pre-booking form please contact Ian Cooke E: ilcooke@btinternet.com

10th May Classics at Prescott. Full details at: http://www.classicsatprescott.com/copy-of- saturday-drive-the-hill. If you want to attend, please reserve a place for the static display via the link above and let them know you’re with MASC. Space has been reserved for the club so hopefully everyone can park together when we get to Prescott. Contact Andrew Parrot, Northants – contact details in MASCOT.

30-31st May Wollaton Park ‘Autokarna’ and Motor Show. Nottingham NG8 2AE MASC paddock area for all pre-booked cars. £5 per car. A call to all neighbouring MASC groups to join the Notts + Derby area for our biggest event of the year! Contact: Ian Cooke E: ilcooke@btinternet.com

6-8 June Duxford / Shuttleworth Aircraft Collections staying at Hitchen Priory (Derek Harris via Kent rep)

21st June Visit to Bletchley Park famous base of WW2 codebreakers (Richard Bowles via Kent Rep)

28th June Central Country Lanes drive to Brixworth Reservoir and country park. Meet Bricklayers Arms Sharnford LE10 3PX. 9.30am option of breakfast rolls and hot drinks at pub for 10.30am depart, leisurely drive around Northampton to meet other MASC regions attending at the lunchtime break. Contact Andrew Parrot, Northants – contact details in MASCOT.

17th-19th July TYRE Festival - Young Members Rally, Derbyshire. A weekend event for young and old club members to enjoy their Spridgets and share them with the young people of other car clubs. Visit www.tyrefest.org.uk/masc for more. Ticket discount code MASC20.9th August Central Day Out with Staffordshire Knott Car Club, all types of classic cars from 1930’s onwards. Central will have their own display area. Held on Lichfield Barracks, Staffs WS14 9TJ.

15-24th Sept Richard Lionheart Tour (Roussines - France) visiting places related to King Richard 1 plus much more. Details Alan Anstead Kent Rep.

EVENTS CALENDAR 2020LIKELY TO BE CANCELLED. CHECK FIRST

MASC Membership SecretaryAs reported at the AGM I intend to stand down from the position of Membership Secretary by the next AGM in 2020. Consequently there is an exciting opening for a keen club member to take on the post of Membership Secretary. Working hours are flexible and the job is based on a zero hours contract but you can guarantee that there will be some employment most weeks. It is a rewarding job and a great way to communicate with and get to know many members of the club. Being Membership Secretary you are also on the MASC Committee.

It would be useful to have some computing knowledge but the system for registering new members and membership renewals is fully automated and totally menu driven. All those that are interested please give me a ring for a quiet chat on 01562 883076 or 07845 211420. Stuart Watson

Send your events details to editor@midgetandspriteclub.co.uk For inclusion on the website contact Mike webmaster@midgetandspriteclub.co.uk

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JOIN US FOR THE CLASSIC’S30TH ANNIVERSARY

2020CCD071

www.silverstoneclassic.comOur club’s exclusive Car Club Display Package code is:

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TICKET DISCOUNT CODE

TYRE Festival- M i d g e t a n d S p r i t e C l u b Yo u n g M e m b e r s & F r i e n d s P r e s e n t -

A weekend celebrat ion of youth motor ing for a l l MASC members

MASC20 www.tyrefest.org.uk

17th-19th July 2020

Interclub Challenge - Peak District TourLive Music - Show & Shine

LIKELY TO BE CANCELLED. CHECK FIRST

JOIN US FOR THE CLASSIC’S30TH ANNIVERSARY

2020CCD071

www.silverstoneclassic.comOur club’s exclusive Car Club Display Package code is:

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LIKELY TO BE CANCELLED. CHECK FIRST

NEW MEMBERS We extend a warm welcome to the following new and rejoined members

FEBRUARY > MARCH 2020

Hi Neil

I joined SMOC in January having recently purchased a 1972 Midget. I’d owned a similar car (reg no. XNU 10L if anyone knows it’s current whereabouts) when I was 17 in the early 1980s and had to sell it to pay my way through university. So at the grand old age of 55 I decided to buy another Midget and of course

it had to be red! I drive a Landrover Discovery Sport so it’s taking some getting used to but I love it, although I do seem to remember it was easier to get out of when I was 17!

Just to tell you a little bit about the car........ ”Maureen” was lovingly restored 7 years ago by a gentleman who lives near to Stoke, he’d used her for each of his 2 daughter’s weddings and it was his pride and joy. The restoration was fully documented with all the paperwork and photos and there was a tear in his eye as he handed the documents and keys over to me. 

A thorough inspection was carried out by my mechanic friend Mark, he is currently restoring a Mk 3 Midget, and he gave the thumbs up for me to make the purchase. Mark is going to rebuild the gearbox for me, other than that she’s in pretty good shape. The only problem I have now is where to put my 2 Labradors .............!

I am looking forward to meeting the local group and attending SMOC events.......roll on summer!

Kind regards, 

Juliette Lowe

6026 Jeff Clarke Dumfries Midget 1500

6027 Edward Applewhite Buckinghamshire Midget 1500

6028 Shaun Metcalf Devon Sprite Mk 4

6029 James Martin Kent Midget Mk 3

6031 David Brown Kent Sprite Mk 1

6032 Karl Thompson Cambs Midget Mk 2

6033 Andy Butcher & Mike Clark London none None

6034 Martyn & Kirsty Bloomfield Kent Sprite Mk 1

6036 John Lynch North Yorkshire Sprite Mk 2

6037 Christopher Watson Tyne And Wear Midget Mk 3

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Hi 

I am a returning member to the MASC and here is a picture of me with my car, lovingly nicknamed “old codge” by my children several years ago when they were much younger. They saw the registration and picked up on COJ ... pronouncing it “codge” and the name has stuck ever since. So now when I take the car out there is a shout of “I’m just going out with old codge”. I’m still not sure if the neighbours know what I’m on about. 

Cheers, Ben Adams (6025) - Notts / Derby group 

Please find attached photo of myself (David Major) with my recently acquired frogeye. As you can see I have many months of restoration ahead of me but I am looking forward to the challenge. 

Neil

When I joined MASC in 2014 I didn’t have a photo of the Mk 3 Midget I had bought to restore and modify.

It’s just about finished now so here’s a couple of photos possibly for the “New Members” page.

My car may be the only Midget running a 1380 with SC ally head and TBs.

Kind regards, Paul - Memb no. 4850

Robin Bendall ... a trip to GoodwoodHi Neil,

Please find attached photos from my trip to Goodwood on 4/3/20 to watch the Track Day for the Historic Racing Drivers Club.

I have included one of me with the Tifosi on the starting grid, titled ‘Waiting for Stirling.

Two show a Coombs Jaguar with badge.

One shows a red Ashley.

The other photo shows myself and Dudley Holman beside my Tifosi in the pits.

Dudley is a Goodwood member that we met, who used to own the fifth 9 stud Frogeye manufactured in 1958.

Best regards,

Robin Bendall.

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BY LOUISE JENNINGS

Free Delivery on all April Phone and Web orders!

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We hope you have had the opportunity to visit our new website. Unfortunately due to unforeseen issues and ongoing maintenance to improve functionality, the website

experience has not met our usual high standards

We would like to apologise and as a thank you for your patience and loyalty we are offering free delivery on all UK orders (Retail Only) placed during April.

To order by phone call 0121 544 4040 and quote FREE SHIP M&STo order online visit our website at www.davidmanners.co.uk (no code required)

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BY LOUISE JENNINGS

CARS FOR SPEED AND GLAMOUR

Heritage & Culture Warwickshire are delighted to announce its exciting summer exhibition “Healey: Cars for Speed & Glamour” that will run from Friday 1st May to Saturday 30th September 2020 at the Market Hall Museum, Warwick. 

This is the first time the Museum  has devoted the entire ground floor to one exhibition. It will focus on Donald Mitchell Healey CBE, entrepreneur, inventor and racing driver and the Donald Healey Motor Company he founded. It will tell the story of the rise of a remarkable company that started in the Cape area of Warwick and achieved international fame, designing some of the most famous and desirable sports cars in motoring history. The exhibition will feature artefacts, archives and photographs, owned by Donald Healey or his company. It will demonstrate the extraordinary spirit of Donald, his sons, Geoffrey and Brian, and the talented team that worked with them. Highlighting the works, the cars, the motor sport exploits and some of the less publicised projects! In addition to the exhibition, there will be a programme of community engagement activities that will allow people of all ages to learn about the Healey story. 

We want to publicise the exhibition widely to make sure as many people as possible get to enjoy this wonderful story. To help we are contacting specialist press and motor related organisations to ask if you would promote the exhibition through

your news and social media channels. We will share our promotional material and the press releases with you and/or provide a short article with more details for you to publish on our behalf. If you are able to help or would like any further information, please email  louisejennings@warwickshire.gov.uk 

To allow us to deliver the exhibition to the highest standard and deliver an exciting community engagement programme, we are also getting in touch with organisations to discuss how they might like to support and get involved through corporate sponsorship.  We have a number of sponsorship options available. If you are interested in sponsoring the exhibition or the community engagement programme, please contact bronwenwilliams@warwickshire.gov.uk . 

It would also be great to see you there! Please bring your family and friends along to see the exhibition and take part in some of the fun events. 

For updates on the exhibition follow us on 

Twitter @oisinthedeer , @RuairiTheFawn  @ourwarwickshire , @Chambearlin 

Facebook page Warwickshire Museum 

Instagram @heritageandculturewarwickshire 

Visit:  heritage.warwickshire.gov.uk // www.ourwarwickshire.org.uk 

Thanks, Kind regards Louise

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SUBJECT TO CHANGE

FBHVC - 5 MARCH 2020

E10 fuels consultation. FBHVC position statement.On Wednesday 4th March 2020, Her Majesty’s Government published a consultation on proposals to introduce E10 petrol as the standard for fuel across the UK. The lead proposal would introduce a minimum ethanol content of 5.5% for standard ‘premium’ fuels in 2021, whilst - and this is important for historic vehicles - maintaining the current E5 blend in the ‘protection’ grade.

The consultation seeks views on the proposed mechanism, definitions and derogations. It also includes a call for evidence on potential changes required to existing policy mechanisms (including targets under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation) following an introduction of E10. The consultation will run for six weeks, closing on 19th April and the FBHVC have received a formal invitation to participate in the consultation and have confirmed our intention to do so.

The reasons given for considering the introduction of a standard of fuel containing up to 10 per cent bioethanol, centre around attempts to make significant savings on carbon emissions as the government makes attempts to meet its climate change targets.

Typically, fuel companies currently blend petrol with up to 5% bioethanol and diesel with 7% biodiesel. The government have a target to ensure that 9.75% of all transport fuels must come from renewable sources by the end of this year under their “Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation”. The government believe that a move to standardising E10 fuel will be equivalent to taking 350,000 cars off the road each year. The Department of Transport estimates that this may cut CO2 emissions for transport by 750,000 tonnes per year.

E10 is of concern to historic vehicle owners because it may cause some flexible fuel hoses, seals, gaskets, plastics and certain metals critical

to the fuel system to corrode or degrade. This may cause damage to fuel pumps, carburettors, seals on injectors, pressure regulators and fuel tanks that are not resistant to ethanol. The bioethanol may also dislodge particles on older fuel systems causing blockages.

There are other challenges facing the roll-out of E10 fuel aside from compatibility. As published in Federation News, Issue 1 2020, we understand that the only UK refinery for the additive has closed and the environmental costs of shipping additives from other parts of the world negates any environmental benefit.

The Federation note that the government, in previous consultations on the matter, have recognised that historic and cherished vehicles are not advised to use fuel with these proposed levels of bioethanol. The Federation has also advised in previous consultations of the requirement to run an alternative ‘protection grade’ alongside E10 for historic vehicles and we will seek to reinforce that standpoint in this latest consultation. The Federation will also seek reassurance that historic vehicle owners will not be financially penalised at the pump when purchasing protection grade fuel and that its availability will not be time limited.

In September 2019, compulsory fuel labelling was introduced to ensure that consumers were informed of the contents of the fuel they were using on the forecourts, their environmental impact and a fuel’s suitability for a particular vehicle. It required a new set of fuel labels which were harmonised across Europe. E10 petrol is used elsewhere on the continent and is particularly prevalent in France and Germany, where it is also offered alongside E5 grades.

The same day as the consultation was announced, FBHVC Chairman David Whale attended a meeting at the House of Commons with the All Party Parliamentary Historic Vehicles Group, chaired by Sir Greg Knight, to reinforce the concerns of the Federation’s members directly with MPs.

The following question was posed to the Secretary of State for Transport by Sir Greg Knight, Conservative MP for East Yorkshire: “To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the use of E10 fuel on older vehicles?” Which received the following response from Rachel Maclean, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport):

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Published: 17/03/2020The FBHVC is committed to following and passing on the latest UK Government advice on events and public gatherings pertinent to our member clubs. Current government and public health advice states that all, non-essential social contact with other people should be avoided for foreseeable future. We are also being advised to avoid pubs, which if course is the most popular type of venue of regional club meets within historic vehicle organisations. Those at risk or with underlying health issues are being advised to self-isolate for a period of 12 weeks.Therefore, we are advising all clubs with regions, local groups and registers to encourage their volunteers and organisers cancel or postpone their monthly meetings and local club events for the foreseeable future. This is in line with UK Government advice. We urge you to watch the FBHVC website www.fbhvc.co.uk and the government advice links below for up to the minute information.In summaryEveryone should avoid gatherings and crowded places, such as pubs, clubs and theatresEveryone should work from home if they canAll “unnecessary” visits to friends and relatives in care homes should ceaseBy next weekend, those with the most serious health conditions must be “largely shielded from social contact for around 12 weeks.”

If one person in any household has a persistent cough or fever, everyone living there must stay at home for 14 daysThose people should, if possible, avoid leaving the house “even to buy food or essentials” - but they may leave the house “for exercise and, in that case, at a safe distance from others”Reach outWe have a number of elderly members amongst our clubs. If you know of any in your region or register, why not drop them an email or give them a call to chat historic vehicles for a while and make sure they have all they need. For those with underlying health issues, the next 12 weeks is likely to be a long and potentially lonely time and this is an ideal time for our community to pull together. Keeping up to datePlease be assured that during this rapidly changing situation, we are monitoring advice very closely and will follow up with FBHVC members if the situation develops.For more information on COVID-19 visit: Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.To view UK Government advice visit: www.gov.ukFor NHS information visit: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/Please note: If volunteer organisers of regional events choose to postpone or cancel certain events, members should support them in that decision.

“Increasing the share of bioethanol in petrol by blending up to 10 per cent, known as E10, could provide significant carbon savings, helping us meet our climate change commitments. One of the main barriers to introducing E10 has been vehicle compatibility. Currently, around 95% of petrol cars used in the UK can use E10, but around 700,000 are not warranted by their manufacturers to use E10. This number is expected to decrease as vehicles come to the end of their life. However, some classic and cherished vehicles that are not advised to use E10 will remain in use.

The prolonged use of E10 fuel in those older and classic vehicles not under manufacturer warranty can cause corrosion of some rubbers and alloys used in the engine and fuel systems. For those

vehicles, the Department remains committed to ensuring that E5 is retained as a protection grade, if E10 is introduced.”

The FBHVC will be consulting with all interested parties and our member organisations prior to making our submission to the E10 consultation by the deadline.

Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs Ltd, PO Box 295, Upminster, Essex, RM14 9DG

Tel: 01708 223111 E-mail: secretary@fbhvc.co.uk Web: www.fbhvc.co.uk

Registered Office: The Barn, Holly Berry House, Hamstall Ridware, Rugeley, Staffordshire, WS15 3SQ Registered in England No 3842316 VAT Reg No. 636 788683

CORONAVIRUS: General advice to clubs from the FBHVC

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UPDATED ADVICE EXPECTED

BY PAUL MORRIS

FROM MILAN TO ABINGDON

A Midget “Resto / Mod” storyWhen my love affair with my 1960 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint came to an end after 14 years of truly fantastic motoring joy, and my workshop stood empty, my wife suggested that another “car project” would be a good idea to cure me of my boredom.

Unprompted encouragement from one’s partner to spend money on a car project should never be questioned or delayed, so my “journey” from Milan to Abingdon began; a journey that would eventually take close to 6 years to complete, and nearly took a detour to Japan.

What car should be the subject of this project? I was lucky enough to have a fully equipped, heated double garage sized workshop next to our house; some 40 years of automotive industry and motorsport experience; and some funds.

First choice was to “do” a Datsun 510. The 510 was hugely successful in saloon car racing in Japan and the USA in the 1970’s not least in the hands of Paul Newman. My research soon changed the first choice; project cars are very rare in Europe and very expensive in USA and Japan, and the bits I would need likewise would need to come from Japan.

The final choice would be decided by these considerations:

• Would I be able to do most of the work myself and on my own?

• Were parts etc. readily available and affordable?

• Would the technology and mechanicals be of my era?

• Would the result be a fun driving car with some good performance?

• Would I be able to realistically complete the project within 1 year?

I’d never even driven a Midget, my first cars after passing my test at 17 were all Minis – from 970s to 1275GT, and then company cars in the car business, but a Midget or Sprite looked to tick all of the boxes vs. my considerations and requirements.

January 2014: decision taken. Now find a good solid base for the project. After a few wasted journeys to see what proved to be overpriced and overhyped horrors, I decided to save some time and money by approaching a knowledgeable source with a reputation to protect. Mike Authers had a suitable GAN5 1972 car on consignment, and so the journey to Abingdon started.

Despite a failure to proceed experienced on the test drive, most importantly the car had no rust issues and was a solid base for the project, admittedly tired but a daily driver if so required. Mike also had a works hardtop which I bought along with the car.

Now I had the car, what was the end product of my project intended to be?

As I have already indicated I wanted to modify the car rather than do yet another restoration. Immaculate restorations are to be admired, and many people have had much pleasure and satisfaction form those. Restorations to driveable / enjoyment standard within a reasonable budget have likewise been done by many.

Most important to me was that the finished car whilst extensively modified should still retain the spirit of a Midget and be recognisable as a Midget. Retaining the spirit meant having an A series under the bonnet, so no engine transplants, and having

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a look to the car that would say: “that’s obviously a Midget, but what is it about it that makes it a bit different?”.

I collected EKB 151L from Abingdon at the start of February 2014 – target date for completion of project: Easter 2015.

As soon as I had the car into the workshop, I started to strip it ready to send to the specialist bodyshop in Hampshire that I had used for years. I had warned them that I had a car to modify and paint as and when they could fit it in around the International Concours d’Elegance cars they specialise in. Sean was looking forward to having a change of subject matter – a car that he could complete in 2 or 3 weeks rather than the 3 or 4 months that is his usual fayre. Much sooner than expected I was told to get the Midget to Hampshire within a couple of days as an unexpected cancellation had opened a window of opportunity which would close for another 7 months if I couldn’t make it. I made it with compromises on the extent of stripping I was able to do.

There was NO rust to attend to, so body prep was limited to closing bumper mounting holes and re-siting the fuel filler aperture. The body is finished in Alfa Romeo AR716 Graphite Grey, and the hardtop in RAL7001.

Whilst away in Hampshire, I started on the engine and gearbox and the sourcing of a mountain of parts.

The plan for the engine was a 1380cc “full house” motor running a single 45 DCOE, mated to a Ford T9 gearbox. First decision: whilst very familiar with A series motors, do I chase around with different specialist for machining and head modifications, etc. and bring it all together myself, or turn to a reputable engine builder for a turn-key solution. I made a bad call, choosing the second option.

I had forgotten my semi-pro motorsport experiences with engine builders – they never deliver on time. Easter 2015 arrives with the engine still at the builders 8 months after delivery to them, and a change of plan.

I had come across the cylinder head and throttle bodies kit produced by Specialist Components, and despite the considerable cost had decided that this would be more modern and in keeping with the spirit of “ a Midget for the 21st Century”. Rather than further sour my relations with the engine builder by asking him to change the spec. I decided to chase him to finish the engine as originally specified, and to rebuild it myself to the new spec with new crossflow ally head etc., changing the

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cam and other bits and pieces. I had been away from A series motors for 40 years.

The rolling shell was back from the painters in May 2014, and while the engine was away, I had been reworking the suspension. At the rear nothing extraordinary – telescopic dampers, uprated springs and a panhard rod. I kept the drum brakes which are fine in a light (and lightened) non-race car. The back axle was rebuilt with a Quaiffe ATB, 3.9 diff and race drive shafts.

At the front extensive modifications to the chassis were required to fit fully adjustable coil over front suspension from JLH Motorsport, coupled with 4 pot calliper 240mm discs. etc. and much tidying of the engine bay as well as modifications to the front crossmember and radiator aperture to accommodate a bespoke oil cooler combined coolant radiator fabricated by Concept Racing.

With the target completion date of Easter 2015 long since passed I collected my new engine from the builders at the end of July, and at once started to strip it to rebuild in the new configuration.

As well as the new head, the cam was changed from a Swiftune to a Calver RE13-PP and re-timed of course. The SC head is machined from a single aluminium billet and a work of art (see later comment), and I fitted 1.5 roller rockers and numerous bits and pieces to accommodate the throttle body injection and ECU controlled “sparks”. The SC kit is designed for fitting to transversely

mounted (Mini) engines, so this required some modifications for example to the timing wheel trigger sensor; all very time consuming but satisfying.

The clutch release was changed to a Burton concentric hydraulic item, and the Ford box mated to the newly rebuilt engine, but before installation there was the matter of the modifying the electrics as almost all the lighting units, engine ancillaries, instrumentation, etc was new. Electrics never have been my forte, but a friend came to my aid with superb wiring diagrams and specs. A new dash was built and reconfigured with new instruments and switches to suit the new functions in the car.

By Easter 2016 the engine and box were ready to go back in the car; Easter 2017 looked like being a viable new date for the Midget to be completed. It would have been but for the fact that in the autumn of 2016 we decided to downsize and move to an apartment in a Retirement Village. No more gardening, no more house maintenance, and no more workshop!

A huge amount of work resulted in the car being nearly, but not completely finished and recommissioned before we moved into temporary accommodation pending our new apartment being ready. Jonathon Heap at JLH Motorsport was the obvious choice to finish the work required before the car went to Northampton Motorsport for the engine to be set up on their rolling road.

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Jonathon and Tom did a great job getting the car to Northampton in December 2017. Easter 2018 now looked like the new target for completion, and the start of a whole summer of driving the Midget.

If I had been subject to and frustrated by delays up to this point since starting the project nearly four years previously, that was as nothing compared to the expensive and time-consuming drama that was about to unfold.

Once Troy at Northampton Motorsport had mapped the ECU, the initial start and run up ended after 2 mins with evidence that coolant was mixing with lubricant. Given the bad news over the phone my first thought was that perhaps my engine was at fault, but a bit of investigation with the rocker cover off suggested that coolant was leaking out around two of the valve guides. Discussion with SC wasn’t very helpful or sympathetic. I ended up paying to have the head lifted and stripped, so that it could be pressure tested by a specialist machine shop.

The pressure test showed that our initial suspicions were correct. After the head was returned to SC they eventually accepted that the original billet had been poorly machined. No replacement was forthcoming, but the original was repaired.

Back to Northampton, and I had no choice but to pay for the engine and all oil and coolant lines and radiators flushed; the head rebuilt and refitted, and the engine recommissioned. Troy and his staff at Northampton were brilliant and did their best to minimise cost but struggled to fit this work into their fully booked shop. Eventually the working Midget went back to Jonathon after nearly a year!

Easter 2019 was now looking like the new target date; a few detail jobs and a bespoke roll over bar to be fabricated by JLH; electrics finished and a MOT and all would be good. What else could possibly go wrong whilst I’m forced by circumstances to be a (paying) spectator.

Road testing showed the clutch to be slipping – the new engine whilst running-in is producing 125 bhp. As Midget owners know clutch trouble means

engine and box out. Detailed checking and new bits and pieces and back in with the engine and box.

Clutch slipping no longer because there is now no clutch action at all. After consulting several experts including, the guys at Helix, nobody can understand it. Nothing else for it – engine and box out again. Jonathon was great doing this FOC realising my financial torture. Eventually after more (precautionary) changes of components, we ended up with a perfectly working clutch.

Speedo calibrated; electrics tested; spanner check; suspension set up; and pre-MOT completed; time for a voluntary MOT. We are now closer to Easter 2020 than to Easter 2019, but never mind – the end is in sight. MOT FAIL – no stops on the steering rack; this job had been on several “to do” lists going back a few years but seemed to have slipped off the list in the transitions between multiple updates of this list.

This omission was quickly remedied, and the Midget passed its MOT on 29th August 2019. With some cosmetic jobs outstanding and a deserved holiday for my wife and I visiting friends in Italy, Jonathon delivered the car back to me in October 2019.

Some improvements are in progress, but the Midget is proving to be 100% + of what I was seeking.

This journey really has taken much longer than I could ever have imagined, but it has been worth it.

Here’s hoping I can keep the revs up and get the car to as many events as possible.

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I’ll say it right here, right now, I LOVE RACE RETRO. Why? Because it’s full of cars of my era. Race cars, rally cars, classic cars and even modern sports cars. 145 cars covering 50 years of motorsport were taking part in live action. And if you go on a Saturday or Sunday, you will see them in action on the rally stage. You can even have a ride in one, with a contribution to charity of course.

This year, the weekend of 21-23rd February, I followed the same formula as normal, travelling up from west Wales on the Friday with my good friend Ian. I worked with Ian for many years. He is also a farmer and mad on rallying. Indeed his daughter, Manon Lloyd, is also now mad on driving his Davrian complete with Honda s200 engine, although her day job is a professional cyclist and TV presenter.

Travelling up in Ian’s 3.0lt v6 Amarok was again a pleasure. It is a very fast vehicle. As normal, we had a night in Stratford upon Avon, with the obligatory blokes visit to Wetherspoons, followed by a very nice curry at Usha Bangladeshi Cuisine. A perfect start to Race Retro.

Saturday morning saw us arrive at Stoneleigh Park at 8am. Time for a lovely breakfast at Farmers Fayre.

9am and we were in the show. It featured some really great displays and cars. I tried to keep my hands in my pockets but the temptation was too great. Ok, no Midgets on the displays apart from the one on the MGCC stand, but that didn’t matter. I’m a petrolhead and enjoy seeing lots of different types of cars.

BY NEIL THOMAS

RACE RETRO 2020

The rally stage opened at around 10.30am and so off we went to watch the action. There were some classic rally cars there too including Cosworth’s, Subaru’s, Peugeot’s, Audi Quatro’s, Skoda RS’s and many more.

I met up with other MASC members on the day, including Anthony Cutler, Steve Goodchild and David Jerram. They had come along too to enjoy the experience that is Race Retro.

MASC member Alan Jones also visited the event on the Sunday and took a number of photos which are mingled in with my own in these pages.

For those of you who know him, my friend Will Corry was driving the course car for the weekend in his beautifully turned out MG Midget. His cars are always fantastic and his driving ability second to none. Previously I had been around the rally course as a passenger with Will in the Arial Nomad when he was a driver for Arial. That was a fantastic experience. This time however I didn’t go in with Will in his A series Midget but instead with fellow Irish driver, Jay Colville, in his 225bhp Midget. This was running a 2lt Duratec engine, breathed on by Cosworth. It was very quick. Trust me. Jay is a lovely chap and a very accomplished driver himself and not only in Midgets. The Northern Ireland boys certainly know how to drive.

Will I be going next year? You bet I will. It’s a great event and well worth a visit.

Neil Thomas - 3617A

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BY ZOË HAWKINS

A FAMILY AFFAIRSPRIDGET RACING IN THE 1970’S

My father, Terry Hathaway, campaigned in a Mark III Midget as a privateer in the BRSCC Production Sports Car Championship in the early 1970’s.

This was truly a family affair as Dad was driver, mechanic and logistics manager, Mum navigator and number 1 pit crew, brother Guy was chief lap timer and number 2 pit crew, whilst I, youngest of the family, was the essential loyal supporter and go-fer. My important role entailed buying the meeting programme and then waiting for the results sheet at the end of the afternoon’s racing whilst the others were packing everything up and loading the car onto the trailer.

In a world of single-seater and modified cars, Production Sports Cars were unusual as they were standard out-of-the showroom models, fully road legal, racing on road tyres. Today’s racing equivalent would be Class C Road Cars with limited improvements running on road tyres - 50 years later but with the same concept of entry level competitive racing on a limited budget.

Cars were divided into classes based on their price not on engine capacity – Spridgets were well represented, as their performance and road-handling equalled that of more expensive models. Engine capacities ranged from the diminutive 850 cc Clan, the handy 1275 Spridgets, through mid-range MGB’s and Lotus Elans up to a mighty 5,700 cc De Tomaso Pantera, all together in a 10 lap scratch race. Inevitably the overall race winner was often the De Tomaso, although there were few cars within its Class, for cars costing over £3,000!

Weekends from Easter to October were spent on the road travelling the length and breadth of the country from Llandow in Wales, over to Brand’s Hatch in the East, Thruxton in the South, up to Croft in the North East.

Our trip to Croft was one of more memorable as it involved an over-night stay. All went well on the journey up, as did the unpacking on arrival – until it came to putting up the tent. The tent canvas was there but the poles were missing! An uncomfortable night ensued with all 4 of us trying

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to sleep in the tow vehicle (a Ford Cortina 1600 E). However, I do remember waking up to the wonderful smell of bacon frying and having a bacon roll at 6 in the morning. Dad did quite well in the racing the following day despite having minimal sleep, before the long haul back down to our home in Wiltshire.

Another vivid memory was a breakdown in the usually reliable 1600E which gave our family an interesting drive home on the Sunday night. Fortunately the Midget came to the rescue in fine style. With the 1600E marooned on the hard shoulder, the Midget was rolled off the trailer. Getting a family of four into a Midget with a hard top and full roll cage took some working out. I consider I had the best seat in the house, squeezed in the back, on the narrow parcel ledge, one hand clasping the roll cage whilst my brother was perched on Mum’s lap in the front passenger seat, with Dad driving of course. A quick transfer of tax disc (remember those?) and we were off! Although somewhat shaken by the firm ride, the final part of the journey home went without a further hitch.

The stiffened ride was one of the permitted minor upgrades to the Production racers, to improve cornering performance whilst racing. Another popular and cost effective change was to use alternative differentials. The “diff” of choice was from Post Office Bedford vans with local scrap yards scoured for suitable donor vehicles. Diffs could be changed depending on the circuit, so thorough homework was undertaken to determine which ratio was best. When Dad discovered Graham had a Midget, a lecture ensued about the benefits of the Bedford diffs!

Even with a limited racing budget, there was always an essential spare to be carried – the half-shaft and preferably more than one! These were almost a disposable commodity as the Spridgets demolished them rapidly under racing conditions, often resulting in a quick change between practice and race to get the cars running again.

It’s been fun perusing the old programmes, seeing the driver names and cars, recalling some of our adventures. Amongst our memorabilia is a program from May 1974 on which Dad made the front cover (see picture); he’s behind the wheel of car 72, front right, leading a pack of 3 other Midgets and a TR6. The eagle-eyed members of our local MASC soon identified the circuit – can you?

Some sponsorship, or at least, decals, was occasionally available. The Midget can be seen

sporting Castrol and Avon stickers in some of the photographs. Dad was pleased to be featured on the Avon Motor Sport Map of Great Britain – see picture. This dates from 1973 and has some blurb about the first Avon Motor Tour of Great Britain, covering 1,000 miles around Britain from July 6th to July 8th, finishing in Bath. Avon Tyres still have a factory in Melksham, North Wiltshire, although they are now part of the Cooper Tires empire.

Dad’s racing stint abruptly finished mid-season in 1975 when the Production Sports Car championship was “pulled”, with the Midget sold by the end of the year. Despite investing in other vehicles, Dad could not muster enough funds to race again.

Sadly my Dad is no longer with us, although a recent check of the DVLA database revealed that HOK 417L is still taxed and hopefully on the road. Graham’s research has revealed an interesting later life including a complete re-build and colour change from white to black. Hopefully, we can find enough for another article so if anyone knows about Mark III Midget, HOK 417L, we’d be interested to hear.

And the Circuit – Brands Hatch (I’m informed)

Zoë Hawkins - Wiltshire MASC

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BY MIKE HARRISON

MASC RUN FEBRUARY 2020MASC Home Counties North West Group’s run out to Woolmer Classic Race and Restoration Business Last Saturday Ann and I ventured out on the club run out to Woolmer Classics who specialise in the race preparation and restoration of Classic British Sports Cars.

About ten of us in various cars gathered early in the car park of the Chequers Public House at Redbourn and we then drove off in a loose convoy for a very nice ride through the countryside for approximately an hour and half, taking in the sights of Harpenden, the traffic jam in Hitchin caused by road works and on to the outskirts of Bedford past the old Airship Hangers at Cardington, using a roadbook containing not Tulips but descriptive route instructions and well done to Keith Warner as they were very good.

The weather was very windy, but although we had rain to start with, this soon blew over and the sun came out to give us a nice sunny, but cold day in the end. However, as I have said not all the cars were Midgets or Sprites, as we were honoured with the presence of a gorgeous McLaren as well as a very nice Jaguar F Type and a few Mercedes as well, so it was a nice mixture of old and new!

At the premises we met up with a few more Midgets and Sprites and as you can see we made a very nice line up outside the pub after the event. The A35 in the picture, is in fact a staff car and very nice it was too, a bit of a Q car shall we say!

We were all greeted with tea/coffee and biscuits by our very friendly hosts and were let loose to have a really good nose around the workshop and garages, which as you can see from the photos contained a fantastic collection of heritage race and rally cars, including some very rare examples. The hosts were only too pleased to answer our questions and were eager to give the history of the individual cars on display or in the workshop.

It was nice to see good old fashion laths and milling machines etc. around the workshop and to see various engines being rebuilt from the humble A Series engine to the big Healy six-cylinder jobs. Most cars there were in fact either Healy 100s or Healy 300s and they obviously specialise in these classic British sports cars, but there were one or two other classic sports cars in there as well. The Sebring Sprite in the photograph I have to say is one of my all-time favourite cars.

After a good couple of hours of drooling over the various cars we all then headed off in convoy once more to a local pub for a beer and a chat and a light lunch before making our own way home having had a very good mornings worth of good old classic sports cars.

Mike Harrison

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On page 179 of his excellent book ‘Restoring Sprites and Midgets: an Enthusiast’s Guide’1 Grahame Bristow offers this advice to anyone who wishes to preserve as much of their car’s originality as possible ...

“Detail is everything. Finishing the engine bay means using the appropriate decals and avoiding the excessive use of metal polish ... work such as the correct badging is the key to completing any restoration project – but it is also the hardest and most time consuming part of the job”

The upside down VIN plate (circled red) in this Frogeye’s engine bay will not win any concours points, nor will the missing warning label on the heater pipe. The ‘AUSTIN’ plate is on the wrong side of the rocker cover but at least it is right-way-up for viewing from the left hand side of the car - & at least this car has the correct dynamo, not an alternator. Detail is everything!

Grahame’s advice rings true for me because, curiously, a missing or wrongly positioned label in an otherwise beautifully restored engine bay can stand out like a sore thumb once one knows what labels should sit where. While one can perhaps forgive a missing label, it is not so easy to forgive an upside down label. To get the orientation right, one has only to remember that the factory always did the logical thing: it aimed to ensure that every label was as easy to read as possible. For example, consider the VIN plate. Always mounted on the left-hand inner wheel arch valance of a Sprite or Midget, this plate can be seen clearly from the left side of the car but cannot be seen at all from the right side unless one is Superman, able to peer through engine and carburettors with X-ray vision. So, when our cars left the factory, their VIN plates were always right-way-up when viewed from the car’s

1 Published in 2002 by Brookland Books Limited. ISBN 1 85520 598X

left side. Similarly, the labels on the air cleaners were positioned in exactly the same way.

As with the VIN plate, the ‘Cooper’ labels on the air cleaners and the warning label on the heater pipe (arrowed yellow) should both be right-way-up when viewed from the left side of the car.

Precisely the same logic applies to the two metal plates on the front door pillars or ‘A’ posts (one on the left stamped with the ‘Body Number’, one on the right stamped with the car number). By far the easiest way to read one of these plates is to open a door, then peer into the car with one’s feet on the ground. Recognising this, the factory installed both plates accordingly. Inevitably, this means that these two plates will be upside down with respect to each other, but happily both will be right way up for the viewer!

A Mk1 Midget’s ‘Body Number’ begins ‘GBE’. This number is stamped on a metal tag secured to the left hand door pillar, attached so that it can be read most easily by looking into the car from the outside.

There really is no excuse for upside down VIN or A-post plates: a few seconds work with a screwdriver2 will fix matters. Air cleaner labels are not much more difficult to fix and, if the job highlights an urgent need to change a set of seriously clogged air filters, so much the betterJohn E. Davies (Member 3443) jed2@cam.ac.uk

2 VIN and A-post plates were always secured by screws, never by pop-rivets.

BY DR JOHN E. DAVIES

DETAIL IS EVERYTHING

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BY LAWRENCE SLATER

SEALING THE ENDS OF SPRITE AND MIDGET DOOR SILLSForward by Alan Anstead:Lawrence Slater is not a member of Masc but a long term Sprite owner. It is from a concept of Lawrence’s that my popular 1275 roller release bearings were born. We meet occasionally for a cuppa and a chat: he may sometimes be found at a monthly meet. Lawrence would be an asset to the Kent Area as he uses his car as a daily driver and is quite innovative, as well as being a problem solver, when it comes to upgrades and modifications to our type of car. He has helped Kent members with Spridgetly matters in the past: vetting a car car for sale &c. However it has to be accepted that Clubs do not appeal to all. He has kindly provided both words and pictures for his sill-end solutions permitting me to pass on to the Club membership via the medium of Mascot. (Alan. Kent Rep)When you come to thinking about fitting the sill end cap fillers, consider reversing them. The original fillers are installed such that they create a concave mud trap, making them prone to rust from the outside. They also place two inner flat surfaces against each other, enabling capillary action to draw moisture, and rust them from the inside out. The solution is to swap the left filler to right. This creates box sections that can be waxoyled or similar. No more rust at the front or rear ends of the sills. A little modification to each end cap is all that’s needed. Just cut off the flanges, and weld them on the other side.Money savingIf you haven’t bought new sill end caps, and if your old sills were not rusted at the ends, then you can make your own sill end fillers by cutting off the ends of your old sills, and reversing them to make the box sections. Just add the flanges.

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BY LAWRENCE SLATER

BOOT FLOOR REAR QUARTERSThe problem.As most discover, the inner face of the rear wing is set too close to the boot floor. The result is that the gap between the rear wing and the boot floor, where it drops to form a narrow hollow at the lower rear quarter of the wing, is nigh on impossible to keep clean and dry. Hence it rusts. Both condensation and water from leaks from the lights, petrol filler tube, and bumper brackets, contribute to this.

The solutions.Once repaired, some people opt to fill the hollow level with the boot floor, with various substances including resin. Others have sealed it off with a metal plate welded to the inner face of the rear wing. Some leave it as the factory made it, and having painted and waxoyled it, hope that it won’t rust again.

I rejected all those solutions, and decided to keep the hollow empty, but make the gap about an inch or so wider than it was originally. The result is that I can see all the way to the bottom, and can also get in there to clean it. Of course I also make sure there are no leaks from the areas above. That only leaves condensation. But because I can easily get into the hollow, it’s no longer a problem to dry any I find there.

Pictures 1 and 2 - Original before alteration and repair.

Picture 3 - shows the boot floor extension repair panel moved inwards by over an inch, in order to create a much wider gap. In other words, the width of the boot floor extension has been reduced.

Picture 4 - is the view with the rear wing temporarily in place, showing the much improved gap.

Picture 5 - shows the completed internal view of the extension.

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4 5

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BY LAWRENCE SLATER

BRAKE CALIPER REBUILDI have asked in the past if there were any problems with the quality of new brake callipers for Spridgets and I saw recently someone complain about refurbished callipers, and someone else complain about the threads in new callipers. I can’t remember exactly where.

Anyway, instead of buying new callipers for my Sprite, or paying someone like ‘Bigg Red’ to refurbish mine, having looked at the prices of each option, it was obvious that it was still a significant amount cheaper to rebuild them myself. Bigg Red supplied the full kit for both sides for only ₤35.62 for BOTH sides. The kit included pistons and seals as well as the o ring seals to split the callipers.

It’s MUCH easier to refurbish/clean the callipers, and to fit the pistons and dust shield if you split them.

Notes:

a) Despite what you may have read, you can reuse the bolts; (Bigg Red told me they do). They are actually nyloc bolts. You could buy new ones, but I didn’t bother. Just use a little thread lock and do them up to 40lbft.

b) Once the callipers are split, the mating surfaces of the callipers do NOT have to be pristine. There is only one small area that you need to be careful with. That is the area where the calliper halves seal together with the o-ring. See pictures 1, 2  and 3.

c) Note the orientation of the cut out slots in the pistons. They sit at an angle of 20 degrees, facing against the direction of rotation. See picture 4

Lawrence Slater

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4

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CAMBRIDGESHIREAREAREPORT

Some recent adverts in motoring news are rather worrying, particularly if ‘the management’ get sight of them. Apparently one could build an extension to your house, have a new bathroom or kitchen simply by releasing equity from your classic motor – what next?

Thanks to Diane for arranging another great evening playing tenpin (in Peter’s case ninepin) bowling at St Neots eat’nbowl center, where Diane was supreme in the ladies section, Chris toppled reigning champ Nigel by one point, and as a first Graham beat Maggie who has requested returning to the Pidley bowls venue where he has been unsuccessful in the pasts.

Peter and Holly shamed us all by arriving in their proper car, an MG midget Mk3 in an unusual dark almost black colour as seen in photo’ at Sywell props and pistons event.

Last month I reported talk at our February area meet of big Healeys with Rolls Royce engines the Healey 4000, and I have quenched my own interest by finding out a little more, however I do not profess to be an expert and no doubt someone may have more factual info on the subject.

There are in existence three such machines with a fourth possibly out there somewhere.

These cars were fitted with the RR FB60 engine as fitted in the Vanden Plas Princess R 4litre for production in 1968.

The big healey 3000 was cut in half longitudinally with a six inch additional width added and re-engineered to accommodate the RR engine, and referred to as the Austin-Healey 4000.

One of the cars originally Donald Healey’s personal car was owned by Mr John Gray and is now in Australia. A second car an automatic owned by Mr Arthur Carter, and the third prototype TNX 65G was re-discovered in 1974 by Joe Cox and bought by his father Peter, but now languishes in The Healey Museun in the Netherlands.

The car proved popular with good handling but moderate performance, and would have been more desirable with the twin cam RR engine, which would have challenged the Jaguar E type for costs and performance, that cut across the grain with Sir William Lions who promptly cancelled the production of the 4000 in favour of the E type.

As for the Aston Martin version all I can find relating to it is that Tickford from Newport Pagnel who produced body shells for Healeys were eventually taken over by Aston Martin.

Last month I noted that Chris and I are to organise a run from Morrisons Camborne car park via Jordans Mill Bedfordshire taking in Ireland, but reading Terry Horler’s article it is possible there may be a hard border here, we will find out, but please note the date is Easter Saturday April 20 and not the 10th as reported.

There will be a tulip run on ‘drive it day’ Sunday April 28 with a nominal £5 charge/car in aid of a charity.

Finally a photo’ of our Cambridgeshire members dancing with joy at successfully completing works on their spridgely things all that day.

Graham Kirkup

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CENTRALAREAREPORT

Bill Mohan is not usually a person lost for words. However a presentation to him of Lifetime membership at our March monthly meeting left him speechless.

Springing the surprise was Membership Secretary and Committee member Stuart Watson who had travelled over from the Heart of England area to make the presentation. Also at the meeting was fellow Committee member Gary Lazarus who had made the 250 mile round trip from London to celebrate Bill’s award. Gary and Bill are firm friends and can be seen together most years at the Le Mans 24 hour race. I gather from pictures and media postings that although Bill enjoys watching the racing there is also fair amount of time also spent in bars and restaurants. During Stuart’s presentation I noticed newer members listening intently as Stuart pointed out that it was Bill who had played a major part in the acclaimed Spridget 50 event held at Gaydon. The pictures of this still decorate some of our MASC leaflets and posters to this day.

Bill has been in the Midget and Sprite Club for more years than I dare mention and was a previous area rep to myself at Central, although in those days it was called South Staffs and North Birmingham area. Bill then became Chairman in 2005 and guided the club through some tricky times. Bill will be first to acknowledge that leading the club into happier times was not solely down to him but the Committee members that gave their support. I think however, it would be fair to say Bill made a significant contribution to the club and paved the way for the friendly club it is today. One of the many events that Bill organised was the “Brum Tunnel’s” run. A drive out through Birmingham City Centre where everyone kept to the speed limit driving under the many underpasses in Birmingham. At the end of the evening Bill suggested he may just organise one last run before the City Council try to introduce a new clean air zone in the City Centre. One for the diary I think.

Talking of diaries a list is starting to form for upcoming events. There seem to be even more classic car events being organised than ever before and our list has stretched to over two pages long. Drive it Day and our summer run on June 28th to Brixworth Resevoir organised by Dave Sewell will play a major part in our outings this year. Dave

had brought along a copy of the Sharnford News containing two pages of our MASCOT review of last year’s outing to Rutland Water. This year’s upcoming event even gets a mention. We will be meeting at the Bricklayers Arms in Sharnford for a breakfast bap and coffee and we could well be joined by a few local folks this year too who may turn up to see our cars and wave us off.

Dave Warren Central MASC Email to central.masc@live.com

Copy of the Sharnford News with details of Central events.

Bill Mohan, centre, Gary Lazarus, left and Stuart Watson, right.

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DEVONAREAREPORT

As I write this report it is still hammering it down, goodness only knows when it will stop raining, hopefully there wont be any left so we can have an amazing summer, with hoods down and plenty of sunshine.

Two of our members Colin & Wendy Blanker are undertaking a massive re construction of their 1966 1098cc MG Midget, as you can see from the photo’s it is a major project.  The car arrived on a trailer as a mass of bits & pieces.  The car came from Hythe in Southampton Reg no HEL 637D but taxed 30/11/1984. Colin has a last managed to get the car as far as a sunning rolling shell.  Just the wings, bonnet, boot & bumpers to fit and of course the interior, not much then!

Again, we have not been able to get out and about in our little classics, hopefully April will be a different story.

Unfortunately, due to my increasing age & stiffening of joints I have had to sell both of my Sprites, being a 1966 MK3 in Rivera Blue and a 1960 MK1 in Iris Blue.  I have still stayed in the Classic World and bought a 1969 MGC in Tartan Red, I am sorry to see the sprites go but now I find it so much easier to get in and out of the car even with the roof up and can still look forward to enjoying my classic car motoring. 

Chris Wood 5130

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AREAREPORT KENT

John Le Mar was over from France, where he lives with wife - Jayne, at the beginning of the month so it was possible to get together to talk about all things Frogeye, including John’s impending Ford Sierra 5 speed gearbox conversion, to Jayne’s 948cc Frogeye, and the ‘Richard Lionheart Tour’ that we are organising for September. John has housed most of the participants, so far, in Gites dotted around the village, in the Charante, where we will be based for our four day stay. A visit to Cognac is envisaged: a chance to stock up with some Brandies! Car meets, rock bands, chateaux & castles as well as good dining are being arranged. It looks as if it will be a full itinerary. Really looking forward to it but we can still accommodate a few more with Sprites, Midgets & derivatives but do note that there will be some night-time driving & walking involved. We already have members from outside Kent Area joining us. We are hoping that the president of Spridget France, Thierry Dupont, will also join us in his 1500 Midget.

Then but a few days later I was pleased to receive a couple of artwork designs, for the Richard Lionheart Tour Rally Plaque, from our resident cartoonist Dave Chalk. Dave is currently restoring a Myford ML7 lathe, of 1940’s vintage, so when the restoration is completed, and Dave has had an opportunity to practice his ‘turning’ skills I look forward to being able to add another home machinist to the portfolio of skills that Area members can, perhaps, tap into.

To quote Irish Playwright George Bernard Shaw. “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing”. There are many events including tours at home and abroad. Don’t be afraid of driving your Sprite, Midget or derivative, on a longer than usual tour at home and abroad: over the years we have introduced members to both & you’ll be looked after.

Kent Area events are open to all unless posted otherwise.

Interested? Contact Kent Rep for an itinerary or more details.

Our visit to the Healey Museum at Vreeland, Netherlands from 16-19 April is attracting members from various areas with some interesting cars. Kent’s own Nigel Dillnott-Smith is taking his DHMC standard bodied Sebring Frogeye. Mascot advertiser Mike, & son Max, Authers take their

South African CKD Sebring Sprite (both cars were recently described, and pictured, on Martin Ingalls www.sebringsprite.com website) whilst amongst the other participants are Wiltshire Rep Andy Cross accompanied, in his Mk2 Sprite, by Notts / Derby Rep Ian Cooke.

John Wheatley is the latest Kent member to join the Sierra T9 5 speed gearbox conversion group. The use of this popular gearbox appeals to many classic fans. Visiting the Kent based ‘Klassic & Sportscar garage’ recently, to check on a Kent member’s car, Keith Mills, the garage owner, introduced me to his converted 1950’s Sunbeam -Talbot Saloon car. John Le Mar is soon to be another fitting a type 9 and has promised to write an article for the magazine! John & I are supposed to be meeting up at LeMans Classic in July so he had better get cracking if we are to spend a couple of days sightseeing before the event.

Derek Harris whilst recently re- building a 948cc engine for Mark Sherwood experienced a problem with the head gasket not sealing. Another part to add to the very long list of poor quality parts in circulation for our cars. Derek explained “We also skimmed the head and top of the block to avoid future problems but still  had an issue with the new head gasket which turned out to be faulty.

It was a copper head gasket, not sure what make unfortunately, and around the holes for the water gallery there were what looked like sealing rings, however, they were too robust and so the crushed thickness of the sealing ring was greater than the crushed thickness of the gasket material, the result

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being that it chuffed out through the joint between head and block”. 

Our latest member Dave Watson is looking for a 1098cc 1.75” mains crankshaft. Having consulted A-Series Guru A.C.Dodd. Dave now wants to fit a 1098 crankshaft into a 948cc block. Hopefully he will take many photographs and provide an article for Mascot?

The fourth Sunday and members gathered at the Angel, Addington for the monthly meet. Numbers were down due to illnesses, one life threatening, and ailments.

Those reporting in ‘sick’ are wished a speedy recovery and a not too long absence from the fold.

Mel & Barb brought out their Midget 1500, freshly fitted with a 3.7 differential, whilst all others probably had consulted weather forecasts. Mel’s ‘Boy’, Martyn, (M.C.Auto-trimming) is about to measure Ron Edwards Frogeye for a ‘Rhino’ Cover. Martyn is our trimmer ‘to go to’ in Kent as he has made covers, and re-upholstered seats, &c for a growing number of Kent members cars.

Wet and windy was the forecast and it proved correct. Not that the weather put off Richard Hayden who came up from the south coast. New to Frogeyes’ and seeking advice on his restoration he was not unlucky. Richard Beer had brought along his compendium of his own Frogeye restoration, and a Factory parts list, so the pair were soon engrossed in conversation on that subject. Richard has opted for a replacement ‘chassis’ for his project so has a stripped & blasted ‘chassis’ surplus to requirements and for sale.

Not all conversations were about cars as Maria had brought along a book about the infamous criminal Kray twins, to pass along. It is believed that their mother Violet baby-sat one of our own!

And outside the rain poured!

Alan Anstead Kent Rep. 01322-384050 (answer-phone)

Soggy Sarre in FebruaryOur Sunday Lunch meeting at the Crown Inn exceeded expectations. It was tipping down outside with Storm Ciara doing her worst which was unusual for an East Kent Sunday meet and even more unusual not a single Spridget braved the elements. This never happened before and hopefully won’t again. Even the most hardy who turn out with hoods down gave up and what with one storm and then the next and the next every weekend this month has been a washout. Bryan told me that his hood was down in the garage but that doesn’t count as far as I’m concerned. As I write these notes the day in March has been beautiful and warm so can it last to our next meet on the 8th? Despite everything 20 faithful members turned out to sample the warmth of the bar, an excellent lunch and the humour of landlord Clive.

Obviously no heads under bonnets or oily hands at the table but we did welcome a new member James Griggs who not only has an 64 Sprite which he is restoring but undeterred has acquired a second, a 71 model. Not sure that we will be seeing either of these soon and I doubt whether James will be ever be without something to do in the next few months.

Another car we haven’t seen in recent times is that belonging to our Mark Matthews. He has had this yearning for performance and in recent times his car has been receiving implants from Ford. It now needs cosmetic surgery to hold this lot together and make it pretty. Anyone got a welder?

John Clark 3583 East Kent Co ordinator

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Frogeye, Sebring Sprite and Jacobs Midget Replicas

Morton, Near Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 0NST. 01778 570286 steve@hallsgarage.co.uk

www.sebring-sprite.com

Frogeye Sprite Replica.Based on any Sprite/Midget monocoque.

Our S S (Sebring Sprite) Reincarnation for the Racing Enthusiast Based on any Sprite/Midget.

Our Jacobs Evolution Midget, inspired by the late Dick Jacobs.

Tifosi J.E.M.Tifosi S STifosi Rana

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NORTH WESTAREAREPORT

Valentines RunPhoto of a typical club night gathering at the Kilton Inn, we are very fortunate to be able to hold our meeting in the large conservatory for the price of a few drinks , we have meet there since Les & Diane Robinson founded the North West Area nearly 20years ago , the Kilton has seen many changes of managers , all have welcomed us to stay for our meeting on the second Wednesday of each month.

At our February meeting the weather news was telling us storm Denice was to hit us on the following Sunday , which was the day we planed our Valentines Day Run, so a discussion took place as to weather we should delay the run to another day, but being a hardy bunch it was decided to still do the run as planned.

As usual we had a very good turnout of 15 cars with only one car missing the count. The Kilton Inn was the start and they again made us very welcome and laid on Coffee/Tea for us before the start at a very reasonable price of one pound per cup. On starting off on our annual Valentines Run, little did we realise that this years event had a few surprises up its sleeve. The route wound through the country lanes of Cheshire and then through the outskirts of Alderley Edge , a typo in the tulip diagram turned .4 of a mile into 4 miles which took half the cars into the town and into the centre of a police incident, there were police cars and officers everywhere, apparently a burglar had been disturbed and made his escape by breaking out of a first floor window.

The miss-directed cars re-routed to re-join the route near Macclesfield and in the process missed the next “challenge”, two trees had been felled by storm Denis and were completely blocking the road. Rather than turn around and re-route, the MASC members and a number of members of the public set to clearing the way. With a saw borrowed from a nearby scout troop, a hatchet a chap was carrying in his car! And a load of muscle, the two trees were moved to the side of the road and we continued on our way to the coffee stop at the Robin Hood at Rainbow.

The second half took in some great roads but was un-eventful, finishing at the Greyhound at Astley where we all enjoyed a very pleasant lunch at around 2pm , having navigated the odd flooded road and fallen tree we where very pleased to arrive and tell the tails of our encounters on route, turned out to be quite a noisy lunch with some 30 of us all talking at once.

The clubs next outing will be the 8th March when we are going to the British Commercial Museum in Leyland, ending with a short run of about 20miles and you might guess, we will finish at another pub for lunch again this event is well subscribed to with 16 cars booked.

We had to take Shelley’s early MX5 MK1 which developed a crack in the Radiator. How many MASC members dose it take to asses the problem with a Mazda?. We made it home.

Neil & Shelley. North West Area Reps

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SCOTLANDAREAREPORT

This past month I have been attempting to tidy up the vast array of spare parts I have acquired through a number of years, it truly ended up a “ shifting the deck chairs on the Titanic” exercise, not an item got thrown out. I was amazed at the number of things that were totally knackered but I have kept as a sample or other suchlike reason, however I did come across a mounting bracket for the handbrake on the Frogeye , I suspect it might do the later models as well, I was going to weld it at somepoint in the past but it somehow found its way into the spare parts debris and resurfaced in the clean up. I have decided to fabricate some , for a bit of fun. I know I’ll say what you’re all thinking “ he needs to get out more “. I have cut the metal for 4, so if anyone needs one send me an e-mail, they are free , just pay for postage, first come. first served.

Also during my spring cleaning phase, I gathered together my old car magazines, there is a large quantity of Motor Sport, some Old Motor, Thoroughbred and Classic Cars and a variety of others, again they are free, but collection only or you arrange a courier to collect, again anyone interested e-mail me.

As I have almost given up watching television I was looking through some old Mascots during the evenings and discovered that in the past members used to put people up in their house if they were in the area. I am not suggesting this gets resurrected bur once I get the house in order I would me quite happy to anyone use the 4 poster to assist with any repairs and if the job takes the weekend they would be welcome to the spare room. If the car is not running due to the fault I could pick the car up in the car trailer, within a reasonable distance, just pay for the diesel .

Can’t help notice a theme here, what do they call it , Compulsive Hoarders Syndrome

Anyway I did manage between all this to get some work done on the cars although it was necessary rather than restorative, the clutch pedal went down to the floor on the Big Healey and after some advice from Dave I took off the clutch master and slave cylinders and sent them off for resleeving in stainless steel, so will advise further on this in the future.

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DEAR MASCOT...HI NEIL,

Many thanks for another great edition of our magazine. Only half way through and had to stop at “Steve Keils” tacho article. He notes failing to find info re lubricant. I recall another article, I think, from “John E Davies” that goes into great detail about this tacho drive. He advocated oil for lubrication and that the “little hole” should be used for this, as there should be a grub screw fitted here. His article gives further good advice on the rebuild. It may be worth reminding colleagues about the article. Now back to the rest of the articles!

With very best regards

MIKE UPTON - 2806A/B

HI NEIL,

During the summer I took the 26 year old son of a friend to Blyton Part for a track day. A few weeks previously he had driven my Frogeye for a couple of hours just to learn the controls. His previous driving experience was in the family car.

I had booked a session for him with an instructor who gave him lots of guidance on lines to take and how hard to brake etc. After that learning session, I let him out on his own for several runs. As the day wore on, he got progressively quicker and thoroughly enjoyed himself. His final comment was, “trail braking makes such a difference”. I could tell he was getting to grips with that technique, as every time he came back to the paddock there was a very strong smell of hot brakes!

His experience on the day shows the value of proper instruction. 

Sadly all future Tracks Days are on hold at the moment, but they will be back sometime I’m sure.

Best wishes, GEOFF

HI NEIL,

I spoke to you the other day about the article on the above in MASCOTs March Issue.  

In Steves article on repairing the said gearbox, he suggested the small hole in the casing was to provide a vent.  I hate to question him, but I’ve always thought it was for oiling the internals of the gearbox.  There should be a small screw in the hole which should be unscrewed before oiling and screwed back afterwards.  Also the writing on the case indicates the hole should be at the top.

I hope this query does not put Steve off from writing more excellent and informative articles, which I always enjoy.

REGARDS, MALCOLM (DENMAN). Membership 1509. T. 0193542710 

PS. Many thanks for all your hard work producing MASCOT

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© Midget & Sprite Club. Printed by Quorum Print Services Ltd, Units 3&4, Lansdown Industrial Estate, Cheltenham, GL51 8PL Tel: 01242 584984 Website: www.quorumprint.co.uk E-mail: info@quorumprint.co.uk

CHAIRMAN Mark Hall, T: 01296 660103 E: chairman@midgetandspriteclub.co.ukGENERAL SECRETARY Glyn Polly, T: 07544 302 575 E: glyn.polly@ymail.comTREASURER David King, T: 01453 544202 E: djs.king46@gmail.comEDITOR Neil Thomas, T: 07891 684435 E: editor@midgetandspriteclub.co.ukAREA REP’S DELEGATE VacantMEMBERSHIP Stuart Watson, “Staddlestones”, Thicknall Lane, Clent, Stourbridge, West Midlands. DY9 0HX. T: 01562 883076 E: membership@midgetandspriteclub.co.uk GENERAL MEMBER Alan Pritchett, T: 07720 238810 E: a.pritchett@btinternet.com Anthony Cutler, E: anthony.cutler@btinternet.com YOUNG PERSONS REP Liam Murphy, E: biddysingh@gmail.comMARKETING OFFICER Clare Nedin, E: marketing@midgetandspriteclub.co.uk

CLUB ARCHIVIST & Terry Horler, 63 Littledean, Yate, Bristol, BS37 8UQ. T: 01454 881770TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION E: rebelwithasprite@hotmail.comMEMBERS ADVERTISING Neil Thomas, T: 07891 684435 E: editor@midgetandspriteclub.co.ukCAR REGISTERSSPRITES & MIDGETS Stuart Watson, E: stuart@thewatsonz.com T: 01562 883 076(EXCEPT MK1 SPRITES)SPRITES MK1 Gary Lazarus, E: garyfrogeye@gmail.com T: 020 7700 5696REGALIA OFFICER Mike Grout, 55 Park Road, Spixworth, Norwich, NR10 3PJ. T: 01603 890211 E: miketg54@hotmail.comTECHNICAL ADVISOR Mark Boldry, E: mark26r@hotmail.comWEBMASTER Mike Bennett, E: webmaster@midgetandspriteclub.co.uk T: 01925 727479TRADE ADVERTISING Gary Lazarus, E: garyfrogeye@gmail.com T: 020 7700 5696ENQUIRIES E: enquiries@midgetandspriteclub.co.uk / alan.anstead@btopenworld.comFACEBOOK COORDINATOR Richard Wharmby, T: 07814 764546 E: r.wharmby10@virginmedia.com

BRISTOL Terry Horler, T: 01454 881770 E: rebelwithasprite@hotmail.comCAMBRIDGESHIRE Graham Kirkup, T: 01223 511835 E: gramag.kirkup@ntlworld.comCENTRAL Dave Warren, T: 07831 101850 E: central.masc@live.comDEVON Michael Ellis, T: 07414 279074 E: michael_ellis@live.co.uk DORSET John Gully, T: 07876 334949 email john.gully@btinternet.comESSEX Tim Wyman, T: 07828 245280 E: essexmidgetandspriteclub@gmail.comHAMPSHIRE Terry Langridge, T: 01252 626063 E: masc.hants@yahoo.comHEART OF ENGLAND Dave Colclough, T:07543641284 E:dave@colcloughsonline.co.ukHOME COUNTIES Mark Hall, T: 01296 660103 E: markdhall@aol.comKENT Alan Anstead, T: 01322 384050 E: alan.anstead@btopenworld.comLINCOLNSHIRE Jason Elliot, T: 07780 815264 E: dyke-jason@hotmail.co.ukLONDON Gary Lazarus, T: 020 7700 5696 E: garyfrogeye@gmail.comNORTHAMPTON Andrew Parrott, Mob: 07808 158623 E: andrew.parrott@btconnect.com NORTH WEST Neil McLeod, T: 01772 466648 Mob: 07921 089 680 E: neil_mcleod2@outlook.com NOTTS/DERBY Richard Wharmby, Mob: 07814 764546 E: r.wharmby10@virginmedia.comOXFORD Grahame Gibbins, T: 01235 530456 E: grahame_gibbins@hotmail.comSCOTLAND Graham Smith, T: 0141 954 8276 E: smith.grahamf@yahoo.co.ukSOMERSET CURRENTLY VACANTSOUTH WEST WALES David Hill, T: 01239 811307 E: david@hill.beSURREY Mike Gorman, T: 01737-552256 E: gorman698@btinternet.comSUSSEX Chris Harding, T: 01342 718860 E: harding.cm@btinternet.comWILTSHIRE Andy Cross, T: 01225 743554 E: andyspeedbox@gmail.comYORKSHIRE Mark Boldry T: 07471 606060 Anita Lachowicz T: 07484 682516 E: spridget.girl@gmail.com

THE WHO, THE WHAT & THE WHERE OF THE MIDGET & SPRITE CLUB

COMM

ITTEEOFFICERS

AREA REPRESENTATIVES

MIDGET &SPRITE CLUB

ALSO SEE THE CLUB NIGHTS SECTION FOR NEW AREAS AND CONTACTS

Compiled by Neil Thomas. Please advise me of any changes, errors etc.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL: If you experience ‘MASCOT’ problems upon renewal, please contact the membership secretary or the treasurer straight away.

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CLUB NIGHTS3rd Thursday YORKSHIRE AREA. From April to September we meet on the third Thursday from 7pm onwards at

a Yorkshire pub. Contact Mark Boldry 07471 606060 or Anita Lachowicz 07484 682516 for venue details or email spridget.girl@gmail.com

1st Tuesday ESSEX AREA. We meet on the first Tuesday of the month and from May – September its for a car run, ending in a pub for an evening meal and from October to April we meet at The Six Bells pub, Boreham, near Chelmsford, CM3 3JE. Please contact Tim Wyman tel 07828 245280, e mail: essexmidgetandspriteclub@gmail.com

1st Wednesday CENTRAL AREA. Meet at The Red Lion, Lichfield Road, Hopwas, Tamworth, B78 3AF. 8.30pm onwards.Contact: Dave Warren, Tel: 07831 101850. Email: central.masc@live.com

1st Wednesday OXFORD AREA. Meet at the Blackhorse Pub, Gozzards Ford, Nr Abingdon. 7pm for those eating or 8pm for those not. Contact Grahame Gibbins at grahame_gibbins@hotmail.com

2nd Tuesday LONDON AREA (CONGESTION ZONE). Meet at The Ace Cafe at 7:30pm together with the Classic Cars Magazine night. Details: Gary Lazarus on 020 7700 5696 garyfrogeye@gmail

2nd Wednesday DEVON AREA. Meet at Court Farm, Abbotskerswell, TQ125 NY Devon. 7.30pm Michael Ellis Michael_Ellis@live.co.uk and telephone: 07414 279074

2nd Wednesday HEART OF ENGLAND. All welcome at the Green Dragon, Sambourne, Redditch B96 6NU 8pm gathering for a 8:30pm start. Further information from Dave Colclough on dave@colcloughsonline.co.uk or 0754 3641284.

2nd Wednesday NORTH WEST AREA. Meet at The Kilton, turn off M6 at Jct 20 onto A50 towards Macclesfield. Pub 4 miles on left. Please note new venue. Neil McLeod email neil_mcleod2@outlook.com Tel 01772 466648 Mobile 07921 089680

2nd Wednesday BRISTOL AREA will meet at Wishing Well, Wapley Road, Codrington, Bristol BS37 6RY. From 8.00pm – or earlier for a Curry enjoyed in peace! Contact Terry Horler 01454 881770 rebelwithasprite@hotmail.com

2nd Thursday NOTTS/DERBY BORDER AREA. The Hunters Arms at Kilburn, DE56 0LU (just off the A38) from 7.30. Ian Cooke 0115 938 3838 ilcooke@btinternet.com

2nd Thursday CAMBRIDGESHIRE AREA. Meet at The White Swan, Elsworth Road, Connington, Cambs CB23 4LN from 8pm

3rd Thursday NORTHAMPTON AREA. The Red Lion, Welford Road, Thornby, Northamptonshire, NN6 8SJ from 8pm4th Thursday LINCOLNSHIRE AREA. Meeting at The Wishing Well Inn, Dyke, PE10 0AF from 7 o’clock onwards.2nd Sunday EAST KENT GROUP. Meet at the Crown Inn, Sarre, CT7 0LF from 12.30hrs

Contact Area Rep alan.anstead@btopenworld.com or John Clark group co-ordinator jrclark@sky.com3rd Tuesday SCOTLAND. Meet at Houstoun House Hotel, Broxburn, EH52 6JS. Meetings start at 7.30pm.

Graham Smith 0141 954 8276 email: smith.grahamf@yahoo.com 3rd Tuesday SURREY. Meet at The Blue Ball, Deans Lane, Walton-on-the-Hill, Tadworth Surrey KT20 7UE.

7.30pm onwards. Contact Mike Gorman, gorman698@btinternet.com Tel: 01737 5522564th Monday DORSET. New Venue: Charlton Inn, Bournemouth Road, Charlton Marshall, Blandford Forum, Dorset

DT11 9NH about 7.30pm4th Thursday SUSSEX. Meet at Bolney Stage, Bolney, RH17 5RL from 19:00. 4th Thursday HAMPSHIRE. Meets at The Barley Mow, The Hurst, Winchfield, Hants, RG27 8DE. Tel: 01252 617490.

Please ring Terry or Harriet Langridge on 01252 626063 for details.4th Sunday KENT AREA. Back at The Angel, Addington Green, Kent until further notice. Contact Alan Anstead

enquiries@midgetandspriteclub.comLast Monday WILTSHIRE. Meet at The Barge Inn, Seend, Nr. Devizes, about 7pm. Contact Andy Cross on

01225 743554 or email andyspeedbox@gmail.comLast Wednesday HOME COUNTIES NORTH WEST for members in Herts, Beds, Bucks, Berks, N. London or anyone

interested! Meet at the Chequers Inn, Redbourn, AL3 7AD from 6:30pm. Please contact Mike or Sue Gahan on email mike@mgahan.demon.co.uk or on 07850 488636.

Last Thursday. SOMERSET AREA. Non-regular and occasional meetings and runs arranged throughout the year. Area contact Colin Chorley email: mascsom1@gmail.com for further information.

NORTHERN IRELAND. robertholmes25@hotmail.com. If enough interest, will arrange a meeting. SOUTH WEST WALES. Non-regular and occasional meetings and runs arranged throughout the

summer months. Please contact David Hill on 01239 811307 or email: david@hill.be

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ALL CLUB NIGHTS SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR ADVERT TO: Neil Thomas E: editor@midgetandspriteclub.co.uk

MARKET PLACEWHO NEEDS EBAY? REACH FELLOW MEMBERS IN NEED OF SPARES, PROJECTS, HELP...

PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR ADVERT TO: Neil Thomas E: editor@midgetandspriteclub.co.uk

FOR SALE: Four midget wheels and tyres for sale  . Both wheels and tyres are in excellent condition.  As can be seen in fotos.  £100  Ono. Many thanks.  Mike moore 5926.

FOR SALE: A selection of properly restored original LUCAS tachometer dynamos (with or without correct 92mm diameter pulley) and RB106 regulators, suitable for early Frogeye and HAN6/GAN1 cars. Regulators re-set and dynamos reconditioned. Exchange possible. Phone or telephone for details, photos, prices etc. John Davies Tel: 01954-267081, Email: jed2@cam.ac.uk (Cambridge).

FOR SALE: New Frogey Spares tank bought Feb 2019, but with slightly damaged thread. Offered at HALF PRICE for collection in Wiltshire ( or plus carriage ) £75 only. Phone Roger on 07885 605172

36

38

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