1974 MG Midget "Purple Rat"

Perfect father-daughter project for the Fall! Drive it while you work on it. 1275 motor and 4 speed manual. Starts on first crank every time. This car drives as a Midget should. Factory color was Aconite purple. Now flat purple exterior in rat rod style. Car was rescued from a barn with 55k miles showing. I titled, registered and have enjoyed driving this car for three years. The following updates were performed to make the car safe, comfortable and to improve roadability:

New brakes all around, calipers, rotors, lines, parking brake cable, master cylinder. Turned rear drums. New brake light switch added with relay to protect the circuit. New brake, clutch and gas pedal pads.

New NOS reverse lamp switch mounted on gearbox. New backup lamp lenses, bulbs and housings.

Fresh oil change, gearbox drained and fresh fluid added, then a full tune up. Filters, points, plugs, plug wires, coil, coil high tension wire, side entry distributor cap. New battery is still under warranty. New alternator (still under warranty) and drive belt.

Replaced rear axle housing, rebuilt with new gaskets and repacked axle bearings.!5 newtires mounted on factory steel wheels with trim rings. Rebuilt rear lever shocks.

Rust mitigation. Replaced floorboards under seats with new metal and added stainless steel seat tracks/bolts.

Billiard ball shift knob with #4. Purple, and thus the perfect complement to the rat rod theme. Moto-Lita 13" racing steering wheel. I have an original spoke wheel. Ibegan to redye the seats back to Autumn Leaf. New sunvisors.

Installed new fuel tank, hoses, inline filter.Original factory snorkel air cleaners were blasted and repainted.

Installed new exhaust straight pipe--added Harley-Davidson muffler, car sounds great!

Black vinyl convertible top plastic windows are clear but wrinkled. Could stand to be replaced.

All lights work including courtesy/map light and trunk light. Even the cigar lighter works!

Front bra and top boot of black vinyl come with the car, but stitching has come undone. A car cover from Victoria British comes with the vehicle.

What it needs to be better--

Rebuild the front suspension. Full rebuild kits are available for about $150. I have most of the major parts (spring pans, kingpins, tie rods, springs) to do a proper job. The car tracks straight. I have a factory anti-sway bar to add with new bushings.

I lost 1st gear after driving the car for months by holding the lever. I have a good, useable ribcase transmission that comes with the sale. I have a good speedometer gear to go into the housing. Since the speedometer was never accurate, I use a GPS iPhone app with much better results.

I like the bumperless look on these cars, but I have a straight 1974 front bumper, hardware and brackets to bring it back to original.

CHECK MY FEEDBACK AND BID WITH CONFIDENCE. Reasonable offers will be entertained and the car is for sale locally. Local pick up south of Nashville, Tennessee only. I can hold the car for a while in covered storage but a deposit of $500 is due immediately upon the conclusion of the auction. This Midget is drivable and safe, but please be prepared to tow any great distance. I can arrange to deliver the vehicle within 100 miles of Nashville and with advance notice (!) can arrange further delivery for a modest fee.