Sprite, Midget, Spridget, Fidget

[ClearHooter]

Which ever you have and how long you've owned it, determines what you call it. I've owned one since 1970. Bought it totaled with 500 miles on it. Straighted the frame horns an drove it 400,000 miles before a brake failure finally caught up with me and I went through a "T" intersection at about 50mph at 2:00 AM. Would have made it but some clown stuck a NC/SC State Line sign in front of where I was driving. It made it home but the damage wasn't cost effective to repair. I bought a '72 model several years later and swapped the drive train, save the rear end assy. This was replaced with the '70's soon afterward however. It went out gloryously at a busy stop light at 5:00 PM with a MACK dump truck on my bumper. The '70's drive train has only once failed to take me from point "A" to "B" and back. I didn't get a condensor tightend up on a tune up. It drove about 200 miles before losing ground. Had to be towed into Charlotte where they replaced a fuel pump. I coaxed the car home and found the problem. Its never been in another shop but mine since.... This is not to say that several times it just refused to leave point "A." Anyway the old drive train's got about 500,000 on it. These are of course estimated miles since the odo stayed broke during most of the '70's life. It kept ringing off! I drove from the NC State line to Peach Street in Atlanta in 2.5 hours back in the late 70's. That's how it was driven most of the time. I had tickets until I was 39 and got married.

The motors now due for its third rebuild. But at 300,000 miles the engine showed NO wear. I used the same lifters! I'm compelled to say all of my cars use Kendall. I'm not plugging them just offering info. I have not owned one car that the motor failed. Every car I've owned I drove to a minimum of 300,000 miles. They didn't fail but were wrecked. Only the MG was my doing. During that time I've had A-frames break, light switches go out, generator problems, rolled on its side on a dirt road. Thats rule 2 by the way. "Don't take your MG on dirt roads." Washboards ya know? Rule 1 is don't let anyone drive your MG. The wiring of course is infamous and I'm not at all happy with the rubber seals that permiate the hydralic systems. We've clocked many a mile. Its even made several threesomes. So there's quite a few memories good and bad when I hear the sound of that engine and the whine of that cross cut 1st gear. But when I call it "Fidget" it is not to belittle the mark. Its more like I can kick my dawg but you can't. 35 years is a long time to be together.