Blog - BRIDGET THE MIDGET

Reprimand

10th February 201915th March 2020 By roychinnorNo Comments

My father (in MG Kin terms) has reprimanded me for the lack of updates on here. I have no otion but to plead 'guilty' and apologise to all readers. There is no real excuse as I have been spending my winter counting grains of sand on the beaches of Gran Canaria with only occasional attempts to secure a sponsor for another MG adventure this year (2019). Not only have I failed to update this site but I have equally failed in securing the sponsorship. There is one last opportunity and then if I am still unsuccessful I have decided to accept 'no' as a final response and retire from the world of adventure MG driving. Meanwhile, as I previously indicated, I have been relaxing here on Gran Canaria and avoiding another cold English winter. The climate has generally been warm with the highest daytime temperature having been only 16C on one specific day but the average being 20+C. The current short term...

Shake Down

28th October 201815th March 2020 By roychinnor5 Comments

I have been remiss in my reports. I left England on the 8th October taking Bertie the 'B' for a shake-down run of some 1800 miles. The plan was to travel through France down to Cadiz in Spain, from where we would catch the ferry to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. I often spend the winter on the southern end of this island, where the climate is usually in the mid seventies during the coldest part of the winter and the high seventies for the rest of the time. Things started well, with the weather in England dry and the temperature in the mid teens. We drove down to Folkestone and boarded the Channel Tunnel train for a swift crossing to France and then drove south heading towards Tours. Normally I stop over at Le Mans but wanted a change from the routine and was pleasently surprised both with the town itself and the hotel I found. Tours is a university city...

Bertie’s Relaunch

30th July 201815th March 2020 By roychinnorNo Comments

Say "Hello" to the new Bertie! Now for six months 'bedding in', starting with a rolling road check this weekend. See if the original carbs (HS4's) are properly tuned. I replaced the Weber with these so that I can tweak the mixture at the side of the road should I need too. The brakes have a servo which they hadn't before and the clutch has been replaced, otherwise, mechanically, he is pretty much as was. ...

Bridget Visits Bertie

8th June 201815th March 2020 By roychinnorNo Comments

As Berties' restoration nears completion it was only a matter of time before Bridget visited to see 'first hand' the progress. The picture above shows Bridget in the middle of having her fluids checked ahead of her appearance at Silverstone for MGLive. Below are a number of pictures, some featuring both cars, others focusing on 'Bertie the B'. The engine is now complete and ready for firing-up. The original HS4 carburettors have replaced the Weber as I need to be able to adjust the fuel mixture quickly at the side of the road when driving on extreme mountain roads (altitude over 12,000 feet). All the electrical connections of Bertie's new loom were made and the power turned on. Only the side lights worked! I started going through all the circuits comparing them to the circuit diagram and gradually things began to work. When I flicked the left direction indicator the front left light blinked, together with the rear right light! Ideal...

On The Road in Six Weeks!

6th May 201815th March 2020 By roychinnorNo Comments

At last! I am making progress with Bertie's restoration. Thanks to fellow MGCC members, Mike Parker and Dave Kato, the power train is back in and the windscreen is finally installed. Initially I did not appreciate that installing the windscreen on the MGB Roadster is a two man operation. The design is identical to the MG Midget and I had replaced Bridget's several times, but I wasted a whole week trying to install Bertie's before several experienced people informed me that I would need help. With both of these tasks completed I can now get on installing the dash, connecting all the electrical items and installing the new interior. I can also start hanging all of the engine components back on the motor, such as the original HS4 carburettors, oil filter and electronic distributor. I have decided to replace the Weber carburettors with the HS4's because I may need the facility to change the fuel mix 'on the run' and that cannot be done...