This picture was taken about ten years in, after I had resprayed in cellulose British Racing Green which would have been fine.The problem was this was the dark version and I didn’t notice until it was too late!
And this is the light version.
I collected the wooden pieces for the body tub, the bare Herald chassis and the bonnet sides and top from Derbyshire in 1997 three and a half years after a major stroke. Really, I wanted a challenge. My first Midge took eight months to build, working evenings and weekends; the second one took eight years.
The Build (short version)
I was faced with building to SVA standard. For the first three builds it was just a case of passing an MoT test after an inspection by a bod from the local vehicle license office. They were only checking serial numbers as I recall.
Now, however, they were concerned more with safety features.
Building on a new chassis, to take Ford running gear certainly made life easier in that there was no remedial work needed (as there is normally on a Triumph chassis).
I was able to hear this engine running in a local scrapyard and I snapped it up. Perhaps I should have waited . The mountings had to be moved eight inches back, the chassis had to relieved as had the floor panels, to cap it all the speedometer drive was directly over a cross member. I resorted to fitting an angled drive facing rearward and having an eight foot cable made.
The 1600cc Pinto engine and ‘box out of a Ford Sierra GL or something. Which ever it was, the wiring loom was a nightmare to cram into a car which had no wipers, washers, heated seats, etc..