Those EMPI wheels look fantastic. It will be worth it.

A better pic of the 14" Empis on the front of the Bugeye. The front hubs were re-drilled to fir the 4x4.5 lug pattern. Modifying the rear hubs or replacing the rear axle altogether is going o be a bit of a project.

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Sheesh ... I was asleep at the switch! Yes, that green car in your posit IS a Magnette Mk III or Mk IV. And, I think Pininfarina did the ink work on them.

A designer named Gordon Palmer did the earlier ZA and ZB Magnettes (like mine) and probably drew heavily from things and ideas that were already in the MG and Austin parts bins. There was also a Wolseley variant that was quite similar.

Ah closer to this Nissan-built Austin A40 Somerset




MG ZB Varitone

The car you pictured is similar in appearance to the later Italian-styled Mk III and Mk IV Magnettes ... I think Pininfarina did the styling. Mine is an earlier ZB Varitone model, the second in the model series.

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Nissan manufactured Austin A40 & A50 cars for sale in Japan.

Looked similar to the MG Magnette i understand

Yup. It's going to a friend of mine. I can work while sitting down and for a little while when standing up. No way I can get under a car anymore ... and would have to use a hoist or something to get in and out of that car. It was a lot of fun seeing all those pieces I had on hand finally get put together.

I also have an '59 MG Magnette 4-door sedan. When the Lucas alternator crapped out I put a 720 alternator in it. Works real well.

Yes, I fitted a 720 alternator to my 1200. The same size one as a 1200. There is also a larger version on some 720s.

Work looks good. So it is going to a new owner?

Forgot to mention. We put in a rebuilt 620 / 720 alternator. In order to make it clear the space available it had to go up high on the left side of the engine. It took some serious fabbing to come up with a bracket that would work.

We also failed to get pics of the matching paint job on the fiberglass top or the kit for the transmission install, but here are some shots of the finished cross-members, the engine (almost) in place and the car on the trailer.

The front suspension was changed out to accommodate front disc brakes from a later Sprite and hubs that had been re-drilled to the 4x4.5 Datsun lug pattern. Years ago I had scrounged up a set of 14" two-piece Empi wheels; you can see them on the front of the car. I had also acquired a rear axle from a 210. It has a 3.9 diff. There are future plans to get it cut down about 4 inches on each side so it will fit the Bugeye. There's a lot yet to be done, but the car is going to someone who can easily do the necessary work. I can no longer do that kind of work, so this is a good thing.

Next up? Getting the recently-acquired brake booster from a B210 fitted to my MG Magnette sedan and getting the rebuilt Datsun 5-speed installed in my Morris Minor sedan.

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