Exterior;

Thoroughly check the body in good daylight for poor accident repairs, Paint cracks and blemishes, Most MBs have had resprays, I would try to establish the quality of the respray and when it was done, be very careful if it is a recent respray as God only knows what it may be hiding!! Good resprays are expensive due to the high labour prep' costs so you have been warned..

Have a good luck at the windscreeen and rear quarter window rubbers as they are not available at this time.

Now look at the finish on the rear hatch frame as these can pit quite badly and are expensive to replace.

Now to the fuel cap, check the chrome for pitting and open and cap to check for rust etc, These caps are a TVR fitment and are now very scarce and pricey!!

Middlebridge Wheels- I still see these on Ebay for sale but check for curb damage to rim and wheel centres and then tyres for side wall damage and tread depth, (Don't forget the spare either) Middlebridge wheel centres are available new from Nigel QRG.

VIN Plate;

The Middlebridge VIN Plate is located on the offside (drivers side) inner wing, It is a square plate which is black and silver and code details start SM9, the last two digits are the chassis No = my gallery number. Check the details with the relevant paperwork.

There is another plate located on the nearside inner-wing. It is an Rectangular alloy plate. This contains the body number. eg: SNM 28 = Body Number 28.

Mick.

Interior;

Moving to the interior firstly check for wet and worn carpets front and rear, then the headlining for damp patches especially around sunroofs, Front seat mechanisms and the seat material for general wear, check the crash pad for splits, the switchgear is Reliant but the VDO guages are more expensive, Steering wheels are obsolete and colour coded tonneau is a bonus.

Electrics;

With the engine ticking over I would test all the lights including brake, indicator,fan,stereo HRW, wipers front & rear,leccy windows and keep an eye on the alternator output, Usually leccy problems are earth based on Scimitars due to their fibreglass construction.

Front Suspension;

Middlebridge stuck with the old Triumph double wishbone and trunnion set-up, the trunions need regular greasing and the wishbone rubbers do wear but can be replaced with Superflex Bushes which seem to last much longer, The front springs can sag a lot and if your not careful you can destroy your front bib spoiler (I learnt the hard way !!) The other thing to check is the lower wishbones for any hair-line cracks, a few cars have suffered this fault.

Engine/Gearbox;

The Middlebridge utilises well proven Ford technology here, The Ford 2.9 engine (Ford Scorpio frog eye) is capable of very high milaeges if regularly serviced, there are at least three Middlebridges with 230,000+miles on the clock and still counting, Check for any unusual noises, oil presure of engine, oil leaks and smoking from exhausts when warm, when up to temp' let engine tick over and ensure that the fan cuts in and out (better with the bonnet shut), check around the hoses, expansion bottle etc for hot water marks to indicate overheating at some time in the past

Chassis;

Middlebridge Chassis are galvanised as standard so no real problem there, the thing to look for is the mild steel components that are attached to it ie; spare wheel tray, fuel tank etc..

Rear Suspension;

The rear suspension is pretty rugged and reliable, You should check for sagging rear end (Springs) and worn shocks especially if the car has a tow-bar fitted, The rear end bushes rarely play up and the anti-roll bar bushes are a straightforward job to do.

Rear Axle;

The Middlebridge rear axle is very similar in design to the SE6a/b although it does have a different ratio 3.54-1, The axles are generally long lasting with a little maintenance the odd oil change and checking that the axle breather hole is kept clear it vent off any moisture, (Picture of location in the mechanical section of site) These axles can be noisy in operation and still be reliable in use. Check the brackets welded to the axle tubes they can fil with debris and become a rust haven, (just keep the hole clear at the bottom of bracket).

Original Tool Kit;

Consider it a bonus if there's an Original Middlebridge tool kits as these are no longer available, it should be a brown tool roll with Kennedy Spanners, double ended screwdriver, wheel brace and a coupkle of other items.

Mick