You know, as old as this thing is in its design, and as ubiquitous as they are, when working on one, one must remember that the Midget/Sprite started out as a bin car, and one not too far removed from a kit car, at that.
The engine, transmission, brakes, rear end, suspension - all out of the Morris Minor - all production pieces that were never intended to be put together in a package this small. It was Don Healey's aim to make a cheap sports car using as many production pieces as possible, in a simple stamped psuedo-monocoque that could be thrown together quickly and easily.
To that end, it's a raging success.
To those of us who, 53 years later, are cursed to have to work around his workarounds, well, there are times I'd like to punch old Don right in the puss.