MGB Restoration – Part 4

Filed under: Articles,Classic News |
A careful grind takes the tops off the welds and ready for plenty of Metalik fillerNovice restorer Grant Ford continues his love-hate relationship with his MGB Roadster, learning the ups and downs of the playing the ‘Restoration Game’. MGB – From Wicked Witch to Adorable Angel As the body work stage reaches its conclusion the old MG looks quite a sad sightI am now convinced my Roadster is female, firstly the better it looks the more it costs and secondly I just don’t understand it. The car gives with one hand and takes away with the other; case in point last month I predicted a ‘curve ball’ moment and just when we thought the worse was over we are face with a  door dilemma. Firstly the ‘B’ post bolts that secure the hinges are large ‘crosshead’ that don’t have a cross anymore! These have been turned and damaged to the point I doubted if they could be removed at all, in stepped Alan with all the old tricks and cunning of a ‘Silver Fox’ he claimed he could shock them out? So where the impact driver failed to make any impression the large ‘punch’ and one healthy ‘whack’ the bolts gave in without a fight and came out immediately, it’s all about bolt compression evidently. Removing the passenger side opening we were already aware the hinges were worn beyond saving and therefore once the doors were separated from the body we continued to strip out the windows and quarter-lights to prepare for repairs. The ‘crack of doom’ solution had already been passed on by some helpful folk and various versions of the repair are available on-line. I felt very confident we could deal with this in a day, maybe get both doors completed, oh how naive am I? Research has shown the failure of one area of door skin can be contributed to two opposing forces and age. The heavy door mirror was my original suspect but much cleverer MGB enthusiasts than me have also pointed out the incorrect positioning of the quarter-light does little to help the integrity of the panel. Shutting the door especially when badly adjusted or with worn hinges pushes the chrome and glass as it contacts the screen rubbers, we checked and ours didn’t fit too well at all. Our quarter-light moved nearly an inch each way; securing bolts were either missing or rusted in place and the top of the door has become a twisted rusty mess. Bob ‘the paint’ refills my attempt and gets stuck in to the MGs body wearing his best cowboy bootsThe fact you cannot buy new chrome frames is irrelevant from my point of view as second hand offerings are at prices that make your eyes water (well-known auction cheapest pair £400). But are they repairable? Well anything is repairable provided the parts can be sourced; queue Roger at MGOC who I am sure really enjoys our Monday morning parts ordering chats. I tell him what I assume we want he tells me what we actually need and the next morning another box arrives. Luckily every nut washer and seal is available for the glazing areas so we have a chance of reviving what has survived. You may notice from the pictures my quarter-lights are secured with two pop-rivets, this I assumed was some form of ‘bodge repair’ well I was wrong again. I have been informed pre 1965 this was how they were fitted, after which a tube was fitted into the front section and secured to the door, my MG being a ’64’ had no support tube allowing movement and aiding the crack to do it worst. Pre drilled holes and a plate secured behind once welded together the crack is gone foreverAlan took the outer frame into work and just 24 hours later had fashioned a supplementary tube for both sides which we will try to fit when the door goes back together. With quarter lights are no longer available as complete units I spoke to Roger at MGOC about this problem and how they keep stock levels correct as demand changes. Tooling and manufacturing costs on certain items may not be justified when the demand for that part is low, so no one makes them therefore repair kits or second hand are the only options. This though is quite rare with MGs but sourcing parts at MGOC is certainly a global affair, I noticed my fuel tank was from Canada and their radiators are supplied from America. Any delay in delivery from suppliers means frustration for both MGOC and their customers something they obviously try to avoid and often necessitates bulk buying. Exchange parts are a great idea and no doubt will become more so as the years pass, gauges for example are sent away for specialist repair and restoration before ending up back on the shelves. So to summarise both our doors require welding for not only the ‘crack of doom’ but also the area the quarter-lights secures too, then an extreme amount of tiny dents addressed, we also have new hinges and then refit the glazing and hope it all fits correctly in the gap. These early ‘B’ enjoyed an attractive whilst large steering wheel mine just needs a tidy upHonesty is the best policy and to be honest my filler work is far from perfect, I am happy spending hours removing all the signs of tin worm from the bare metal but when it comes to applying the magic coating I mix up far too much, put on far too much and then rub back far too much, a process I can repeat for hours on end. So when a pal at the local accessory shop recommended the more expensive new product Metalik body filler I just assumed he was after more of my rather small bank balance. I read the tin; Metalik is high adhesion, smooth spreading body filler that is easy to sand. As it contains aluminium flakes, it is ideal for restorations for a metallic finish, it said. Somewhat unsure I took the bait and after a week I can confirm it does what it says on the tin. I still use too much but it takes no time at all to flat back and it leaves a really smooth finish so it looks like I know what I am doing. This month introduces Bob; he has been tasked with painting the car (although he will have to wait a while) and often looks in to offer an opinion. I wanted his opinion on the new filler which also meant he would check over my work and get his hands dirty. Bob is an old hand at this sort of thing and quickly confirmed what I already knew, I need to improve; drastically. Several hours and many coffee’s later Bob stepped away from the car covered from head to his cowboy boots (his only foot attire) in filler dust. His last words driving off in his nearly acquired elderly Alfa were ‘That new filler is excellent your filler work though is not, be back next week so learn fast’. The original wood dash coverings repaired and in primer, black gloss to follow‘The MG giveth and the MG taketh away’ and on the giving front she has bestowed upon me the best Christmas present I could wish for. Removing the door hinges requires not just the four bolts that secure them to the front of the ‘A’ post but also a bolt on the back. To gain access inside the wheel arch is a splash plate and behind this is either one of your greatest days or your worst nightmares. Any or in fact all of this hidden area is prone to rotting out in the most dramatic fashion, moisture in here attacks the side members, arches and the front of the sills, just check out images on the ‘net’. I photographed mine as I found them ‘cobwebs’ and all, solid, dry and totally rust free. ‘It’s like new in there’ Alan exclaimed and it was the same both sides, once again I am grateful to the guys that restored the front of my ‘B’ many years ago, they did a fantastic job. Soft top cars offer those great moments, open to elements with the wind and sun in your hair, cruising through the countryside on a summer’s day is what it is all about. The top that came with the MG is not the original version, it should have just a frame behind the seats and a cover stored separately that come together when required. Many owners changed to the all in one version that arrived in the mid-sixties including our MG’s, although it doesn’t look as though it has seen action for decades the owner preferring the Sebring hard top I don’t see the point in using. Our soft top has been stored but certainly not in the most ideal location as vinyl is rotting and split in several places, way past saving so I removed it to check the condition of the frame work. More surface rust than a Grimsby trawler but sound, it folds correctly and just needs some TLC and it will be ‘good to go’. Both doors now boast something to bolt the quarter lights against but we still aren’t convincedAnother long cold Sunday with the ‘B’ and we decided to deal the doors, both now stripped out completely they look pretty rough but are solid so I made up a pair of shaped plates. Needing to fit snug against the curve of the door the angles took me a while to obtain then we followed instructions I found on the net. Firstly drill a hole at the base of the crack; this prevents the split going any further. Both sides of the door skin must be clean and I used etch primer on the plate before securing it as close as possible to the skin with pop rivets. Half a dozen pre drilled holes are then filled with weld securing the plate in place, a clean-up with a gentle grind and the door is ready for some filler. Sounds fairly straight forward and to be honest it would have been but we face the additional problem of corrosion next to the ‘crack of doom’ requiring two additional small plates. Fortunately there was enough left to make a template before carefully cutting out the rot and welding in. We won’t be certain if the quarter light will sit correctly until that is repaired and test fitted with the door back on the car. The roof frame looked terrible at first glance but a day of die grinder action proved it was solidWith Xmas upon us we test fit the passenger door (new hinges make this compulsory) and we are pleased with the result, the quarter light though is becoming a massive problem. I was advised pre 1965 they are secured inside the door at the base of the window channel and bolt to the top where we have had to replace the rotten plate. Just two pop-rivets hold the unit in position and this was just never going to last. Post 65 and an additional bar I mentioned earlier slowed the ‘crack of doom’ but failed to stop it. We have the early model and thus no supporting bar therefore Alan made some up but we cannot get them to fit in the correct position and this really has got us stumped. Half a day spent reconstructing the quarter lights with new rubbers and bolts and the other half desperately trying to fit it securely to the door; to no avail. Our schedule is now in pieces and the cold weather doesn’t help and for the first time since starting the MG we cannot work out what to do. Next Episode: We fit our 1st new parts and celebrate with tea and cakes Alan sets fire to the garage and I don’t panic, well not much Christmas is put on hold as we desperately try to get the MG in primerTags:,