MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Restoring my Ashley top


Hello All,

Well, after the best part of 3 years, I'm getting very close to completion on the rebuild. Just a couple of tinkering-type finishing touches before the MOT, which I'm hoping will be next week.

With the car almost finished, my mind is turning to the next project, which is the Ashley top. I have a couple of questions relating to the GRP, which I have no experience with...

1. I need to strip and flatten the paint, what's the best way of doing it? Is a flap wheel on the angle grinder (as I did for the car) too aggressive? Should I do it with the sander and rough paper instead?

2. There is a small to medium sized stress star near the middle of the top. How should I treat it? Does it need a repair, or can I just smooth it and paint over?

3. Can I use ordinary primer?


Thanks in advance, as ever...
MarkH1

Are you going to line it? I hope so. I always thought these tops would look amazing with interior lining.

Anyway, I can only answer your question number 2.

If it's an original and there are stress cracks, I would recommend repairing them with some FG. They all craze after a while but you need to be careful as my cracks 'developed' over time (them midgets don't half shake about).
Rich Amos (1 Sprite 1 Midget!)

Mark

There is a fantastic article out there on the web by a former Lotus grp repair man. Try searching for something and I will see if I can find it on my pc. Suffice to say it is not a good idea to just fill in cracks there is a bit more to it than that.

Carl
C Bintcliffe

I have heard that removing the old gel coat and covering with tissue paper then re gell coating will do the job nicely, it looses all the cracks....

Never done it myself, I'm not a Fiberglass person...

Mark.
Mark T. Boldry

try this for starters...
http://www.westfieldbuild.com/resources/Fibreglass.pdf
David Smith

You can, of course, drop it to someone to do the repair. It is not very expensive as long as you are happy to do the prep (sanding, keying!) and finishing (sanding, keying!). Stops you from stinking out your garage for a week, too.
Rich Amos (1 Sprite 1 Midget!)

Thanks guys,

That article in particular covers all I'll need to know. Thank you David.

Rich, it has a lining in it already - which is navy blue and hence matches my interior, which is a bonus. In general it's in pretty good condition and just needs a re-spray and re-rubbering really. Just need to wait for the weather to warm a bit so that I can spray it.

And of course, I've got to get the car through it's MOT first...
MarkH1

Thats the article I was thinking of, Ive got lots of that sort of work to do myself. Maybe in the summer!

Carl
C Bintcliffe

When I had to restore my work's MKI hardtop, I did the work (sanding, keying). And when I took it to the paintshop, the painter said, the job wasn't good enought cause on fiberglass, a small default is very visible after painting.
So he did the job a second time.
To prepare and to paint cost me 200 euro.
So for my Ashley top and Ashley front, I will ask him to prepare before painting.

Rich, have you got an idea how to put an iterior lining on an Ashley top? and wich material?

laurent
ld derancourt

Laurent, 200 euros seems cheap to me.
I'd be happy for someone to prep and paint my hard top for me for that price. Any takers?
G Lazarus

Mark: That's surely glassfibre 'tissue' - the very thin stuff - not actual tissue *paper*. Isn't it?

FWIW my Ashley was restored by a pro for around £1000. Loadsamoney but they did a nice job.
Andrew Noakes


Andrew - looks great in that tiny picture.

The whole resto has been done on a shoestring and with the aim of bragging rights about having done everything ourselves. So I'm going to have a go! Paint on the car bodywork has needed a fair bit of rubbing and polishing but we've been patient and it's getting to the point I'm almost happy with it - I'll take the same approach with the ashley.
MarkH1


Thanks for all the help, chaps.
A couple of supplemental questions to the above...

Do the Ashley tops wear an Ashley badge? I've not got one on the current top, but have found a source for the parallelogram(sp?) Ashley badge at Atlantis Classics. If I were trying to re-create the original look of an Ashley, where should I put the badge??

Also, does anyone have an Ashley rear parcel shelf they could draw around and post to me - mine's missing.

Thanks in advance as always...
MarkH1

Mark, is this pic any good to you as a guide?

John


John Collins

wider view, you can just see the ashley badge on this one


John Collins


John, thank you very much, that's superb. Looks like the badge Atlantis are selling is spot on. I will order one as the finishing touch to the top...

...so in several months, probably, just at the time spring arives and I don't need it for the summer! Seriously, though. I can see light at the end of the restoration tunnel.
Thanks so much everyone for the help and encouragement you've all been.

Mark
MarkH1

Hi Mark,

When yours arrives, please could you post a higher res image than the one they have on their website/ebay, as it looked pretty rough around the edges to me. I asked them for a higher res image of the one that they're selling but they said that they didn't have one! In their defence, they did say that they would refund me if I wasn't satisfied.
G Lazarus

Hi Mark

I too am restoring my Ashley top. It was in good condition, the only part that was missing was the clamps to attach it to the body, do you have these with yours? If so any chance you could post a picture please? The badge is as posted above in type and position.

Jody
J Shaw

Here is their one

http://tinyurl.com/aflqsg
G Lazarus


Jody -

My top had the two brackets when I bought it, but I think I lost one when the trailerboard fell off my uncle's trailer on the way home with it, which is a great shame. I may yet find it, keep meaning to tidy up the garage and find all the bits and bobs I've mislaid...

From memory, they're just very simple polished stainless angle brackets, from something like 1/4 x 3/4" stainless strip. I will measure it up for you next time I'm down at the garage (this weekend dependant on the weather?).

You don't have the parcel shelf you could draw round in return, do you? ;-)
MarkH1

Mark

Thanks for the info and no rush. Unfortunately I do not have the parcel shelf either.

Cheers
J Shaw

Parcel shelf? as in what came standard in spridgets untill they gave the midget a glovebox in 72? I have one. its a tad rough but it may do. The cardboard wil ned replacing but the padded front is fine. I had thought of fabricating a new one out of sheet metal.
S.A. Jones


SA - the parcel shelf I was referring to is the one that sits in the ashley back and hides the gaping boot opening when you look in through the rear window. It shouldn't be too hard to make a cardboard template and cut it out of cardboard.

Jody - I was at the garage on Sat, but unfortunately I've mislaid the one good bracket I had. When I manage to find it, I'll measure it up for you...

Gary - I've ordered a badge from Atlantis, will give you a full report when it arrives...

MarkH1


Gary - the badge from Atlantis arrived on Friday. Good and bad news.

Quality of the casting is fine, but the paint infill is not very good. It's a bit splodgy and slightly chipped in one place. I'll try and get a decent photo of it tonight. I'm tempted to try and inprove ita bit with some fine wet and dry or scotchpad, but equally fear I may make it worse...
MarkH1

Cheers Mark,

Does it have pins on the back or do you just glue it on? I'll look forward to seeing ther image(s).

Thanks for remembering me.
G Lazarus

Andrew, I guess you'll be right on the fiberglass tissue... I really don't know..

Mark.
M T Boldry

Glassfibre tissue is definately what you want for this sort of job and some decent weather so that you can work outside with plenty of fresh air!

Carl
C Bintcliffe


Gary -

I've finally got around to taking a couple of pics:

http://www.mhharris.org.uk/Ashley1.jpg
and
http://www.mhharris.org.uk/Ashley2.jpg

I've not been brave enough to try and sort the infill out yet, but I'm thinking I can't make it a lot worse!?
MarkH1

Hi Mark,

Many thanks for taking the images and posting them. I can't say that I'm that impressed although I suppose if some of the overpaint of the raised letters was removed then it would look a lot better and secondly, i'm unlikely to get one from anywhere else.
I'm not surprised that they use such a low res image on their ebay auction.
G Lazarus

This thread was discussed between 26/01/2009 and 02/03/2009

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG Midget and Sprite Technical BBS is active now.