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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Welding in a rear wing repair panel

Evening Spridgeteers,

When repairing a rear wing with one of the common 1/4 repair panels, is the panel attached to the sill somehow inside the wing? (If this makes sense?!) Or is it just attached to the sill at the front by the little protruding flap (as circled in my picture) and then a nice wee gap left between the sill and the wing in which water and crud can accumulate and rot things away again! :-D

Cheers all,
Malcolm

Note: I am aware the panel needs more fettling to fit properly! :-)


Malcolm Le Chevalier

I welded mine to the top of the sill, working through the oval access hole on the inside of the B post. Not the easiest access to a weld, but I couldn't see any other way of doing it.
Guy Weller

Cheers Guy, my access hole is no longer a hole. It was patched over by a PO reinforcing the previously rusted out B post.

Malcolm
Malcolm Le Chevalier

Could you glue it in?
Don't laugh, there are some very effective automotive adhesives available now.
Guy Weller

I did think about that... Secretly I was hoping the answer was "it just flaps about, don't worry about it" cos I kind of already tacked welded it in :-)
Malcolm Le Chevalier

cut the inner hole back!
You really want this bit welded in properly as it gives you most of the integrity keeping the car from folding in.
Ask me how I know.......

So just joggle the edge of the cut panel plug weld that edge than weld the inner edge to the top of the sill from the inside
In essence first make it look good than make it structural.

Not a big Fan of the Glue repairs.
These are designed for body's a lot stiffer than the midget and can't realy take the flex sometimes needed in older body's and can crack.
Or so it was told to me by a bodyshop who glue a lot.
They like it for modern cars as you do not bring heat in to the metal and there fore get a better fitting joint
Onno K

Suggestion:
Slice the repair panel along about 1" above the sill and weld the bottom piece securely to the sill top from the outside to provide an upstanding flange. Then joggle and plug weld the external panel along top and bottom edges.
Should work ok?
Guy Weller

The bottoms of the wings that I cut out weren't attached at the bottom. But that isn't saying much!

On the up side they did have a lot of structural filler to provide additional rigidity! :-)

Malcolm


Malcolm Le Chevalier

Malcolm, looking at your before picture (the most recent posted) and being a lazy sod, I'd've said to myself that looks pretty good, only needs a bit of a tidy up. I wouldn't be welding until it was far worse than that.

But then again, as well as being lazy, looks don't bother me much either. That's why if I ever entered my Sprite for a beauty prize, it would win hands down --- in the "taking the piss" section. lol.

What's the brand name of this automotive glue then? Sounds useful to me.
Lawrence Slater

Ha, thanks Lawrence, yeah, the wing wasn't too bad on this side, but the sill and floor were completely shot so had to remove the bottom bit of wing to properly replace the floor/sill etc.

I will feel better about it all once it is done as well, that there won't be 1cm of filler over half the wing!

Cheers,
Malcolm
Malcolm Le Chevalier

This thread was discussed between 20/06/2012 and 21/06/2012

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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