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MG MGA - MGA in a Very Sorry State

A friend at work’s mother in law is not too good and is having to move into a nursing home. What’s this got to do with the price of fish you ask? Well, when her husband moved north about 30 years ago he left his 1959 Mark 1 MGA back in North Wales. Unfortunately, it’s now in a very sorry state and I suspect that it’s only good for spares. Would anybody be prepared to give some suggestions on the best way to get rid of it preferably to a good home. As far as I know it’s got alloy panels, hardtop, competition clutch, c/r gearbox, bigger SU carbs, uprated suspension, wide wheels and the owner thinks that it might have been used for competition before he bought it. I’ve got some photographs if anyone is interested. You can contact me at dc AT csmgf DOT co DOT uk
David Clelland

You'd be surprised at how many A's are brought back from near death to good condition again. Never write a car off as "parts only" completely. There may be someone out there looking for just such a car...especially a heavily modified one.
R. L Carleen

Here's some pictures of the poor wee soul -

http://www.csmgf.co.uk/mga/mga.htm
David Clelland

Well, for those in G.B> this is a right hand drive vehicle, so it should have plenty that people will want. I am curious about the near side door, as it appears to have a vent window. The top is definitely worth something, I think somebody will be contacting you regarding this poor wee soul.
mike parker

Another look at the near side door, modified with outside latch. Also take a look at the center console. I hope somebody picks up on it.
mike parker

The car appears to be nearly broken in half. Sills have seperated from the rest of the car and it's close to touching the ground in the center. The cowl area is completely rotted away which I've never even seen before! Sadly I suspect this is a parts car. The panels may be salvagable and the hard top is definately worth something. Poor thing!
Steve Simmons

My guess is that only the hard top and drive train are holding the two ends together. This one is too far gone to be anything other than mechanical parts, and even these may be few and far between.
dominic

I am sure there will be takers for parts - I for one, would love the right hand drive steering rack and dashboard! Is there any chance I could make them an offer - feel free to pass on my email geoff at dixonassociates dot uk dot com.
Geoff

Yes, very sad indeed. Even the hard top appears to have suffered rear end damage when the middle section chassis collapsed. That is what the British winter salted roads do for you. No wonder we scour the 'rust free State' of California for our project cars!

Mike, what is nearside to you is offside to us!

Steve
Steve Gyles

Have a look at the engine compartment photograph. What is the bunch of red pipes/cables that runs over the air duct tube? There are 4 plates connected to the pipes underneath the right side of the compartment. What would they be for?

Steve
Steve Gyles

I have been trying to figure out what the plumbing in front of the radio is. And yes Mike- I have been staring at the center console, thinking "hmmmmm"
/ gil
gil

Unfortunately I don't have any answers to your questions, but I'd be interested to hear any theories that you have. The owner is paying a visit to the car at the weekend, would it be useful if he took any better photographs of particular parts of the car.
David Clelland

Isn't the plumbing in front of the radio, a map-reading lamp with flexible stalk? Seem to remember those being quite popular for a while. And surely that's a Lucas 14ACR alternator, with its separate diode pack mounted on the heater shelf?
A. W. Risk

OK, Steve G. I thought that the right hand door was nearside. Did I get that correct?that is a map light, I figured that one out.
Steve S. I wonder whether the coil has been replaced with individual coil packs? That would explain 4 high tension leads( if that is what the cable/wire, etc. is) Maybe they are diodes for the alternator, placed in the cooling path of the vent? Another possible alternative is that they are air lines for some suspension mod. The center console shows several switches, etc which must power something. Whoever gets this, let us know.
mike parker

Correction - that should read 'Lucas 11AC' - sorry!
A. W. Risk

That looks like a pull handle from a spitfire on the near side door.. As for the four red ???? I think that they are ignition leads removed with the cap intact and laid over the air intake tube.Those tires certainly look oversize .
Sandy Sanders
conrad sanders

That is, without a doubt, the saddest MGA I've ever seen. The frame must be rusted nearly in two.

I had an old Toyota pickup truck a while back that had had a good flat wooden bed installed. When we removed the bed, so that its front edge was no longer braced against the back of the cab, the rusty frame sagged almost to the ground. Picking it up by one end with a tow truck was out of the question. We had to put it on a flat bed to tow it to the car crusher for scrap.
Chuck Asbury

Chuck,
To me it looks as if the sill reinforcement and pillar assembly (f-sections)and the rocker panels have rusted out more than the frame. Perhaps along with that, the ~45 degree angled body support and the body to frame horizontal panel just forward of the doors rusted out? Guesses, all.
mike parker

Sandy,
Checked out the red wires in the pic, don't they look as if they connect to the bottom side of some aluminum or whatever beneath the side area there?
mike parker

Mike;
I think that you are right. It looks like four petcock type things under the front right section of the bonnet.I think that I can visualize the spark plug wires there . I hope someone that buys this can take further photos for posterity .
Many years ago purchased a Healey 100 from a bank. While loading it on the trailer it broke rustily in two pieces. The scale did not count as pieces.
Sandy Sanders
conrad sanders

just a guess, but adding up the map light on the extension, the customized console with it's switches,the one remaining extra front light, and the extra engine indicators mounted under the dash, maybe it was a rally car, and the red wires could be for additional headlights????
fwiw- /gil
gil

My vote is that the 4 red pipes/cables are absolutely nothing to do with the ignition. I am sure you can still make out some of the black spark plug leads and one plug cap below the air trunking. Furthermore, the 4 metal end plates are too symmetrical to be discarded plug attachments. They look as if they belong in that place. Also why would plug leads go forward of the radiator?

To me they are large bore plastic pipes. The reason for their existance leaves me baffled unless the owner had converted to hydrolastic suspension common to some BLMC cars in the 60s and these are the top up points.

Steve
Steve Gyles


I used to have an air horn on a camper van which had two red plastic tubes from the compressor. Just like these here. Maybe it was a rally addition - two big air horns.
David
David M

Aha, Steve, I already suggested suspension mods way back in the thread. It looks like they may have shrader valves there, or possibly (just possibly) diodes from individual coil packs. I believe that Mallory made red wires. BTW, I did see the black ign. wires, so I doubt that they are for that.
Is David still reading this? David, what are those red tubes or wires?
mike parker

David M:

I’m sure you’re right - air horns they are. There seem to be five trumpets, facing downwards, with their supply hoses leading to the compressor, which must be mounted on the radiator duct panel.

There should also be a sequencing control box somewhere; could it be that grey plastic box mounted on the heater shelf? I assumed that to be the 4TR control box for an early-type alternator, but perhaps not.

D'ye remember these things - they could be set up to “play” tunes such as ‘Colonel Bogey’ and so forth; they were made illegal in the UK around 1970, if I remember aright. Well spotted!

Alex
A. W. Risk

R.I.P.
Pete W.

Yes Mike I'm still here :-)

I'm afraid that I used to be a midget man way back in the 60s and 70s. Now I run an MGF and an MGZR. I know absolutely nothing about MGAs. It's someone that I work beside husband's car. When I saw the pictures at first the things that struck me were no rust on the bonnet, boot and doors; wide wheels; map light; and all these switches on the centre consol. I thought this car may have a history of competition and wondered if the sliding passenger window was so that a navigator could talk to marshalls easily. I then spoke to the owner and he thought the car might have been rallied. He also told me that it had a close ratio gearbox, competition clutch and bigger SUs. I suspect that with these mods the engine may also have been modified. With regard to the "red pipes" I also thought that they might be connected to an air horn, but who knows. Annie was down at Wales last weekend, but I haven't seen her since she got back. I asked her to take some more pictures and get the chassis and engine number. If she managed this I'll post some more pictures.

In the meantime keep up the good work - I'm enjoying reading your thoughts on the matter.
David Clelland

Dave

As you are not an MGA man you may not be aware that the rust free items you mentioned are made of aluminium, common to all MGAs, not just your friend's hybrid car.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Red "pipes" are for air horns :-)
David Clelland

David,
I take it that you have had no takers on this car? What have you done to sell it?
mike parker

Mike, I'm not selling the car. All I've done is pass on the information and offers to buy parts. Annie works part time in another department so I don't see her every day. She told me on monday that she was down in Wales last weekend and she got the chassis number etc. To be honest I think her husband wants rid of the car and isn't interested in selling bits off it and as far as I know it's still up for grabes. Unless an enthusiast gets in touch with him, I think that he'll advertise it on Ebay or get me to put it in Safety Fast or Enjoying MG.
David Clelland

I was right about the air horns then!
Now why does it have an external door handle on the drivers side? To make a quick entry? and is that a wind up window on the RHS?
David M

It's a coupe door on the RHS.
Ian Pearl

This thread was discussed between 26/10/2004 and 15/11/2004

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