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MG MGA - MGA's Birthday suit

Well I finally got the body back from the acid dip striper yesterday (2-1/2 weeks tuned into 2-1/2 months) here are some photos of what an "A" looks like in it's birthday suit ;-) {last 14 shots on the page}
http://picasaweb.google.com/chrisvelardi/MGARebuild#
Stopped by a few body shops on the 3 hour drive back home to get some approximate pricing on refinishing. Last place I stopped (and spoke for about hour and a half) convinced me that the body was to pristine not to make it a show car and seeing the work I have done myself he feels I should just get a spry gun, and some books and learn how to spray it myself. He felt no one but an a specialist with MGAs should try to refinish it or half the work would be researching what is correct and what is not. (like the seam under the front lights) Anyone out there that has done their own paint and body work want to give some advice? I know I need acid etch primer, high build primer, seam sealer, and a spray gun, (and all the necessary body fillers and tools) just not sure of what brands and types. I have always had a good friend do all my body and paint but he has moved. The body shop also thought that a Single Stage paint would give it more depth than a 2 stage paint job (color and clear) Any input would be appreciated. My fear is if I drop it off at any body shop with the prices of refinishing now a days I wont be able to afford to buy it back from them. I may try and find a body guy to "moonlight" with me in my garage to refinish it (if I can find one ). Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Chris "V"
Chris Velardi

The real work is in the preparation to do the painting. Basically a lot of block sanding. I personally like DuPont’s Centari . It is a two-part, single stage paint (no clearcoat). My advise would be not to use a metal fleck and to pick a light color. A number of folks in the CT MG Club have painted their own cars. One of the best amateur paint jobs is Marv Stuart’s TD


David werblow

Chris, you might look into an auto body or auto restoration class at a local junior college near you. They typically have high quality paint booths, spray guns and supplied air respirators. I took one when I started restoration of my 'A' and was highly encouraged when I saw some of the paint jobs done by 'amateurs'.

One fellow, (who said he had never painted a day in his life) was finishing up an old Volkswagen beetle in bright yellow that looked every bit as good as a professional paint job.

I still have quite a bit of work to do before I get to the prep work/painting phase, but I plan on signing up for another class so I have access to the school's paint equipment. At $130 per class, it's well worth the money since all I have to pay for is the paint itself.

One caution about painting the car in your garage - many paints nowadays contain HIGHLY toxic isocyanates and should only be applied using supplied-air respirators, NOT cartridge-type masks. Ask your paint supplier what kind of personal protection he recommends.

Best of luck, keep us updated on your progress. We love seeing more MGAs getting back on the road.

Regards,
Larry
L Wheeler

Has anyone used a rotisserie on an MGA body? I may build one like this http://www.roto2000.com/car_body_rotisserie.htm

.I just have to figure out how to attach it to the "A"'s body sans chassis.
Chris Velardi

That one looks a bit pricey, being universal, adjustable, one size fits all (and likely still doesn't fit the MGA at rear). You may do better building your own starting with two $39 engine stands. I've done full body restoration on my MGA twice just setting the body on a pair of saw horses, and still no yen to fuss with a rotisserie.
Barney Gaylord

I used a couple of saw horses and they worked great. I had limited funds (and ceiling space) and the garage I was renting had two old ones in the corner so I used them.
Tom Baker

Oh, I almost forgot. I did all the bodywork sprayed the car myself with PPG single stage. It's shiny but not too plasticy like some 2 stage paint jobs. Huge learning curve and lots of swear words and wasted material/time, but it was satisfying in the end.
Tom Baker

Hey folks!

I'm finally to the point that my body man has started painting the coupe. Ref: Paint- I looked at various paints, although my coupe was originally black over red, I'm having it painted Dove Grey. Anyway, while talking to my body man, and discussing paint, he strongly suggest Nason brand paint. I'd never heard of it before and was considering the Dupont Centari also. So, I went and had a fairly long talk with the professioanls at the auto paint supply store. Since the Nason was less than half the cost of Centari, I was concerned about quality. The fellow at the paint store said that the Centari was so much more expensive because there were so many paint codes that they could use to "match" any car color! Nason has a limited number of formulas and they can't match sqaut. However, if using their available paint chips
you can find a really good match for the color you're wanting....and you're painting the entire car, matching isn't an issue and should you need a touch-up at a later date, then you formula you used to begin with is an exact match. The auto paint man asked me if I was familiar with Emron paint, which I was. That's the paint I used when I restored my '57 TR3. He said Nason paint was on equal par with Emron. Very durable, high shine. It's a two part, single stage process and my body man really likes the way it lays/flows on the car when painting. So, for less than $300.00 I got the paint/hardener and activator.
He's painted the under sides of all the attachables and will begin top coating this week. So far, it looks great!!! Cheers!
Robert Maupin

I will ad my 2 cents to this one. Paint is relatively easy with today’s new products. They are somewhat forgiving with the ability to sand out mistakes and blend in repairs. The trick in acquiring a great paint job is good prep work, patience, a relatively clean environment (bug free), and a good spray gun. I always try to realize my savings in doing a job myself and credit back money into investing in good tools. I used a "Sata" spray gun and PPG Base coat clear coat. Do not skimp on cheap paint! You will get what you pay for. Also research means, methods, and products. Great source is: http://autobodystore.com/forum/index.php
This site is the MGA guru of auto body. It is a wealth of information. My finish came out splendid and I even have Professionals ask me who did my paint. Below is a pic of the base coat before the clear was shot. So don't me intimidated and go for it!



WMR Bill

Chris, I have some photos and information on my rotisserie design I built for my MGA. The total cost was under $200 a couple of years ago. http://www.britishv8.org/Articles/Auto-Body-Rotisserie.htm
Similar to the units built from engine stands. Those usually have to be modified by raising the rotation point to allow for clearance and also to level out the axis of rotation as most engine stands are angled upwards a bit. Most engine stands are not designed for movement in any direction so the casters usually have to be changed. That's why I decided to design and build my own.
Bill Young

Don’t select the color from a paint chip! When the color is painted on the entire car, you may find highlights or tints that you do not care for (Don’t ask me how I know). Find a color on a car or truck that you really like and get the paint code off the vehicle.
David werblow

Bill there was no need to connect the 2 sides of the rotisserie ? Or need for cross bracing between the mounting points on each end ?
Chris Velardi

Chris, I made a connecting piece that telescopes to adjust for different length bodies, it's shown on the floor in one of the construction photos between the two end units. After getting the body mounted I found that I needed a little longer piece of tubing for the span, but also the stand worked well and allowed the body to be moved around the shop without the connector in place so I haven't installed it. If I was to roll the body out of the shop onto the drive where there are rougher areas of concrete I'd definitely tie the two ends together to keep from stressing the body or mounts any more than necessary. As for any cross bracing for the adaptor arms, don't see any need. I don't notice any movement no matter what angle the body is supported in. For a heavier body such as a BGT or such I'd probably make the adaptor arms out of a little larger tubing, but the one inch square works great for the MGA and allows plenty of access to work on the front or rear pans. I had to replace the entire floor of the boot on my car and really couldn't have done it half as easily without the rotisserie, really was worth the effort.
Bill Young

Hi Robert. I have used Nason brand refinishing products before, and am impressed with their quality. I purchased the Nason brand products because they were and are considerably less expensive. While they are less expensive, they are manufactured by Dupont, the same folks that make Imron and Centari. I have used both their Ful Poxy epoxy primer, and their Ful Cryl II catalysed paint for the colour coat. In my opinion, both are high quality products that spray well, are "forgivng", and are very tough and durable. The only thing I dont like about the epoxy paint is that after mixing, it has to sit for one half hour or more (temperature dependent) before spraying. However, the Nason Ful Poxy bonds extremely well to EVERYTHING! Steel, Aluminum, body filler, and spot putty. The ful poxy is difficult to dry sand , but wet sands quite easily, and gives an excellent base for the final (colour) finish. The ful poxy is not a primer surfacer and is therefore not a "high build product" That is it doesnt fill imperfections such as chips or scratches. But if your panel is straight and smooth, this epoxy is excellent. You can spray primer surfacer over the ful poxy is required. THe Ful Poxy also acts as a "sealer." The old enamel finish on my MG started to wrinkle when I tried to spray laquer based primer over it. The Ful Poxy does not lift or wrinkle the original paint, The capability to be sprayable over enamel, is a big bonus in my opinion. The Ful Cryl II catalysed acrylic finish sprays beautifully, covers nicely, and water sands well after being allowed to harden for several days. When laid on with good equipment it has a beautiful gloss with minimal orange peel. I ALWAYS use fish eye eliminator when spraying the colour coat, to avoid problems. Hope these comments are of use. Cheers, GLenn
Glenn Hedrich

Thanks Glenn!

That confirms what my body man states. I too have painted previously owned cars. My TR3 twice won at the National TRA show, Best in Class- Daily Driven. So, I feel "O.K." with paining my own cars. However, having moved into a new home, and just having completed the second garage, where I keep the hobby car(s), I hadn't bought/installed the new compressor yet. We live in a very remote area of Virginia, with a total population of less than 2500 in the entire county, the least populated county east of the Mississippi actually. However, we do have three body repair shops! Deer!!! Anyway, the fellow who is doing my work was glad to have a job that didn't involve the usual deer stuff, he said he'd do the entire car for $4,000.00. He's working the job in between "insurance work" so it's taking a while to complete. However, I've been so please to see the time and effort he's taken to make sure the work is done very well, i.e., he spent five hours wet sanding one rear fender. He originally figured 2.5 hours for that. Not charging me for the overage. Anyway, at that price, I found it hard to not let him have to work. Anyway, thanks for the information! Cheers!
Robert Maupin

This thread was discussed between 15/08/2009 and 18/08/2009

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