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 MGA - New Beginning

I have been an MG fan for many years. In the past, it has been mainly midgets. I have recently purchased an off the body restoration 1960 MGA. Great shape considering the Midgets I have restored in the past. However, I have never restored an MGA and this one appears to be in pretty good shpe by my standards. Chassis has motor, suspension, and gear train installed. I'm not sure where to proceed next. Since I didn't tear it down, I'm not sure of correct bolts, etc. The fuel system/radiator was installed on a temp. basis so the car could be started when I purchased it. It was deliverered with those parts removed. I am not sure of the proper procedure to continue. I have installed the fuel pump tonight and located the fuel lines in the pile of parts. What is the best starting point from here. I would think that I should get the fuel lines connected, find the solenoid and get the auto running first. Still having problems IDing parts. Thanks for any info.
BM Bill

Hi BM. Congratulations on your MGA ownership! As to where to start: Check body and frame for integrity. MGAs can have lots of rust problems, particularly in the rocker panels, inner sills, and front and rear door pillars. If the body and frame are sound then I would check the entire braking system, and ensure that the steel and rubber brake lines are sound, and that there are no leaks in the brake or clutch hydraulic systems. brakes hydraulics MUST be in excellent condition due to the single master cylinder design! If you lose one brake line, or brake hose, you have NO BRAKES! If these things check out OK then I would survey the vehicle and make a list of all missing parts. See which parts you have, and which you will surely need to order. Place an order for the parts you need. I would also drain the gas out of the gas tank, if it is old. If the car has been sitting for a long time, then a complete tune up, and perhaps carburettor rebuild should be considered. All this is assuming that you just want to get the car running and driveable. Should you want beautiful cosmetics, then you are likely in for a LOT more additional work! Hope this helps. Glenn
Glenn

If you are going to assemble a MGA from a thousand pieces, when somebody else pulled it apart and put all the bits in boxes, I would recommend that you buy a copy of the factory Service Parts List. These are readily available. You say that you would find it difficult to ID the nuts and bolts.
BMC cars used an inventory of standard nuts and bolts for assembly work. They can be identified from the part numbers in the Service Parts List if you have the BMC list of standard fasteners. This is available in PDF format from:

http://www.angelfire.com/amiga/mga/index.html

You need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader program to view and print PDF files (www.adobe.com).

Mick
Mick Anderson

BM,
In the archives there is a thread with a link to a list that documents the location and type of bolts used in a coupe. This was created by a fellow name of John Progress. I've copied and pasted it here, but it may not "hot link":
http://home.att.net/~jprogess/COUPE_BOLTS.XLS
However, if you search the achives for the phrase "coupe bolts" you will find it. Coupes and roadsters are similar enough that this should give you a fighting chance, with fasterners at least. In addition to the suggested parts list I recommend you get a copy of Todd Clarke's little book "MGA OWNER'S INFORMATION AND TECHNICAL GUIDE". It has many incredibly useful and hard to find tidbits. Also, get a copy, from NAMGAR, of Mike Ash's book "Tech Sessions from MGA!". A wealth of specialized information on an amazing number of topics. Also, be sure to vist Barney Gaylord's web site. If you're intersted, I also have an MGA Restoration CD compiled by Bob Welch. A couple years ago many BBS members got a copy of it. Contact me and I'll mail you a copy.
Good luck, even the best "basket cases" are quite a challange!

Gerry Foster
G T Foster

This thread was discussed on 18/05/2005

MG MGA index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGA BBS is active now.