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MG MGA - starter motor paint color

I know that the starter and generator were painted engine color when new. I read somewhere, but can't find the source now, that dealer replacements were black with the end plates natural aluminum. Can someone comfirm this?
Thanks (again), George
G Goeppner

George

My recent new starter motor is as you describe.

Steve
Steve Gyles

George, My take on this is that the starter / generator were painted after full assembly on the engine. Why mask off the accessories and add cost? If you were to be able to find an original one and did some exploratory investigation, you would likely find that under the MG Red, you will find the black paint on all steel parts (to prevent rusting) and no paint on the raw aluminum. Just a theory.


The reason that the replacements are black / aluminum is that the same generator fit MANY other vehicles, not just MG's. It would just add $$ and stocking problems at the dealers to paint them all the different engine colors.

I have a rebuilt generator on my car and it is as you describe, black and aluminum. I had the opportunity to have a "brand new" Lucas Generator at the time. It was also finished black and bare aluminum. I opted for the rebuilt because the "new" generator was a recent revision and the field connection was on the outside diameter of the case rather than the end plate as original.

My appologies to all of you who would rather read "aluminium".

Chuck
C Schaefer

Dear Guys
My 1957 MGA had what I believe to be the original parts fitted, June 57 starter and Generator, with both being black withbare aluminium end plates. this may be an Australian thing but I put it forward for comments.
Best regards
Bruce
B Jackson

Bruce, I read an old article about the Austrlian-built MGA's. Not the CKD kits that I have seen photos of per se, but complete body assembly from stamped metal parts shipped from the UK. They went thru the entire build process. They were building 3 per day. This article was published in '57. They talked about casting and building engines in Australia being in their future. Could it be that yours is one of these cars?

How an you tell a CKD car from one of these? My understanding of the CKD cars is that they were shipped mostly assembled but in primer.

Chuck
C Schaefer

The Aussie CKD MGA's were shipped with engines and gearboxes assembled, most everything else not assembled, and lots of parts omitted for local sourcing. Local source included chrome bumpers, windscreen glass, tires, batteries, nearly all of the fabric parts, and Lucas generators which were manufactured down under.

It is my understanding that UK origin generators had alloy end plates and were painted with the engine, while Aussie source generators had iron end plates and were painted black, then installed at final assembly, being left black. Maybe starter motors got the same treatment there, being left black.

It is also my understanding that Aussie CKD bodies were shipped as loose panels to be jig welded after arrival, although some early ones may have been welded and primed before shipment. All were painted after shipment. Final painting of the bodies was done on the frame, so there would be body color overspray paint on visible parts of the frame.

Stamped steel wheels were final painted on the outboard side only, leaving brown primer color visible on the inboard surfaces. Dash panels for all Aussie CKD cars were likely vinyl covered (including radio blanking plate), leaving brown primer visible on the back side.

In North America, for decades parts suppliers have been supplying black wrinkle finish radio plates (like MGB and midget parts) as replacement parts for MGA. I don't suppose anyone would expect them to paint these plates in a multitude of different original colors before inventory and sale. But it might be nice if they could be supplied in smooth primer or maybe gloss black to make it easy to repaint without having to strip the wrinkle black first.
Barney Gaylord

Barney's comments are basically correct. The Australian cars had the body panel pressings shipped from the UK and welded up and painted in Australia. The engines had Australian generators and starter motors fitted and they were black with unpainted iron end plates.
Just two changes though, the bodies were painted on a jig (see attched photo of Australian painting jig).
The comments on how the stamped disk wheels were made and painted I believe is correct for other countries, but all Austalian cars had wire wheels.

Mick


Mick Anderson

Barney,

I have a copy of "Sports Car World" Feb '58 article on the manufaturing process of the MGA in Australia. You are correct that they assembled the body from importd stampings. Welded, leaded, primed and painted. However they clearly indicate that the painting was done off the chassis. they state "While the body is being sprayed, the men on the main assembly line are busily preparing a chassis frame ready to receive it". There is a photo of a sprayed body being rubbed down and one of it being married the to the finished chassis. It would appear from the B/W photos that the inside and out of the body was painted. Kinda hard to say based on the poor photo quality.

It would apear that the front of the generator is painted engine color but I would not guarantee it. In the same photo, the heat shield under the SU's appears to be natural in color.

I have downloaded this photocopy from a website. It may have been from somebody on this BBS. Sorry if it is, I am suffering from CRS symptoms. I liked the article so much, I cleaned it up using OCR and reformatted it in Publisher. I don't know the legal ramifications of this but I did look for the rightful heir to "Sports Car World" to gain permission to reprint it at one time and could not find one. I could offer it in PDF form to anyone who would like a personal copy. If you publish it on the web, do so at your own risk.

C Schaefer

George,
If you do decide to paint it black, just be sure it the correct SHADE of black....:)
GTF
G T Foster

C Schaefer, - The 1958 SCW article has been on my web site since 2005. See here: http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/ckd/ckd102.htm
Maybe I should read my own web pages.
Barney Gaylord

Gerry, what a dilemma for me. Flat black, semi-flat, semi gloss, 30% gloss, 40%, 50%, 70%, keeps me up at nights....!
G Goeppner

This thread was discussed between 28/01/2008 and 30/01/2008

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