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 MGB Technical - Door hinge screw

You may already know this however I am going to tell you anyway. Those terrible screws with the cross heads (phillips type) that cause you to weep at the thought of putting them in or worse taking them out can be replaced with a very friendly screw that has a allen key in the head. I am relacing the doors on my BGT and after struggling to fit the screws I gave up. A trip to my local screw shop and a chat with the helpful man behind the counter saw me leaving five minutes later with a slightly long set of screws with the inset for an allen key. This evening I replaced the screws in the passenger door ( not all had seated properly dispite much grunting and hitting with the lump hammer and impact screwdriver) with the greatet of ease. Some copper ease was used during the job just incase they are to come out again in the future however it will be an easy job now that the allen key can be used.
Doug Endean

Good one! I'd like to think that I would have thought of it but...

As an aside, the Philips and Pozi-drive type screw-head was developed by a clever feller in the US auto industry who saw lots of flat-head screws being broken by excessive torque on the assembly line. He devised the original philips design so that the drivers would "torque-out" before the screw was broken!
The posi-drive was a later refinement to allow for additional torque to be applied.

Mike!
mike!

Doug - The original screws that hold the hinges are Pozi-drive as Mike states above. When you try to remove or tighten a pozi-drive screw with a Phillips screwdriver you think that at the very least the world is coming to an end. I would suggest getting a set of Pozi-drive bits at your local tool store since there are numerous Pozi-drive screws in the MGB (as most of the screws that look like a Phillips) and the proper bits make removing and tightening them a snap. Your replacing the hinge screws with ones with allen heads is a good replacement never the less. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

I have found replacements for the Phillips or Posi-drive screws in either allen or torx heads through McMaster-Carr. I replaced my hinge screws with Torx type as they will take a lot more torque than even the allen head type. Bought mine in Stainless and used anti-seize as mentioned. Work great. The stainless screws that I used on the midget front sheet metal came out without any fuss after three years of exposure to the elements. Not concours, but much easier to maintain.
Bill Young

Another vote for the torx. I've stripped out a good many hex drive screw heads. Square drive heads are also available, although somehat hard to find, that also have good bit to them. There are some other types of high torque screws that those of you who have worked on high performance aircraft would recognize, but aren't available to the general public. One thing to consider when chosing machine screws (countersunk headed bolts, actually) is the grade. Soft ones are going to strip out readily. Hard ones are not going to allow any but the hardest bits to get a "bite".
R. L Carleen

Does anyone know the size of the pozi-drive screws in the door, i.e., PZ-1,PZ-2, etc. ? Also, do you know of a source for the bit needed for removal?
Boake Plessy

Pozi-Drive #3 if I recall. I got a bit for my impact driver at the local CarQuest auto part store. Although I find that the AutoZone nearby (king of neon tubes and chrome skull shift knobs) has a surprisingly good stock of tools on the shelf.
Matt Kulka

The thing I like about this site is the way everyone responds so quickly. A single day of work has passed and more people have responded on this simple subject than I could have ever imagined. Of course they are posi drive screws, I just could not think of the correct name and Phillips was a close second. I did go for the torx head but they did not have them in stock. The man who sold the allen key ones to me also did remark that stainless steel would be the best but he did not have them in stock. The other advantage in the allen key type is that they cost just 30 pence each her in England and the posi drive ones from MGOC are 58 pence each, a real KAYMART two for one special. Hopefully the weather will continue to be exceptionally good here in Devon and the drivers side door will be primed and fitted tomorrow without any trouble. Enjoy your MG men, and woman.
Doug Endean

Actually....I think they are a #4. You can buy the driver from Matco on line and get it in a quarter inch drive format or possibly heavier
J.T. Bamford

This thread was discussed between 05/08/2004 and 06/08/2004

MG MGB Technical index

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