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MG MGF Technical - Panel Gaps

I am wondering about panel gaps. My MG F has a wider gap on one side than the other. Is this legendary MG build quality?
Beerie

Which panel gaps? The wings, bonnet, bumpers, doors, boot are all bolt on and as such gaps are adjustable.
Ian Walker

I've noticed this too on pretty much every MGF I've seen (on the two panels that join just below both doors).
Praveen

Further to what Ian said, I believe that the panels can be jiggled about until the car is perfectly symmetrical.
David Bainbridge

Ian,

The panel gaps in question are the gaps between each wing and the bonnet. As you suggested, I'd imagine that this is adjustable, but how? Should such a job be left to the garage?
Beerie

Beerie I believe so..
:)
Hanah Kim

Beerie, assuming you mean each front wing and the bonnet:

Is one side closer than the other?

Can you get a small finger in one of the pannel gaps?

Lift the bonnet and examine the bolts that secure each wing. Do they look as if they have been removed? Is there paint missing on the top of each bolt (by a spanner)?

Is the paint finish consistent, that is the paint refelection constant from the door to the wing?

If your car has done over 30k miles and there should be plenty of stone chips on the (wings and bonnet).


Ian
Ian

Bit difficult to explain this without waving arms about or with a car to hand but here goes. Make sure the rear of the front wings are OK; check the door - wing gap, is it a parallel gap (along the gap) and level with the door (across the gap). Also check the front of the wing to headlamp. Are both front wings gaps the same. Also, as said above, make sure the bolts haven't moved and are tight. Once you're happy with the wings move onto the bonnet. This can be moved in a horizontal plane (back/forwards & side to side) by loosening the hindge - bonnet bolts until the wing - bonnet gaps are even (boot, same principle - although I've yet to see a well fitting boot...). When you're happy you might need to move the bonnet locking plate slightly but probably not. The nose of the bonnet can be raised or lowered on the rubber stops on each side - they just screw up and down. Finally the bumper - bonnet gap can be adjusted by loosening some or all of the 5 self tappers you can see when you open the bonnet. If you need to change this vertically ie higher in the middle say put washers under the self tappers.

Anyway it's easy, all about a good eye, patience and being methodical; none of which are in great supply in MGR or their dealers. You'd be amazed at some of the panel gaps I've seen on F's even in showrooms - especially the bumper to bonnet gap. It is possible to get the gaps right because the adjustable way the MGF is constructed. I did it on my new 2001 F but it took a while, my TF is fine. I guess making a car every 4 or so minutes doesn't allow MGR to fiddle and the dealers don't seem to bother either.

Good luck, have fun.

HTH

Ian
Ian Walker

But Ian, you might have missed my point, determining whether or not the car has had a smack.
If it has, you can piss about for hours realligning pannel gaps - but it will never look right. For all we know the whole inner wing and curtain could have been creased and beaten out. Thus rendering further bolt reallignment pointless.
If you can get a finger in a pannel gap, then its probably had a smack.

Ian

I'm putting new "wings" on the front of a 78 MGB. The doors were never removed. I bolted the wings to the "under the dash" side of the car. They rub when I open the doors. Is there a trick to fitting these?I've since loosened them up and was going to wedge something between the door and wing to give it space & the bolt tightin it up and see if that gets me the gap I need.....any better ideas? New motor and all new parts so I'm anxious to roll!!!
Jeff Huseth

Ian, I decided you'd covered the 'has it been bumped and badly repaired' and thus explained how to 'piss about for hours realigning panel gaps' on the assumption it hadn't been pranged.

If it has been pranged enough to bend inner wings then the front subframe (incl front lower inner wing) would be suspect as would the spare wheel well. In fact everything under the bonnet. A mess and a major repair of £2-3000. That much damage generally can't be bodged and stay 'hidden' Anyone repairing that much would probably do it with new panels anyway. Hence my assumption was it is simply a poorly fitting bonnet (bolts loose).
Ian Walker

Ian,

Very good instruction, thanks. However, you don't say anything about the panel gaps which seem to me to be the worst on the TF: those between the front of the front wings and the new bumper! On almost all the TFs I have seen, these gaps look awful, like if the new bumper hasn't been engineered properly. Has anyone else noticed this too, and does anyone know if there is an easy way to adjust the front bumper of the TF?

Per
Per

Per, they are bad! It is the same on the TF. I even went back to the dealers and checked the TF's and F's in the compound to see if there were any good ones - there wasn't! So I've stopped looking at them!
Ian Walker

Fair point Ian Walker, it's just that I have bought 5 MGFs this year and it is increasingly difficult to source good honest unpranged examples.
It is not a question of fitting new parts after damage. A crushed wing will by default alter the shape of the inner wing (not necessarily damage the subframe).
Many bodyshops work to tight schedules and simply fit the panels, failing to exactly rejig panels.
PS dont be paranoid about damaged MGFs I reakon that about 2/3 of all cars over 4 years old have had new panels or reprayed.
Ian

This thread was discussed between 15/07/2002 and 17/07/2002

MG MGF Technical index

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