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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Aluminium Rail Vinyl Covering

Hi,

On my MKII 1965 midget behind the seats are 3 sections of an aluminium rail.

The vinyl covering was ripped and in poor condition so I need to get it recovered.

I removed the old vinyl such a long time ago now I cannot remember if there was any foam stuck to the rail under the vinyl. I know the front dash rail has and that has gone on well.

I've been speaking to a few local trimmers and they say the foam is making it harder to get a decent finish on the corners.

Be interested to hear from other MKII owners and what they have done.

Many thanks

James



James Paul

I've got a Mk2 Sprite and my dash rail is not padded. The covering on mine was like a paper thin embossed cloth which I haven't been able to find anywhere. I suspect on the Mk2 Midget the rear and door rails will have similar covering.
Rob
MG Moneypit

I have a 65 MkII which has the original covering on the rail. I've not replaced it so cant comment on how to do it but will say that the foam on that rail is a lot thinner than on the dash rail.

Trev
T Mason

I did my Mk1 a couple of years ago, it’s the same as yours. One problem you have is that the modern vinyl is thicker and could almost be classed as slightly padded itself. That makes the tight corners quite difficult to do.

Mine definitely had foam under the vinyl, glued to the metal. I got all my interior from PJM and they supplied a couple of different thicknesses of foam to try. I cut the foam slightly narrower than the contour, about 1/4” I would guess so the vinyl didn’t have foam to go round at the edges. Then I glued the foam on and then the vinyl. I think I made a fairly decent job of mine but it’s definitely not 100% perfect. I’d expect a decent trimmers should be able get good results.

I’ll try and get a photo of it at the corners.
John Payne

James, the two small curved end pieces are covered in vinyl without foam underneath. The long central sweep of the central rail has a thin covering of foam underneath the vinyl. This is considerably thinner than the front crash rail.

I managed to recover the two small curves myself, but I couldn’t do the large rail as it’s difficult to accommodate the two RH turns. I left this job to an automotive trimmer, who I think told me they use a heat gun to persuade the material into place.
Philip Sellen

Just had a look and as Philip has pointed out the small curved end pieces didn’t have foam. To be honest, the foam on the rear part has almost been completely compressed by the tightness of the vinyl on mine. I’d say it’s not essential to have the foam as it still looks good on the corner bits and door caps.
I managed to do the rear part in one but it was a difficult job and I think I did it outside on a hot sunny day to get the vinyl nice and flexible.

Getting the nuts on the corner piece retainers was one of the hardest jobs on the car!!







John Payne

Thanks everyone for your responses and help.

See how I get on and report back!

James
James Paul

This thread was discussed on 10/05/2023

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG Midget and Sprite Technical BBS is active now.