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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Interior retrimming

Hi all -

Finally took the plunge and ordered a complete Moss interior this afternoon, courtesy of the Little British Car Co. I decided to go with Autumn Leaf, which should look nice with the black bodywork. Having a black car with a black interior (and black bumpers) was getting rather tiresome. And hot...

Anyway, I wanted to poll the troops on a few questions while waiting for the boxes to hit the porch.

1. RE: the door check straps. Yes, I remembered to order those in brown. I just need to know if the metal brackets that affix the front ends of the straps should be painted to match the upholstery, or left black.

2. Screws: Should the heads and trim washers be painted to match the upholstery?

3. Did all colors of interiors use the black door pulls, or will I need to obtain brown ones later?

That's pretty much it, although I'll probably think of some more come the day.

Tnx,

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

Gryf, my opinion.
1.Metal brackets on the door check straps: Paint black and leave anything else black that you can to offset having that large black pillow dash.
2.Paint to match upholstery. Make them somewhat disappear.
3.Door pulls, again, black to help offset that black pillow dash.
Rik
Rik Hogan

Gryf...I agree with rik on 1 qnd 2, but to add a bit of flare and individuality, and make the door pulls out of wood to match the Nardi steering wheel an wood dash overlay

Im so looking forward to seeing your new uplustry,,,vary sharp Im thinking will it be done intime for the st. louis show sept. 18th

What are you going to do with the shift gaitor boot?

Prop
Prop

Gryf, I had spare autumn leaf vinyl, and carefully glued pieces to the door check strap brackets, so they blend perfectly.
OE door seals would have had the plastic moulding (inside the cockpit) matched - ie autumn leaf. As far as I know, these are the only parts no longer available for our Spridgets - you'll have to make do with black. But let me know if you find autumn leaf...!
1500s had plastic door pulls that matched the trim.

S
Steve Clark

Gryf,

What about red trim and carpets? Would that look classy on our black midgets or is it way over the top?
I'm still pondering over this option, although Autumn Leaf is a very nice colour compared to black.

Rolf
Rolf

Hi, all. Thanks for the thoughts!

Rik, I'm all for leaving some black bits in the cockpit. Not only will they complement the dash, but it will save a bit of further expense. The Mrs. is still in shock that I spent that much on the Midget.

Steve - I like the idea of covering the door strap brackets with spare vinyl! I'll give it some thought. Actually, I'm not sure if the kit will include spare vinyl. I had to order all the stuff separately; that's just how Moss handles interiors. Victoria British, on the other hand, bundles everything you need into one order and (I think) throws in some some extra vinyl. (Oh crap - just remembered that I'll need vinyl to cover the door caps! Uh oh.)

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

gryf...On the door pulls i forgot they are the more modern type plastic...Ill bet you can match up some plastic spray paint. Not krylon, try a pro auto paint supplier...at the vary least you need to cover the center section of the pull if you dont paint it. or eye on ebay for the autem leaf pulls. If your door weather stripping is black...you could spray that black plastic sect. with the plasic paint also.

when you get your seats Id take to michials or other fabric store and match up to some viynal (or leather)

By the way did you get the full kit, door panals ect. if not your "cards" are in great shape...you can just get new viynal and cover the stock cards and save a bundle...its super easy, talk to rik he might be able to give you some tips to help you along

are these the door pulls you have

Prop


Prop

Gryf,

Are the pull handles like the ones in Props picture ?

If so its your birthday !

I have 2no brand new ones complete with cap ends Autumn Leaf Colour in Leyland box's you can have - these are NLA.


Cost you postage.


Richard.


richard boobier

Doggone, Richard - what a generous offer! I really appreciate it!

I'll be glad to relieve you of those pulls. Actually, I was starting to toss around the idea, based on Rik's comments above, of letting the door caps and pull handles stay black, just to carry the black of the dashboard around the cockpit. But now that you've offered those handles, (which, as you mentioned, are NA from Moss), I can be all authentic.

Drop me a line at gketcherATswbellDOTnet.

Thanks again! And while I'm thinking about it, let me add that once finished, I'll have a very nice set of black carpets that will be redundant, and available to whoever needs them for the cost of postage. My headrests are in excellent shape as well, having been re-covered a while back, and the same goes for them.

I'll post more info later,

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

The door check strap metal pieces are painted as are the screws. The cup washers and screws that hold the panels on were all finished in chrome. Posi-drive screws are hard to come by, you will probably get Phillips screws in the kits. If not, any good auto paint supply can get them for you. It is cheaper to buy a box. I did a '78 over last summer and painted the seats and panels with vinyl paint to make them look better. There is a color that is very close to the original lighter color. Palomino maybe. Available at auto body supply stores. SEM is the brand name. It looked very good, but must be prepped according to the directions. You could also paint the door seals or check if that color is available for MGB. I can;t remember if autumn leaf is the lighter or the darker color. I noticed Moss only has one color.
J Bubela


Gryf,

I was going to re-cover the door caps in vinyl as one had got ripped. But having taken the old vinyl off and cleaned them up, I decided to leave them in plain Aluminium. A matter of taste, but I like the way they look...


MarkH1

That looks nice Mark!
But every where in the world the sun is hotter then it is in the UK and having to put your naked underarm bits on that hot aluminium doorcap is not very comfortable. ;)

Gryf, you need extra vinyl for the doorcaps, the rear doorposts, and to put inbetween some panels and door rubbers as they dont cover all of the footwell/sill area.

I bought a "complete set" from the MGOC but didnt got extra vinyl to cover all the above...
Caused a great discussion on the phone:

"I got your complet interiorkit but it didnt have the vinyl to cover doorcaps andso on"
- "Thats right sir, that is not included"
"But you advertise it as a complete interior kit!?"
"Yes, it is a complete kit sir"
"No, its not because i cant finish my interior because of lack of fabric for my doorcaps and so on."
- "But i tell you sir its complete but doesnt include extra material for doorcaps."
"Then dont call it a complete kit if it doesnt have all the nessecary bits!"
- "But its is a complete interior kit sir"
"..."

Now i can laugh about it then i couldnt. LOL
Arie de Best

Speaking of the door check straps, how much of a problem is it to detach from the door if you are going to replace them? Last time I looked, it didn't seem real obvious how they were attached to the door. If I remember, it looked like a rod went through the strap, but it was attached on the back side of the door.

Jack
Jack Orkin

The "rod" is a flat piece of metal that has a taper on one end. Put the square end in first and slip the other end in with the taper leading the way. It will center itself and not come out. Installs in seconds.
J Bubela

J,
That is true, but he asked about detaching, not installing ;-)

Gryf,
Not my favorite color combination (coondog), but there are those who like it. Miatas were available that way, so don't feel too lonely. As you say, black interiors do get a bit warm and discourage the wearing of shorts.

As long as the exterior is not the original color and the interior is not going to be the correct color, why not paint the dash as well? Then there would be no need of balancing out that big mass of black. Current vinyl paint technology is supposed to work pretty well...
David "still black on the inside of my Sprite" Lieb
David Lieb

I personally dont have door straps left them off, you just have to be careful opening the door

Plastic paint has come along way, But with the amount of sun and dust the dash collects. both extreme villians to paint, I wouldnt do it...not for a few more years anyway.

Prop
Props Black Hole

Oddly, I don't mind the black dash. But I've livened mine up with a wood overlay behind the instruments, plus several show plaques. So it actually doesn't look too bad.

Next up is some shopping for screws and trim washers (I want to use all new hardware for the panels), sheet plastic for the moisture barriers behind the door panels, silicone caulk to install same, brown paint for screw heads and washers, adhesive for carpet and vinyl, etc.

Jeff Z. at LBCARCO is of the opinion that extra vinyl is included with the panel kit. Certainly hope so...

Again, speaking of colors - I'd originally considered either Biscuit or Autumn Leaf; the former because the lighter color would provide a nice contrast with the black bodywork, and the latter because I like the rich brown look. I ended up with Autumn Leaf because Moss doesn't stock the Biscuit, and I think I'll be quite happy with it.

I didn't bother ordering the seat back boards, assuming I can just re-use the existing ones. They've kept their shape well for nearly 32 years, but if need be, I can work something up myself from a similar material.

Waiting for the boxes,

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

To not make it looker smaller in there then it already is i chose a light interior collor.
Its that bisquit collor and i like the contrast with the black US dash.
The mgf seats that are going in will be bisquit too.
The top and frame are light collor also.

Thats why no spridget is the same, everybody personolize them to their own taste.

Good luck on the project Gryf, its time consuming but a lot of fun to do and very rewarding.


Arie de Best

Looks great, Arie! One of these years, I'd like to go with a lighter colored roof too.

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

Just made new, longer check straps for my Midget, using polypropylene webbing. If you take off the door trim you can pull the strap out from the inside and re-insert it the same way.
Andrew Noakes

Why longer check strap, Andrew? Be careful they don't stretch; if they allow the door to swing too far you will end up with a crease line down the door.
Guy Weller

Making the check strap only slightly longer makes a big difference to the angle the door can open to, which makes getting in and out easier (though it might make it more difficult to reach the door to close it once you're in).

The doors will swing to 90 degrees at least before the front edge hits the front wing - I'd have thought the crease would be on the wing, not the door.
Andrew Noakes

Definitely bites the door (Right side). Check those straps, boys and girls! Mine broke a few weeks after I bought the car..Kills me every time I look at it. Self-inflicted.

R


Richard 1500 5 speed

Gryf:

The pic doesn't do them justice, they haven't oxidized like they appear. The brass screws and cups look pretty good against the Autumn Leaf. Don't think I'd put them on black panels though.

R


Richard 1500 5 speed

Gryf, Moss provided sufficient AL vinyl in my set to cover everything that was supposed to be covered with enough left over for repairs and the door check strap plates. I did mine three years ago. I assume nothing has changed.Pic shows completed interior, but before I painted the car.

Cheers,

Glen


G. D. Phillips

Great news, Glen! Thanks for the info and the photo. I'd seen pics of your car before, and was really impressed with the interior shots. Good to know we both used the same stuff!

Richard - The brass screws were a great idea, and I'll definitely keep them in mind when I go shopping for hardware soon.

I stripped the interior this morning, with the exception of the panel behind the radio box. I was listening to the radio at the time, and figured I could save that section until the new upholstery arrives.

And naturally, I couldn't finish the job this morning without the usual blood. I'd removed the passenger seat and carried it to the back of the garage. I'd tilted the seatback forward to access the rear seat track bolts, so when I went to stow it, I attempted to tilt the seatback to a more normal position. And naturally, the lever broke off, leaving a nasty gouge in my thumb. That's the second one I've had break on me. Drat!

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

Richard (of the 1500 5-speed), I just had another look at your photo, and noticed that you have the brown-colored door seals. Did you do that yourself? I'd been tossing around the idea of trying to find some way to re-do the inner parts of my black seals in brown, knowing that the door seals, like Model Ts, only come in black.

Tnx,

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

Gryf:

The car came with that trim. I'm fairly certain it was stock, as my car had few DPO attachments or alterations. The carpet kit is aftermarket. Perhaps an auto upholstery shop might have bulk trim in various colors that might work?

R
Richard 1500 5 speed

Gryf,
I bought black ones from Tony Barnhill, (he had the engineless red Midger at LotO) www.theautoist.com and I think he can get them in various colors.
Rik
Rik Hogan

Thanks, Rik! I'll keep Tony in mind.

While I'm thinking about it, should the gearstick gaiter be Autumn Leaf as well?

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

Look better than a black one. Gryf, I have a pattern if you have extra material you could mail me. Only cost you postage both ways.
Rik
Rik Hogan

Thanks, Rik! I may take you up on that. I guess it depends on how much extra vinyl comes with the Moss kit. I know how to be very sparing with material, keeping waste to a minimum, so let's see if I can leave enough for a gaiter.

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

Just a quick note - the interior kit arrived, and all looks fine. There's a roll of vinyl, etc.

Note to Richard Boobier - the handles arrived safe and sound! Thanks again!!

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

This thread was discussed between 18/08/2009 and 27/08/2009

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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