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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - RWA wings/repair panels

Does anyone do either a patch repair panel or similar for RWA rears. The outer wing is fairly corroded around both arches and I am looking for a repair arch section but haven't been able to find one, I also can't find complete wings but this was expected.
Neckieman

There is one on ebay at the moment. It has been on at least 3 times in recent weeks. It's still a bit expensive but a well balanced offer might secure it.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222006041088?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649

Rob
Rob aka MG Moneypit

Have you asked BMH?
dominic clancy

google is your friend, as usual:
http://www.bmh-ltd.com/p62r.asp
R3 - £145 each

or
http://www.bmh-ltd.com/p62s.asp
S1 - £305

which is where Moss and all the usual suspects get them from - see the 'Available from' list.
David Smith

I had looked at the usual suspects including moss but they were out of stock.
They are a bit of an "ouch" item for pricing, need to check just how much and how hard it would be to do more than patch the outer arches.
Neckieman

'R3' on the BMH site is the outer part of the wheelarch, not a wing repair, unfortunately.

AFAIK there has never been a repair panel for the RWA wing.
Dave O'Neill 2

Dave is correct. That's why I used these when I changed my square wheel arches to round to accommodate wider wheels.
They are exactly the same radius as genuine RWA arches and only a little different in the profile, which can be sorted with a little filler. You obviously won't need the corner pockets.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FORD-FIESTA-MK1-77-1982-WHEEL-ARCH-LEFT-AND-RIGHT-AND-CORNER-POCKETS-REPAIR-/321939274341?hash=item4af5137a65:g:CsAAAOSw37tWElqj

BTW The R3 panel at £145 in David Smith's link is not an outer panel. It is the outer section of the inner arch.
Bernie Higginson

Sorry Dave. I didn't notice you'd already mentioned the R3 panel.
Bernie Higginson

I'll see if I can dig out a picture of the finished job and post it.
Bernie Higginson

thanks for spotting my deliberate mistake chaps!
David Smith

Unusual for the rwas to rot isn't it? I guess that's why the repair sections aren't on sale, -- not enough demand through the years.

I'd like to see your pics Bernie. I've been debating with myself for years about converting my '66 sprite to rwa. My nearside arch(sq), most of the wing actually, is shot, and I'm about to do something about it. Maybe now is a good time to convert to rwa.

However. My Sprite, is pretty much original, -- apart from the sills having been replaced once, and both outer edges of the floor pans being repaired (fronts and rears), new wings, new bonnet, new boot lid, and new front valance. -- Well I did say "pretty much" original ;).

Anyway, I'm also thinking, that as it's come this far as a swa, 50 years, and as I'm used to it after nearly 40 years, and expect to see swa's on it, maybe I should repair it as a swa car, for the sake of originality, and a future sale. I'm guessing, that since 1966 AH Sprites are comparatively rare, I'd get an easier and more profitable sale if I keep it factory (if and when the time comes). Also, having now owned my '73 RWA midget, the novelty of having a rwa model seems to have worn off. Yes, they do look nice as rwa, and it's a little easier to take the rear wheels off. But is that really enough to justify converting? And that's my inner debate.
Lawrence Slater

Here's a picture of when I first restored the car, before I built it up.


Bernie Higginson

Here's another. The hard top and the G800 tyres have gone, but it illustrates how the Ford arches work quite well on the Sprite.
Those two pictures are the only ones that I've got that are resized to put on here.


Bernie Higginson

Those Ford panels in the Ebay link are a bit bigger than you need, so you have to trim them down a bit to fit the contour of the wing, but at £60 a pair, they are a lot cheaper than buying two full RWA wings for £610 and you would still have to trim them to fit unless you were going to fit the full wing.
For the inner arch to outer panel, I fabricated it in pieces and welded them in once I had the outer arch in place.
Bernie Higginson

I also can confirm the suitability of Fiesta (mk1) arches for RWA repairs. (I seem to remember picking mine up for around £12 each a few years ago on Ebay).
Also, when I was researching possible solutions for replacing my arches, I'm sure I remember coming across a reference to the use of Hillman Imp arches too but I can't personally vouch for these. Might just be rarer than Midget RWAs too!!
Glynn


Glynn (1275RWA) Williams

Ive got a pair of rwa wings sectioned out with the inner supports

but for the life of me i cant figure iut how to apply them

prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

Glynn,

Both of your cars look really nice. Hmmm. Maybe I'm leaning to rwa's again.
Lawrence Slater

More fiesta arches here. £36.95 inc delivery.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FIESTA-MK1-2-1977-1989-1-PAIR-OF-REAR-WHEEL-ARCHES-1-x-L-H-1-x-R-H-NEW-/351110604923?fits=Car+Make%3AFordModel%3AFiestaPlat_Gen%3AMK+II&hash=item51bfd2a87b:g:qHQAAOSwkNZUkZD1
Lawrence Slater

Lawrence. I bought mine in 2007 for £24 a pair, so that price in your link for just the arches without the corner pieces is about right by today's standards.
Having seen what you've done on yor Midget project car, you would have no trouble with them on your Sprite.

Nice car Glynn.
Bernie Higginson

Bernie, how did you shape the inner arches? Did you buy the BMC rwa inners or make your own?

I'm giving this some serious thought.
Lawrence Slater

Bernie said:-

"For the inner arch to outer panel, I fabricated it in pieces and welded them in once I had the outer arch in place."



I still really like the look of the Ashley roof.
Dave O'Neill 2

Lawrence,
faced a similar dilemma when deciding on SWA (original) or RWA (prefered) for my 71.
It was built on 7th April 71,so came with the slimmer chromework and differed very little externally from the later 72 on cars, so thought it's as near as dammit and I prefer the RWA shape anyway, the car's going to the grave with me so what the h#ll.
However with a 66 Sprite the change will be more obvious so I may well have hesitated and the fact it's a rarer Sprite is something to overcome. However it's your car, you've owned long enough now, does it really matter what impact the change may have on the value?
Bottom line - do what you like with it!
Jeremy Tickle

Lawrence. I didn't actually think about using the RWA inner arches, but it's probably a good idea. there may be a very slight discrepancy between the Ford arches and the RWA inners, but nothing that couldn't easily be sorted.
I cut the inner a bit higher up than the outer, then once the outer was tacked on, I made up pieces for the inner, welded them in then fully welded the outer. I used plenty of seam sealer, stone chip then underseal on the inside.

Jeremy. Mine will also go to the grave with me, so I'm not bothered about re-sale value. it's got loads of non-standard bits on it anyway, so the round arches don't make much difference.
Bernie Higginson

Agreed Bernie, I think the worst thing you can do to it is not to use it.
Jeremy Tickle

Thanks Bernie, and I just read Dave's quote from your earlier post too. :- .

I'm dithering. Yep, I've had it yonks, and I've never cared what anyone else thinks. I too expect to drive this into the grave. But maybe not. I'd never expected to have it this long. Having just rebuilt the engine(s), and being about to sort the bodywork(overdue for some years now), it now looks like my Sprite will be in far better condition than I'm going to be in, in not so many years to come. lol

Do I really need rwa's? Like I said, I'm well used to swa's after 40 years of looking at them, I might even miss them. I dunno. I'll decide when I cut off the knackered passenger rear wing section.
Lawrence Slater

That looks like a nice easy solution, in the pics it looks like once the section is welded in with the two bottom wing repair section it is the same shape as original.
I was hoping for repair sections anyway, don't want to think about full wing replaement if I can possibly help it!
Neckieman

Neckieman. Don't buy the Ford ones with the bottom corner pieces, the bottom corners won't fit a Midget. Just get the ones in Lawrence's link for £36.95. Just keep offering them up, trimming them until they fit. Take your time and you'll be OK.

Lawrence. If you're not sure and you don't need round arches, just repair your square ones. I had to have them because I had bought wider wheels and didn't fancy jacked out square arches.
Bernie Higginson

When I say bottom repair sections I mean the midget ones for front and rear bottom arches.
Neckieman

True Bernie. I don't need wider arches as my minilites are only 5J or 5.5. Can't remember now, but they fit under the arch ok -- on the drivers side anyway. But my passenger side arch is in too far, and I had to jack it out. It needs more than just the arch repairing too. I need a 1/2 rear wing.
Lawrence Slater

Ended up buying the fiesta repair panels and the inner wing repair panels. Along with the inner and outer sills with closing pieces and the lower wing repair panels also ordered tonight, that should be enough to start as soon as I get some of the underseal off.
I'll buy some floor panels soon and then the rest is mostly cosmetic in that I am going to renew old repair patches all over the place and tidy the shell up for repaint eventually.
The car went on the turner at the weekend but is temporarily outside with I rebuild the engine of one of the other cars!


Neckieman

Thread title. " RWA wings/repair panel "

Just a little bit understated, -- the title of this thread then Neckieman ;).

Lawrence Slater

Looks like you've got a bit more than wheel arches to be getting on with then. Neckieman Braveheart!
Bernie Higginson

This thread was discussed between 02/02/2016 and 10/02/2016

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