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MG MGA - Aw, crud.

http://www.rawlinsbrothers.org/mga/images/sill1.jpg

http://www.rawlinsbrothers.org/mga/images/sill2.jpg

I had hoped to be able to finish the chassis before tackling the body. As a result of some exploratory surgery, it looks like I will have to come up with a new plan. 8^P Oh well, could have been a lot worse.

Del Rawlins

Del, That doesn't look too bad. Stick with it.
James Johanski

Oh, absolutely. I had just hoped to be able to pull the body, shove it in my shed, and deal with it after I finished the chassis. Now the body has to become priority numero uno, so I can get the sill structure repaired before I remove it and lose the alignment.

Can I get recommendations on where to get patch panels? Is the stuff Moss sells okay, or should I contact Todd Clarke (I tried to get his catalog, and he just sent a bunch of xeroxes) or one of the other specialists? I have a brake and metal fabricating tools and can make my own if I have to, but I'd rather start with prefabricated panels, assuming good ones are available.
Del Rawlins

Another question. Once the inner sills are repaired, is it okay to remove the body from the frame before welding on the outer rocker panel, or is there not enough strength without the rockers to maintain alignment?
Del Rawlins

Del,
There have been previous posts by people who have worked on the body without checking out the chassis, only to have to redo the body.
Don't assume that the body will hold the frame in alignment. I don't believe that it is strong enough for this. You may wish to build a jig for the frame and repair it off vehicle.
Also, I would recommend the Eclectic Motorworks website. It has a wealth of information on frames and body repairs.
Good luck.
Mike
Mike Parker

Del,
If you have any question at all, I would not remove the body from the frame without installing support bracing inside the cockpit. It is just not worth the chance of changing your body to frame fit. Have a good day!

John
John Progess

Del once the 3 inner pieces are in and the inner sill is welded up you have enough strength to handle the body. You should support the opening either by a jig in each door opening or one accross the top opening or both. The outer rocker panels are welded on LAST. When I say last I mean after the Door and both wings are set so the gaps around the door are perfect. The rocker panels are the very last body part to be welded on. after that it is all nuts and bolts.
R J Brown

Thanks for all the advice. Since my doors fit reasonably well (though there was room for minor improvement), I would just as soon retain the existing alignment, than try to recreate it later. So far, what I have been able to see of the frame looks solid, and I believe it to be straight, since I drove it for several years without noticing any weirdness. The car has been in the family since 1963, so I am fairly certain there is no major collision damage, though there was some damage to the LH door and rear fender in a parking lot incident 20+ years ago. So far, it appears to have been confined to those panels, but I won't know for sure until I have the rear fender off and stripped.

Right now I just want to get the structure sound enough to remove the body, so I can continue my work on the chassis. The plan at this point is to brace up the opening as suggested, replace the inner sill sections, then remove the body.
Del Rawlins

Del, here's a photo of the door braces I made for my body after the sills were repaired so that I could lift it off the frame. As you can see the braces also act as a mounting point for the cross piece that the engine hoist attaches to so it's a one person operation to remove the body.


Bill Young

Thanks, that's a great picture, and those braces are probably a lot less elaborate than what I had in mind. The only possible problem I can see, is that they preclude fitting the doors and outer rockers with the braces installed. Anyway, I'm sure I will come up with something suitable.

Going back to one of my original questions, is there a recommended supplier of the patch panels, or is the stuff Moss carries okay?
Del Rawlins

Hi Del. Moss outer sills (rockers) are too tall and have to be cut to fit. I hear Jaguar by Jorge sells better fitting outer sills, but have not tried them, so can't comment. I had my inner sills custom bent, so cant comment on those at all. Cheers, Glenn
Glenn

Del, I purchased all my body parts from Octagon Motors in Vancouver BC Inner & outer sills, A & B posts & rear dog legs. Everything fitted togather & the front half was not properly attached to the rear half when we started and neither of us had rebuilt an MGA before. 6 weeks after starting the car body it was painted. I then tackled the frame & running gear. See picture of what we started with below. The door braces were temporary so the hulk could be towed.
Octagon order # 1 800 459 0251. They will be half the shipping distance to you compared to Moss and a bit cheaper with the exchange. It just cost me extra shipping charges to have Moss send me a small parcel which took a full 15 days to arrive. There was a gap of time between my phone order and their shipping which delayed the part. I paid 23 us$ for the part & 17.95 us$ to air ship it.
You can see a picture of the finished product on this BBS under "let us see your pride & joy". My post is somewhere near the bottom of the 142 posts.
Good luck
Morris


M. E. WADDS

This thread was discussed between 20/06/2007 and 29/06/2007

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