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MG MGA - beautiful rear end

This is a bit sad I know but every time I open my garage door I am greeted by this vision - does any car have a more beautiful rear end?
Mark


Mark Dollimore

I agree...the A is a really pretty looking car.


S

..but even at 72 I prefer to discreetly ogle a beautiful woman's elegantly clad rear end...,
Neil Ferguson

That is why its taking so long, you need to stop looking at it and get it finished!
John Bray

Yeah OK JB, but, I have completed the BGT in the meantime!!


Mark Dollimore

Have to agree about the lovely lines of the MGA Mark.
My car was a race car when I got it and it looked so good without the bumpers that I just couldnt bring myself to refit them.
Colyn
Colyn Firth

Colyn
Mine will be bumperless, as you can just tell I have the bumper irons filled. Looking forward to turning the car around and working on the front sebring type valance. More lovely flowing lines to caress!
M
Mark Dollimore

I like the white and red paint. Is it a Brexit combination?

Steve
Steve Gyles

Steve.
Best not start me on the Brexit topic. The final colour will and apologies to those who prefer to stick to original colours, will be Ford Micastone, a sort of metallic Dove Grey (in the right light). The boot lid will shortly go off for a soda blast and the white is my attempt at filler primer out of rattle cans.
M
Mark Dollimore

Mark,
my car has a towing eye welded onto the rear chassis dumb iron.
It was probably mandatory feature on a racing car back when it was set up for hill climbing.

Although it projects only a few inches out from the rear valence it has already proved its worth as a bumper bar.
On at least a couple of occasions it has nudged an unseen wall or a high curb and thus prevented some expensive bodywork repairs.

Over the winter I have to remove my Sebring front valence to repaint the front chassis extension and I plan to fit a similar towing eye to the front left dumb iron for the same reason.

I know I could fit bumpers but my cars history just wont let me do that.

I have attached a link to a YouTube clip I took of my car on Peter Burgess rolling road dyno. You can see the towing eye on this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfQnZd8aWtw

Peter was chuckling at me after this run as he discovered that a certain incompetent mechanic (Me) had fitted a heat shield to bottom of the new Weber DCOE.

When he removed the heatshield the engine power increased from 100 bhp to 140 bhp!

Apparently my heatshield was restricting the throttle from opening any more than 30%!

Colyn
Colyn Firth

Is that a midget in the seat? no need to save weight on a rolling road ;)
mog

Another bumperless rear end!



Mike Ellsmore

No Mog
that is Peter himself and I think that you have probably just added a 100% surcharge on to any future roĺling road dyno you have planned!☺

Colyn
Colyn Firth

oops
mog

Unless you have too much axle grease between the ears, Neil Ferguson is right on - I bought my MG at the age of 21 and it wasn't because the CAR had a nice rear end - the ladies watching it had that.
Bayard DeNoie

O.K. just get her done...it will look better I know...it took me long enough!
ZBMan

I agree about A' backends being one of the most attractive, and least practical.
BUT
to be unfashionable I do like them with a rack. It was originally a very common factory option, and certainly a lot more common than driving on roads without bumpers (fenders?)22

Paul



Paul Dean

I did not want to be the first. Totally with Paul. In my opinion it enhances the rear end. I think that that although the lines are classic the rack takes away that bland empty look. Everyone to their own opinion on this one.

steve
Steve Gyles

Dont listen to them Mark!

They both already know my opinion (negative) on the fitting of a boot rack to the MGA.

Its a bit like going to look at the beautiful St Pauls Cathedral, then finding when you get there that it is covered in scaffolding!

All I can say Steve is to try persuading your wife to wear a boot rack and tell her that this will perfectly enhance an already attractive derriere. Good luck! :-)

If we dont hear from Steve for a while, we know he has tried this!

Cheers

Colyn

Colyn Firth

......zzzzzzzzzzzzz..........

I will make one concession. I like Mike's fuel filler in that position.

For me it's all about breaking up large areas of bland, albeit beautifully shaped (not arguing with that) bodywork. To me it just does not look right totally clean.

This was mine as I originally restored the car in 1997/8

Steve


Steve Gyles

Almost bumperless


CM Harter

CM
Very cobra'esque like it.

M
Mark Dollimore

Looks pretty good CM, now to see it from Steve and Pauls point of view, just imagine how much better that would look with a lump of chromed scaffolding on on the boot (trunk) lid! ☺

(Probably best if I keep a low profile from now on!)
Colyn
Colyn Firth

Colyn

As I said previously, everyone has their own opinion on this one. I, and probably many others, but obviously not all, enjoy the beauty of the rear end with hip pockets. That's what makes the world go round.

Steve


Steve Gyles

Me too! Beautiful!
Bruce.


B Mayo

I couldn't resist this when my wife was showing me some of her recent photos last night including some from the MGA Register North Yorks Moors Weekend in May and she had this one of rear end options. We have Colyn's bumper free rear, my bumper/rack rear and also a couple of bumper only rears. Yes both Colyn and myself are on the photo. I think that I am clarifying my views and clearly like the rack with bumpers but not without bumpers. I also see why people like 1500 rather than 1600 rear lights but I prefer orange flashers on my 1500 car purely for safety reasons. Without bumpers the cars look like frustrated racers who got lost (revenge for scaffolding remarks!). I did though like the Cobra look of just over-riders. By the way she also has a photo of the caved in back end of one A that a friend had driven into the back of during the weekend, won't show this one!

The photo is taken just around the corner from the UK's most famous garage, i.e. Scripps of Heartbeat fame. They just sell souvenirs now to the amazing number of tourists who still visit. The village is called Goathland in real life not Adensfield as in the TV series that ran for 18 years.

Paul



Paul Dean

I have to agree with everyone that the MGA does has lovely lines and that it still looks fantastic even with a bootrack fitted.

My preferences for a bumperless MGA originate from the early 70s when I read about the Le Mans MGAs in a classic car magazine. I just loved the look of those cars.

When I saw my present MGA back in 2007 it was a fully prepared race car with a full roll cage, full race engine, race suspension and no bumpers.
So I just had to buy it and apart from a few small concessions to comfort- removing the roll bar, fitting a heater, fitting a passenger seat, fitting a windscreen, fitting a hood and detuning the engine- it still looks very much the same.

So I think that a boot-rack on the back would look very strange on my car.

But I have to grudgingly conceed that I do envy you guys all that luggage capacity that it brings :-)

Cheers

Colyn





Colyn Firth

I forgot to upload a recent-ish picture of my slightly under dressed MGA (sans bumpers and boot-rack!) on last Septembers LE JoG.

My wife Chris opts to wait in the car with her broken leg whilst I bravely take on the challenge of the Dalwhinnie whisky distillery tour.

( Just jesting, I actually carried her into the bar to wait inside.
The distillery staff did comment that this was the first time that anyone had ever been carried in! )


Colyn Firth

Colyn

You have absolutely no idea of the opportunity you are missing!!!

Steve


Steve Gyles

Nice one Steve.☺
I'm ok for spares stowage space but it would have been very tempting just to fit a crate of Dalwhinnie on the back!
(Overdraft willing)

Colyn

Colyn Firth

Colyn,

Your car seems to be the only one at the Dalwhinnie Distillery, were you the first to arrive, or the last to leave, after the tasting?

Since buying the MGA, the 'White Lady', in 1975, she has had her derriere adorned, bare and again adorned. The previous boot rack became so badly corroded that I abandoned it and filled the fixing holes with chrome dome bolts which looked nice.

Fitting a new rack recently after a major restoration at Bob West's I have to say the look of the rear end with the rack once again appeals, I feel it gives the car a racing look in addition to the practicality of doing as it is designed for, and helping to open the boot lid.

Preparing the MGA and the TD for a France trip in August...

Doug






Doug Wallace

Your car looks just superb Doug, great to hear from you again.

We did arrive rather early at Dalwhinnie for the tour, they hadnt even opened, but boy did I enjoy the fast drive there!
Chris doesnt drink whisky but I think even she needed a tot or two by the time we arrived, but in my defence, those roads were just glorious to drive in an MGA.

She actually enjoyed the wait in the bar/reception as she got to talk to almost everyone on our trip whilst I was testing the whisky, so it was one of our more enjoyable stops on the trip.
We had to forego most of the other planned stops as her broken leg meant that we had to search out more easily accessible places.

Did my spares list help you to plan for your European trip, from the LE JoG experiences, it seems as if generators, starter motors, head gaskets and voltage control boxes seem to be the most important things to take!

Let us know how things go and send us some pictures.
Say Hi to Derek.

Colyn
Colyn Firth

Bumper or bumperless, with or without a boot rack - I'd take bumperless in a "heartbeat"!
Mike


Mike Ellsmore

Colyn,

Thanks for the compliments on the White Lady and yes I did take onboard, literally, your hints on spares storage - gaskets inside the boot lid frame, boxes stuffed near the MC, but no starter motors.

Mike,

Great shot of your bumperless Coupe and Rob's superb MGA.

May I take this chance to thank a certain Steve G for your introduction and invitation to this forum, whilst I write little I read almost every thread, and find the content as entertaining as it is technically informative.

Running our hotels in Bali interferes with using and enjoying the MGs, however, Stuart Mumby's MGA LE-JoG and his Yorks moors tour were magnificent, and got me back into it, thank you Stuart!

The Aussies on LE-JoG were so impressive shipping their MGAs to the UK, it made our attendance at their Perth NATMEET a must, and 2017 Adelaide is already booked.

Here is the stable... MG PB bought in 1974; MGA bought from Grace Trembath, first owner, in 1975 and the TD since 1972.

Doug






Doug Wallace

Colyn,

Derek sends greetings to you, he is coming to Bali 2017, why don't you join?

Cheers,


Doug


Doug Wallace

Now that sounds like a plan Doug, Bali in 2017.
You know what, I may just be able to talk her in to that!
Will let you know☺.

Great pic of Derek, but I look like I am chewing on a wasp!☺
Cheers
Colyn
Colyn Firth

This thread was discussed between 20/07/2016 and 31/07/2016

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