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MG MGA - Buying an MGA - what to look for

Ok, I have read the buyers guide and not new to classic car ownership so apart from the obvious what should be looked at to avoid buying a lemon. I'm not looking to take on a project. I have a few pictures of body tub and chassis and am familiar with terms like A, B & C pillars but what on the MG is the F-Frame. I'm not able to buy until I have sold my Afa Duetto but looking on ebay at a recent MK 1 1600 that sold for £12.5 K it looked to be near perfect and that in any case would be around my limit. I guess I can dream about a twin cam but even if I up the 'anti' what are the pitfalls with these. PS tried making contact by email for a TC forsale at £15K to see if it really does have the correct engine but no reply to date and there are no picturesavailable, sounds odd.
mj dodridge

I suggest you get a copy of Malcolm Green's book "MGA Restoration Guide" More information than you require, but a very good section on what to look for when buying a MGA and good descriptions and photos of things like the F frame and such. Moss has the book in stock, but you should be able to source it from other places as well. http://www.moss-europe.co.uk/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=493
Bill Young

Hi MJ -The F frame is the section around the door and comprises the A and B posts - not easily visible with the body and sills in place. The chassis is the main area to look at and getting the car on a lift or on ramps would be helpful. Failing that crawling around underneath and checking where the floor boards attach etc gives you an idea of whether the car has been well restored.
Most of the rot will be around the door frame so the door should be solid on its hinges. Try lifting it when open and if it moves - then you have rot - so walk away if you don't want to have restoration project - as I didn't. But as I said on an earlier thread - take someone with you who has restored an A - they will know what to look for. I had a BGT before so wasn't familiar with A rot spots and took a colleague from our club who restored his coupe from a basket of bits - good luck in your search - cheers Cam
Cam Cunningham

I went recently with a friend to view various MGAs. I rebuilt an MGA from a pile of scrap so I can assess the condition of cars.

We looked at 4 to begin with that all looked good on photos and all sounded great on the write up. The prices were between 12 and 16 gran, non of them were worth more than 10 or 11 max, all had various problems when viewed closely. However after another month of searching the right car came along at 13.5K and was a superb example.
The advice I would give is:
be prepared to travel and see as many cars as possible before buying. And do take someone who understands the construction of these cars.
Bob (robert) Midget Turbo

mj, I would go through the archives here and look at the threads describing all the "improvements" people have made to the engineering of their MGAs. That will give you a punchdown list of things to look out for.
David Breneman

The MGA body, not being structural, is very open. If you're bendable enough, and have a torch, you can eyeball the back surfaces of the panels and the seams, and tell pretty quickly where the repair panels are etc. It's worth a really good look.

The chassis is thick and strong, and if there's going to be damage it will most likely be next to the sills. Unless the previous owner has put that lunatic soft absorbent filling between sill and chassis rail, you'll be able to get a finger up there and feel along.

Lifting the battery cover behind the seats and pulling the spare wheel back a foot reveals a lot - the big bendy tubular cross-member and its attachments to the side frames, the back axle, battery trays, whether the dampers are leaking, how much play in the drivetrain, the state of the springs. All exposed to view without getting underneath.

F-posts as advised above. Look for smooth unfilled metal, and lift the doors, check the gaps, use your magnet.

Have a good look in the boot. Floors sometimes come away from the inner wings. And craning round to look at the inside of the rear panel (where the lock is), you'll see any accident damage. Feel robustly round the undersides of the gutters.

This isn't exhaustive, just problems I've had. But I agree with the views above. Get Malcolm Green's book, and take a knowledgeable friend with you.

Decent Twin Cams are going for £30k these days.

Nick

This thread was discussed between 11/03/2008 and 12/03/2008

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