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MG MGA - humidity question

My first post--great BBS!
My question concerns garaging my A in an environment that is often somewhat damp thanks to a leaky garage roof. I use several "Dri-Z-Airs" to try and keep the gargage as humid-free as possible, but obviously this is only a band-aid. I don't know whether it is because of the dampness in the air but I've noticed bumps developing all over the paint job on the car--it's like they appear overnight--hood(bonnet) and doors included. I've been able to quite easily rub them out, so I'm hoping that they are not corrosion-related. The paint job on the car is about twenty-three years old, and was slapped on the car unprofessionally just to pretty it up for a quick sale by the previous owner. My question: are the bumps indicative of a lousy paint job finally separating from the primer, or are they related to the dampness in the garage?
C R Camilleri

Hi CR. Welcome to the MGA Forum. Glad you like the BBS. Personally I dont think your paint bubbles are corrosion related, or the corrosion would likey be showing through. It sounds like some kind of paint defect, or moisture induced problem to me. A paint job done that long ago could have been a laquer paint job. Laquer paints sometimes had problems with moisture absorption if memory serves correctly. It sounds like you really dont want to repaint unless you have to. I suppose you can keep polishng the small bumps, until you polish through to the primer, at which point you will likely want to repaint the car. You then need to decide between catalysed enamel, polyurethane, epoxy, or base coat/clearcoat. Hopefully your paint job has lots of life left! Cheers! Glenn
Glenn

A well applied coat of a good paste wax goes a long way toward preserving a finish. I'd definitely get that garage drier. Fix that roof before the underlying wood begins to rot...if it already hasn't started. Just keeps getting more expensive the longer it's put off. As a DIY job it's not really out of the range of the average person, either.
R. L Carleen

Hi Chris

With the damp at this time of year you will need to ensure that the garage is as leak proof as possible. Dri-Z-Airs are a great product in a small area like a boat or camper but would probably not be great in your garage. If you would like to have the bubbles checked out your local car club probably has the expertise to check it out for you.

Welcome to the BBS. It is invaluable for anyone interested in MGAs.

Brian
Brian Smith

Since this was my MGA's first post-restoration winter, I bought a couple of these dehumidifiers from West Marine:

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&productId=21504

I put one under the differential and one under the engine. They don't draw much power. I also have another, smaller, no-moving-parts electric dehumidifier in the passenger's footwell. It's a little box thst heats up about as warm as a cup of coffee, with holes for the air to pass through via convection.

Anyway, now when I go into the garage, it's noticably warmer and drier than the outside air. So much, in fact, than when I go into the adjoining workshop, which always in the past was noticably warmer and drier owing to the pump water tank and juke box (always on) in there, *that* room now feels damp and clammy. So these little things really seem to be doing their job.
David Breneman

Thanks for the valuable input. Brian, I will refer to the expertise of my local club as in the past they have been extremely helpful despite my spotty attendance to events!
David, I also have one of those electrical dehumidifiers running in my garage. Presently, I have it sitting beside my car, as I was concerned that an errant spark from the unit(?) could end in tears if I placed it under the car, which I thought of doing. Obviously, you are not concerned about this, and placement under the car would probably be more effective than placing beside it.I'll buy another one and see if I have the same success as you.

Regards,
Chris
C R Camilleri

Chris -

I didn't think there was much chance of the unit emitting sparks unless maybe it was crushed. :-) After all, these things are intended to sit in boats at docks and run for months on end. I placed mine under the car so that the dry air would circulate in the engine compartment and around the frame. But, I'm sure they would dehumidify the ambient air just fine sitting anywhere in the garage.
David Breneman

Regardless of what you use there should primarily be a good circulation of air in any garage to carry away any damp air.

I personnally use a small household dehumidifier in the garage attached to a time switch. On average it removes about 10L of water per month which I have to empty from the unit. It is so good that whereas before my tools had a thin coating of surface rust if I hadn't used them, they are now perfectly clean at all times.

Clive
Clive Skelhorn

CR,
I'm a bit confused by your statement that the bumps are easily rubbed out. Are you talking about using rubbing compound, or just "pressure"? Either way, moisture or not, there is no way paint should have bumps in it. If you are actually using a rubbing compound you could quickly wear thru the thin layer of paint. If you are pressing the bumps back down, I would suspect they would quickly reappear. Either way it would seem to me that you have a serious problem with your paint that, I suspect, was caused by improper preparation before the respray. Also, you mention the bonnet and doors. These surfaces are aluminum and more susceptible to environmental changes. Even more reason to suspect a paint adhesion problem.

Regards,
GTF
G T Foster

GTF, I agree that it's probably paint-related. When I purchased the car from Octagon Motors in Vancouver twenty-three years ago, they acknowledged that the car was resprayed at the local Chrysler dealership just to make the car look presentable.(This of course was before these beautiful cars were selling at a premium. In fact I was told by Octagon at the time that the car would have been parted out by the weekend if it was not sold! I always felt that I had saved her life!)
Of course the piping was sprayed over--not a pretty sight. I would assume that the aluminum parts were not properly prepped either. I guess I should be grateful that the paint has lasted this long--lots of waxing and keeping the car covered and indoors probably helped, current humidity issues notwithstanding. I'm grateful (hopeful?)that it appears not to be corrosion-related--subject to confirmation from my car club--as I could certainly live with the bumps until my budget allows for a new paint job.As for removing the bumps it seems that they are easily rubbed out (using one of those rubber 'sanding' blocks) and do not seem to reappear. But once I've rubbed out one section , I discover them on another part of the body during colder, damper winter months.
Thanks again for everybody's input.

-Chris
C R Camilleri

This thread was discussed between 30/12/2004 and 04/01/2005

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