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MG MGA - painting the steering rack-a question

I'm painting the steering rack as spart of my restoration. Should the brass piece at the front (the pinion bearing housing)be painted, or left in brass color?
Thanks, George.
G Goeppner

I don't have my Clausager with me at work, but I believe that it shows the racks all painted entirely black.
Bill Young

Functionally it doesn't have to be painted, but for concours it should be painted. The part was origianlly painted in assembly, so everything was origianlly black.
Barney Gaylord

Oh yeah, chassis black. Everything underneath was origianlly chassis black (satin or semi-gloss, not glossy). Lots of restorations are done with gloss black paint, and it seems to be generally accepted for concours, even though it should be technically and morally wrong. To me gloss black on the chassis ranks right up there with chrome wheels, metal flake in the body paint and chrome in the engine bay. All are incorrect, but concours judges don't seem to discount points, and a public vote comes out ahead.
Barney Gaylord

Hi Barney. I've painted the chassis and suspension bits semi-gloss black, although I couldn't say how "glossy" it really is. A professional painter (not me!) will tell you that there are "percentages" to a gloss finish. Its definitely not as glossy as the example restored chassis shown in Clausager. Since I was painting the rack anyway, I wanted to do it "right", and the pictures in Clausager's book don't show that detail. I hope to have a nice car when done, but I'm not going for concours!

G Goeppner

George,
The famous concours question "What shade of flat black?" ....:)
Sounds like you're making progress. Bringing 'er to the Glen? We'll be there. I'm still open to that beer at the Savoy....

Gerry
G T Foster

Here in Australia, the whole underside could be painted pink with yellow spots for all the concours judges care..downunder, you can get away with anything..chrome wires, jap seats, bigger engines, modern suspension, etc.etc...as seen at the recent Nationals. I'm all for uprating a car for comfort, but when it comes to concours originality!!!!!
Gary Lock

If your intent is for concourse competition do the research follow the original methods and buy an enclosed trailer. If you want to win you can't drive it.
There are better ways to build the car than those used 50 years ago. It is your car, build it to fit your purpose. Powder coat beats paint in many areas. A spin on oil filter sure makes maintenance easier. Radial tire aren't concourse either. And God forbid a real syncro for 1st gear and a 5th for highway cruising.
IMHO quality workmanship is what makes a great car. My coupe doesn't nave to be repainted Island Green to be nice. But please don't paint it in a non period color like any metallic, sunshine yellow, orange, pink or the like.
R J Brown

RJ, thanks for your comments, I share your views. My goal is not to build a concours trailer queen (already have the spin-on oil filter!). But I am interested in being original where possible/practical, hence my question of paint (or not) on the brass pinion bearing housing. BTW, the final color of the body will be a period-correct BRG. If my completed car looks like an original model (more or less) that has been on the road for a few years, I will have met my goal for this restoration.
Cheers, George


G Goeppner

Was there a BRG MGA?
Peter.
P. Tilbury

Peter, no, BRG was not a standard MGA color for production cars. The 1960 Sebring MGA's were painted BRG (at least that's what BMC called it, there are many shades). The 1961 Sebring cars were a lighter green, although I believe it was a standard color from another model in the BMC line. I'm not sure if any of the LeMans MGA's were BRG, maybe some of the historians out there can weigh in on that. Doesn't matter, I like that color on an MGA, and as I stated earlier I'm not restoring for concours.

G Goeppner

BRG looks Great on an MGA.
Yellow only goes with 730 and animal house.
R J Brown

Whilst BRG is not a standard production line colour, do not forget that some cars were exported in kit form in primer. Surely, any colour that they were finally painted could be considered original!

Steve
Jaguar BRG
Steve Gyles

Thanks RJ!
JohnB

This thread was discussed between 07/05/2007 and 09/05/2007

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