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MG MGA - putting body back on, what did I forget?

I will be putting the body back on the frame soon, hopefully for the last time. I believe I've done all that I can do with the frame assembly while the body is off, but....did anyone else forget something, or wish they had done something more, before body installation?

Thanks (again),
George
G Goeppner

George
The bolt that secures the tail of the gearbox to the frame ... that bolt can go in with the head on the left, or the head on the right. Put in in the wrong way, and to remove engine / gearbox you have to remove the seats, floor, tunnel, handbrake lever, toe boards .... you get the picture?
Guess how I know ...
David
D Brown

I waxoyled my chassis by pumping when the body was on. Wish I'd have done it before by pouring in the waxoyl when I could up end the frame. Also I have a small dent in the front tubular cross member that I let go -it would have been relatively simple to tackle it with the body off. Now it's more complicated, Barney shows how.
J H Cole

......a small plaque to mark the occasion so that when the next owner lifts the body in 50 years time there is a little bit of history recorded?

Steve
Steve Gyles

Steve, that's a great idea. In fact, I did not paint the inside of the tail light housings (car was originally Orient Red) when the car was painted BRG, so there's a surprise there as well!

Cheers, George
G Goeppner

Not sure what you've done but I installed the main wiring harness (the one that feeds all the gauges). Installed the wiper motor. I wish I had installed the tach cable on the engine block beforehand.
Lmazoway

The lift-the-dot studs for the carpet (if you decide to use them) are much easier to install before the body goes on. At least, I assume they would be easier, they were a little bit of a pain to do afterwards.
Larry Wheeler

the bonnet release rod.
Art Pearse

You cannot install the wiper motor without the body, it sits on the heater shelf. I assume brakes lines are mostly mounted, all suspension is done, drive train in apart from radiator, fuel system complete apart from tank filler, rear wiring is done as far up as the starter switch, exhaust is on, floorboards and tunnel are in, steering rack too, without top mount.q
dominic clancy

Right Dominic. I think we were saying to install the wiper motor, bonnet release etc in the body, before ass'y
Art Pearse

George

Put anti corrosion fluid into the body sills. I drilled holes in the vertical section that sits next to the chassis and then plugged them with rubber grommets. You can't see the holes/grommets when its on the chassis and if you drill them low down you can still just about access them later. The inner sills have webs across them at the pillars so its the only way to get fluid into the middle section.

The construction of the sills is complicated and a picture would say more.

I also painted the whole underbody with anti corrosion fluid before it went onto the chassis.
John Francis

George change out the gearbox for the Sierra 5 speed. I think it's the best thing I ever did with my coupe. Makes motorway driving easy and its a straight swap.

Andy
Andy Preston 1

This thread was discussed between 25/09/2013 and 01/10/2013

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