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MG MGB Technical - Aluminium bonnet questions re: original specs

Hi,

I am refurbishing an aluminium bonnet (aluminum or alloy hood in Across-The-Pond parlance) for my '69 B GT and need to clarify two specification points (I went through our BBS archives, Clausager's book etc without any luck)

1. was the prop rod holding bracket made of steel or aluminum and how was it attached ? (I am talking of the early type rod, fitted on UK-driver side, not the telescopic one found on later cars which was on the opposite side of the bonnet). My bonnet has a steel bracket (same as the one used on steel bonnets) but it is on the wrong side and held by no less than 6 rivets (!). No trace of a a bracket ever been fitted on the correct side.

2. bonnet insulation felts : felts were still (loosely) attached to the used bonnet I purchased. They appear to have a stitch line running (almost) all around, about a 1/2 inch from the edge. Anyone remembering seeing this type of finishing touch ?
Also, the new ones supplied by Moss are nice but smaller and indeed not large enough to allow fitment with all edges covered by bonnet structural beams (incl cross members). Was this the original way of fitting the felts ? (if so, I will try and buy the right material and cut it myself)


Thank you very much in advance for your help !

All the best
Gerard
GBP

There are two brackets. The one for the rod pivot is spot welded to the bonnet frame. The front one is the rod retaining clip and is held in place with two screws

see here

http://newblog.earlymgb.com/index/early-mgb-to-car-11241-engine-hood-prop-bracket/
dominic clancy

Thank you Dominic !

There is indeed a left over piece of what was the rod pivot bracket on my bonnet (aluminium part, welded on the bonnet cross beam). The early rod retaining clip that you show was superseded with a steel + rubber part at some point during production, this is what is fitted in my case.

Any insight regarding the felts pattern ?

Gerard

PS : congrats on your blog, many interesting details (even though my car is a MkII)
GBP

My 1980 model B still has its original bonnet felt insulation. Each of the two felt panels has black stitching about 10mm from the edge, all round. There is approximately a 10mm gap all round, between the edge of the felt and the bonnet panel stiffeners/cross member.

I also have a 1978 model BGT which lost its bonnet insulation a long time ago, and I have bought a new set from Moss but have not yet fitted them. I have just checked the size of these against the ones on the other B and they are pretty much the same size and pattern as the original, except there is no stitching. I expect after a while the edges of the felt will tend to fray, so before fitting them I intend to either stitch as per original, or apply a slightly diluted liquid PVA to the felt edges to bond the felt fibres.
Brian Shaw

Thank you Brian. What you describe is pretty much what I found, except that the gap between the felt and bonnet structure was down to 0 (or negative so to speak) on some sides.
I agree with you that the stitching probably helps increasing life-expectancy (which is good, considering how tricky it is to glue the thing properly !)

Gerard
GBP

Not my blog, I knew of it because I maintain an early B for a very nice friend ! She's very happy to be driving it because she had always wanted one since she was a teenager.
dominic clancy

Not my blog, I knew of it because I maintain an early B for a very nice friend ! She's very happy to be driving it because she had always wanted one since she was a teenager.
dominic clancy

This thread was discussed between 23/08/2014 and 26/08/2014

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