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MG MGB Technical - Repairing the steering wheel cowl

Can't find any decent replacements for my 69 B GT's steering wheel cowl, so I'm thinking about repairing it. The important questions are: 1) can this plastic even be successfully glued, and if so; 2) what glue should I be using to do it? Cyanoacrilate, model airplane glue, etc? The thing is getting pretty fragile, and I'd like to be able to repair it before it falls apart completely.
Adam Birnbaum

Adam

The replacement I fitted was of reasonable quality. It looks OK and the metal threads were properly made to make fitting easy.

I think you will have limited success trying to repair plastic which is 35 years old.

Perhaps try another supplier to see if the quality is better.

Good Luck
Ian Buckley

Ian, 68/69 North American MGB's had a unique cowl, which is unobtainium.

Adam, I would try the model glue, as it is made for plastic, and place an ad in the Classifieds on this site for Parts Wanted. Someone may see it and offer one up in good condition. They ARE difficult to find, but you may get lucky.
Paul K

Aurora Auto Wrecking (Seattle) (800)-426-6464
MG COSAS (San Antonio) (800)-846-2672
Dan Robinson

Solvent cement made for acrylic plastics works fine on the cowling material. You will find it at any plastics wholsaler. The applicator is a very fine needle on a plastic bottle or you can use a hypodermic needle. Align the parts perfectly and run the needle down the crack and it will flow in and "weld" it in seconds although it takes a half hour or so.
Having said that, I have an extra cowling in good shape for the '69. I'll have to check and see if it's perfect or not but it does not have any of the above repair on it.
LOL
Cheers
Al
Al McMillan

...takes a half hour or so to cure fully. There, finished my thought.
Al McMillan

Thanks for the suggestions. Al, I'll hit some of the local plastics shops and check it out. If that doesn't work I'll pursue some of the other listed options for used cowls. As a last resort I understand that the cowls for other years, while incorrect, can be made to fit (according to some people on the 69 B list).

Paul: I've had a sample gas-chromatagraphed, and it turns out the cowl is only 95.6% unobtainium.
Adam Birnbaum

This thread was discussed between 09/02/2004 and 10/02/2004

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