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MG MGB Technical - What is this?

So I thought I knew what every part in my shed was, and where it came from! This is from the '73 BGT, but what is it?? All help appreciated - the car was taken off the road for a "6 month strip and paint" ... 5 years ago, and my memory has let me down. Kind regards, John.


J P Hall

They are pop riveted to the top back edge of the doors. Picture upside down, just for you!!


Allan Reeling

Ha! - thanks Allan; the picture is perfect and I'm the wiser for your help.It all makes sense. Regards, John.
J P Hall

Interesting that it was GTs only.
Paul Hunt

Probably the "bean counters" passed them as an up-market touch of luxury for the GT. In a similar move they allowed Abingdon to add 3 V8 badges, an extra door mirror and tinted glass to distinguish the V8 from the 1800 GT!! BL management!! Weren't they great??!!
Allan Reeling

A bit of a diversion I know, but does anyone else like the BGT badge that went on the top of the C-pillar on the later (rubber bumper only?) models, and consider putting it on their earlier (mine is '73) BGT? Just putting it out there! John.
J P Hall

Sorry John, NO. It was put there because the "bean counters" again thought body production could be speeded up/cheapened, by not having to lead load that seam.
But whatever floats your boat John, I have done several things to my V8 which i'm sure the purists wouldn't like.
Allan Reeling

Holy shpoot! - I didn't know that, Allan. Just consigned that idea to the rubbish bin. I was worried that it was probably a crappy plastic badge anyway. I'm happy to settle for impurities such as :

Supra 5-speed gearbox. (Bulletproof).
New (but not on original car) Webasto.
Tom's Knob reconfigured and improved.
Superformance rims.
Unleaded head + warmer cam, K&N filters etc.

As you say, personal taste should dictate what "improvements" we put on our own cars; some take it further than most of us would, but it's their car to play with! John.

J P Hall

"BGT badge that went on the top of the C-pillar"

'Mr Spocks ears', as Clausager called them. Yes I like them ... probably because mine has them :o) Metal, not plastic.

However that is a May 75 build and he says they weren't used until March 76. I suppose mine could have had them retro-fitted if the C-posts had been replaced for any reason, but there are no other indications that happened. He also says it was to cover the 'otherwise unsightly joint' when they stopped lead-loading, but they didn't bother covering the joint on the rear panel under the boot lid/tailgate.
Paul Hunt

Or under the rear light clusters. It's often (always) very difficult to understand the whims of BL management. It could also have been they thought it was major advancement in vehicle design!!
Allan Reeling

Funny you should say that,Paul - when we stripped ours we went out of our way to make sure the vertical seam under the rear lights was left visible; sort of a point of "correctness" that I wanted to preserve, and which is so often filled with bog by overzealous panelbeater/spraypainters.
Also , I must get a copy of that Clausager book - anyone know where I can get it for a reasonable price?? John.
J P Hall

I believe the lead loading was eliminated because of OH & S concerns as much as cost.
On the Australian mgb roadsters they lead wiped/loaded the seams under the boot lid that Paul describes, the joins between the rear tonneau panel and the two guards, and also around the headlights. I believe they had a problem here at the front because the leading edge of the bonnet always wound up protruding a little further forward than the guards and the lead loading here was to line up the front edges.
The lead loaded seam between the tonneau panel and guards was also quite a problem, I was told, as the lead used to bubble up in the paint ovens in this area, needing subsequent correction.
I don't know how clearly this photo will appear in my post, but on my computer at home I can clearly make out the dressed lead wiped areas below the boot lid aperture on each side, and on the area on the right side where the tonneau panel joins the guard.
The seam John refers to under the tail lights were possibly not lead wiped as the the two panels joined at their apex by the beaded line that comprised the rear guard were, I believe, supplied already as one unit from Pressed Steel. The visible joins where the guards were then attached to the adjacent part of the body (tonneau panel and either end of the vertical panel forming the trailing edge of the boot aperture) were then lead wiped.


T Aczel

The seams under the tail lights, on my '67 B, were not lead loaded at the factory. Having owned the car for over four decades, it's pretty easy for me to tell what was done by the factory and what was done by me. RAY
rjm RAY

This thread was discussed between 26/12/2015 and 30/12/2015

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