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MG MGB Technical - Wing seams

Does anyone know of a long term solution to the rust prone seams on the rear and front wings. I have repaired filled and painted twice but within a short space of time they crack water gets in and the cycle begins all over again. The steel seam could be removed or replaced with something better, any idea's?

Gary
Gary Roberts

I've seen cars without the seams but they just don't look right. With the roadster the problem at the front is flexing, but even the GT suffers from it. At the rear there should be much less if any flexing, my roadster only suffered where people with jeans had been sitting against it and the studs had chipped the paint - before my time I hasten to add. With the GT it is the very leading edge that is showing signs, but being under the rear window it even more difficult to treat. Short of brazing or welding the tops of the seams I don't think you will ever cure it, but bolting up the front wings with a good coating of flexible filler might help. Welding the seams but leaving gaps every couple of inches, then cutting the filler strip to have a series of 'teeth' where the gaps are and glueing it in place might have the strength of a solid seam but the visual appearance of a standard one.
Paul Hunt

This is an issue that I don't think will ever go away and certainly once corrosion is present it is difficult if not impossible to rectify.

I believe that front wings should be painted off the car and that the dash panel also be painted at that time. That way all edges are properly prepared and protected and there is no "bridge" of paint to crack between the wing s and body. You cant do this now so you either live with the consequences or remove the fromt wings and sand blast the contact faces of both wing and dash panel then making good the surfaces and respraying a patch repair. It really does seem a drastic step but unless you get to the root of the problem the rust will return within just a few weeks. After fitting pour Dinitrol in between the seams and spray from underneath.

The rear wings are a different matter. Once in there the rust cvannot be removed. A new wing should be properly prepared and painted and only then sprayed with fluid from underneath in the hope of getting into the seam. You can also dribble the fluid in from the top but it will be very difficult to repaint after fluid of wax injection as it repells the paint. You can clean it as much as you like but it still tends to repel.

Hope this is helpful.
Iain MacKintosh

I have heard that one 'cosmetic' repair is to obtain the T-section piece, perhaps made of lead, or another soft-solderable metal. I've just looked in the Moss parts book (UK) for this piece but cannot find it.

The stem of the T can be cut off and the remainder used as a representation of the original joining part between the wings and the body, by soldering over the seam.

I'm not sure whether the part I'm referring to is an MG body part or was always sold as part of a wing. It might be possible to obtain the part from a genuine coachbuilder or restorer of coachbuilt cars.

Hope this helps.

Peter
P L Hills

I clicked when I should not have and lost the first offering to this thread somewhere in that cavionous hole in the internet.
What I had said was that I have been thinking of going seamless for a while as I am doing a second restoration job on my BGT. I have looked at pictures of the Aston Martin B roadster and agree that the seamless front does look a little out of place. However, do I take the seams, front and back off or do I put up with the problem of rust reappearing and that black muck also collecting which further adds to shaming the apperaence?
I had put it slightly different the first time around but have economised on the words a bit more this time.
Doug
Doug Endean

Peter:

The original wing seam material is available from a number of sources, but installation would be a royal pain. The material is usually only recomended for small area repair, rather than a complete wing. I've worked on an MGB that had the rear seams welded then ground, but as Paul noted, the car just didn't look right.

If someone comes up with a magic solution, let me know as I've got a couple of cars that have minor rust in the seams.

Kelvin.
KJ Dodd

The beading is available by the foot at MGB Hive but it really would be a pain to fit. I restored my GT in 1996 and it is still perfect. Mind you it doesn't go out in the rain.
Iain MacKintosh

Earlier generations of car had a composite seam which presumably helped slow up the galvanic action . Gary - if you can dribble galvafroid into the cavity when it has been really cleaned up - let it dry thoroughly and paint over. Supertrol/Dinitrol if you can get them or waxoil on the underside must help too.

I use a GT all the year round and seem to have the prob under control.

Roger
RMW

You could weld up and grind flat, then stick on that lead strip for stained glass windows, then over paint. OK not that nice fluted original appearance but better than rust...

Never tried it but seems workable

Stoo
Stuart Robson

I replaced a section of beading an a rear wing that had rotted through on my roadster. Because the flange on the beading is clamped between the wing and the boot-lid surround there is a small gap between the flanges on said wing and surround. I used a fine hacksaw blade to cut longitudinally along the seam completely removing the beading, cutting through any spot-welds, and cleaning up the inside faces of the wing and surround flanges. I then dropped a length of new beading into the gap and mig-welded it in place from underneath. By the time my painter had used a bit of filler in the end gaps and applied several coats of paint it was a real Morecambe and Wise job i.e. you can't see the join, and that was 14 years and 25k miles ago.
Paul Hunt

I like paul's idea for the rear seems, and should be workable for a GT. The front will probably have to wait till the winter is over and then remove the wings and do what Iain suggests, in the meantime I may put some duct tape over them for the winter to prevent any more moisture getting in. Life is never boring with an MG!

Thanks Gary
G Roberts

Has anyone ever found a plastic moulding that looks like the beading that could be glued on top of the seam and painted?

Mike
Mike Howlett

Hmmm, wonder what it's paint holding characteristics would be. I think I'd rather cut the flange off the pukka stuff and bond that (the top bit anyway) to a welded seam. If it has started rusting now then it will continue to do so under the tape even if more moisture doesn't get in, and the tape will stop it drying out in dry waether and so probably cause faster rusting. If it has just cracked then put some Dinitrol on it which will tend to penetrate and displace moisture.
Paul Hunt

I have the same rust problem on my '66 GT (doesn't everyone?). Got chatting to a guy whilst getting a quote for repairing it at an mg specialist and he said he visited the MG factory in the 60s - and the seams were beginning to rust on cars before they were even painted. I can well believe him!

Tim.
Tim Jenner

Hi,

I solved this problem with black polu-urethane caulking stuff from Bull-Dog prior to bolt fender and clean the mess with mehyl alcool. It is a lot better than silicon.

JGC
Jean Guy Catford

This thread was discussed between 20/10/2004 and 28/10/2004

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