Any interest in old MGs? (I mean old....1955 to be precise)

[dave87]

If so, then it may be of interest that I'm currently working on a 1955 MG Magnette ZA with my Grandfather.

What the end product is supposed to look like (ours is not that far along):



Whilst I may have started 20 years ago (aged 5) as a not so helpful assistant, this year we've restarted work again, and I dare say I'm (probably) a bit more use. It has come on a massive amount over those years, albeit rather slowly as Grandad has felt able to do bits on it.

What prompted the thread today? Well, last weekend we put water in the cooling system, we put oil in the engine, oil in the gearbox and this weekend the water is still in the cooling system, the engine oil is still in the engine and the gearbox oil is (mostly) still in the gearbox (we might have a slight leak).

This week it was time for the brakes, clutch and electrics. The bleeding of the clutch and the brakes went (reasonably) smoothly, so it was time for the electrics. After finding that it really helps to put the fuses in, and it helps even more if your earthing points haven't been painted (well, it stops them rusting!) we got it turning over. Rather a relief!

Job tomorrow is to see if we can get it started - we have yet to put fuel in, and we need to clean up the various earthing points so we can actually get power to stuff (this car runs a dynamo and so runs a positive earth rather than a negative as with modern cars), and fingers crossed it should fire! Nan already has the fire extinguisher bought and ready at the thought.....I'm not sure whether that is a sign of confidence or a dose of reality that it has been a few years (30) since it last ran

I'll dig out the old photos of how it arrived, but in the mean time I'll see if I can grab a few shots of how it currently stands.

[finlay666]

That is a gorgeous car there Dave.

this weekend the water is still in the cooling system

So it's 45 years older than your BMW and was better at not dribbling out everywhere?

[Biscuit]

Lovely indeed, my uncle has been a fan of the convertible sporty MGs for a while and has had a number of them over the years. If you have the time and the skill to own one then it seems very rewarding.
Looking forward to seeing more pics :-)

[dave87]

Thanks for the kind comments guys.

That is a gorgeous car there Dave.



So it's 45 years older than your BMW and was better at not dribbling out everywhere?

Thought you might say that! Well, the first time we filled it with water it may have fallen straight out again....swiftly sorted with better jubilee clips on the various hoses thankfully, rather than a radiator which decided it wanted to be holy on BM!

Lovely indeed, my uncle has been a fan of the convertible sporty MGs for a while and has had a number of them over the years. If you have the time and the skill to own one then it seems very rewarding.
Looking forward to seeing more pics :-)

Grandad has previous history with MGs - he restored two soft top MGs for my Uncles - at least one of them was an MGB, the other I think a Midget, but I'm not sure. One in British Racing Green, one in bright red. This was to be his project, and he thought he might eventually struggle to get in and out of a sports car.

[dave87]

A few pictures of how it stands currently (the one in the opening post is what it should look like!):

The front of the car as it currently stands:



The interior with the dash in:



and the headlining:



As the engine has been the focus of this weekend's work, another shot:




1500cc of BMC's finest pushing out 60hp (well, once it starts!)

[Biscuit]

Grandad has previous history with MGs - he restored two soft top MGs for my Uncles - at least one of them was an MGB, the other I think a Midget, but I'm not sure. One in British Racing Green, one in bright red. This was to be his project, and he thought he might eventually struggle to get in and out of a sports car.

Yeah my uncle had an MG B GT, then a beautiful MG A Convertible and now he has another B. I wish i knew more about working on cars because it would be a dream to own a racing green convertible MG (or perhaps a Triumph).

and the headlining:

Wow that looks extremely clean, have you refitted it?

[dave87]

Ah, the one in the opening post isn't Grandad's one - it is what this is supposed to look like when we finish!

The headlining is new created from an original template I think - fits really well (Grandad fitted it, and remade the B-Pillar posts in the read leatherette - as per the period norm!)


Grandad has a bit of form with MGs - both of these were restored by him for each of my Uncles:






and the MGB:



On display at Lakeside shopping centre if I've remembered correctly - with the MG Owners Club.


He's got a few photos of them being restored if they are of any interest. Sadly both have long since changed hands, so it would also be interesting to know if they are still around/running.

[Biscuit]

Stunning mate

Ill try and hunt down some pics of my uncles ones

[Zak33]

twin SU's...

I've just erupted in my pants.... !!

[dave87]

That man knows his stuff!

For Fathers' day, we got him the fuel pump he was going to save up for. He was properly chuffed - only downside is he's said my reward is to fit it - which is a bit of a bastard to do!

This means one thing though - barring any unexpected hiccups - it should fire into life!

[dave87]

Of course getting it started wasn't as easy as expected, but I shall explain later. In the mean time, a few pictures of how it arrived to give an idea of the scale of the task faced in restoring it:






Think that looks bad? Have a look at the inside.....



Yes, that is daylight through the floor!

[dave87]

Sadly work has kept me busy, but I have managed to go through a few more photos of the car.

The strip down began,









It then got rolled into the garage to be stripped down further:





One of the mounts for the front suspension (on the otherside) had snapped/snapped in the process of removing the suspension. Needed a new one made so I was taught how to draw technical diagrams (I think I've got a picture of a young me making the drawing..) so that a new part could be made!



Some of the bits that came off the car. They don't look in terrible condition, the wings were in pretty good condition all things considered, but still required a fair bit of work!

[dave87]

Bit of a compare and contrast:



vs



Kinda puts it into perspective!

All the bits you need to get to are always in the most inaccessible places:



The inside cleared of everything:



However it was still a bit of a wreck:





It was time for it to come out:



Yes, that's (a young) me hanging on to the end of engine crane. I think Grandad thought I was heavier than I was - I'm trying not to fall off the end of it!

It always was a family project:



Chloe (our Golden Retriever) lending a helping hand!



Once the engine was out it could be sent back outside for dis-assembly to continue. Onwards with the strip down:

[dave87]

Once the bits were off the car they could be repaired and repainted.

The wings were rubbed down, repaired and painted in rust proofing:



Doors had some decent chunks of rust - so they were duly repaired (not quite sure what Grandad did, but they took a fair bit of work:



I believe he made the lower part:



The spray booth (being his garage) was duly commissioned:





and turned out some good results:

[Biscuit]

Im loving this thread man